SEO Term Definition
Internal Link
An internal link is a hyperlink from one page to another page on the same domain. Internal links distribute PageRank, help crawlers discover content, and guide users through a site.
Reviewed by Alexander Yarovenko · Updated: 2026-06-22
What is an Internal Link?
An internal link is any hyperlink that points from one URL on your domain to another URL on the same domain. Internal linking is a foundational SEO tactic for distributing link equity, communicating site architecture to crawlers, and improving user experience.
Why Internal Links Matter
- PageRank distribution — high-authority pages (e.g., your homepage) pass equity to deeper pages via internal links
- Crawl path — Googlebot discovers new pages by following links; pages with no internal links (orphan pages) may never be crawled
- Topical relevance — linking related pages signals their relationship to Google
- User navigation — guides users to relevant content, reducing bounce rate
Internal Linking Best Practices
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text (not "click here")
- Link from high-authority pages to pages you want to rank
- Ensure all important pages are reachable within 3 clicks from the homepage
- Fix broken internal links regularly
- Use a pillar-cluster model: one pillar page links to related cluster pages and vice versa
- Add contextual links within the body content — not just in navigation