The concept of links is a prominent and important one in the world of SEO and digital marketing, and multiple kinds of links must be considered. Internal linking for SEO is a top example that cannot be ignored – how can internal linking boost your rankings quickly and effectively?
At Upward Engine, we offer a variety of link-building and other SEO services for clients around Utah and nationally, including internal linking SEO for various pages on your site. Here are some of the chief areas a good internal linking SEO strategy will benefit, plus some best practices and tips for going about this in 2026.
Key SEO Areas: Internal Linking Improves
Here are some of the top SEO areas that strong internal linking often helps boost:
Crawlability
When we talk about crawlability, we’re referring to how easily search engines can “crawl” or navigate your site. This relates heavily to the internal linking strategy you use – if you have clear navigation and interlinking between pages on your site, it’s much easier for search engine bots to find and index all your important content.
In comparison, if your site has poorly planned internal linking or dead-end pages, search engines may struggle to find and index all of your content. This can result in lower rankings and less visibility for your site.
Indexation
Another key aspect of SEO is indexation, which refers to how easily search engines can access and understand your site’s content. Indexation is important because if a search engine cannot properly crawl and index your site, then it will not be able to display your pages in search results.
Internal linking also plays a role in indexation by helping search engines understand the structure and hierarchy of your site’s content. By strategically linking to relevant pages within your site, you can guide search engine bots to important pages and help them better understand the overall theme and organization of your site.
Topical Authority
Internal linking is also important for establishing topical authority within your site. By linking to pages on similar topics, you are reinforcing the expertise and relevance of your content in that specific niche or subject. This can also help improve page rankings for those targeted keywords.
Anchor Text Best Practices
One key part of internal linking in SEO is the use of anchor text, which refers to the clickable text within a hyperlink. Anchor text is important because it helps search engines understand the context and relevance of the linked page.
When choosing anchor text, it’s best to use descriptive and relevant words that accurately describe the content on the linked page. Avoid using generic terms like “click here” or “read more,” as these do not provide any useful information to search engines.
Additionally, it’s important to vary your anchor text and not use the same exact phrase every time you link to a specific page. This can come across as spammy and can negatively impact your SEO efforts.
Building Hub Pages and Topic Clusters
Another important element of internal linking for your site’s SEO is building hub pages and topic clusters. Hub pages are central pages that link to other related content on your site, creating a cluster of relevant information.
Topic clusters, on the other hand, consist of multiple pieces of content that all relate to a specific topic or keyword. These clusters help establish your site as an authority on a particular subject and can improve your rankings for related keywords.
When creating hub pages and topic clusters, it’s important to use strategic internal linking to connect all the pieces together. This not only helps with SEO but also provides a better user experience for visitors navigating your site.
Auditing Internal Links
Internal links on your site need to be regularly audited to identify any broken or outdated links. These can negatively impact your SEO efforts and frustrate visitors trying to access relevant content.
There are several tools available for auditing internal links, such as Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console. These tools can help identify broken links, redirect errors, and other issues that may be affecting your site’s performance.
As you can see, there are a number of direct ways your internal linking strategy can play a key role in boosting your site’s rankings and visibility. And at Upward Engine, we’re here to help with a variety of internal linking and other link-building services – contact us today to learn more or get started!