Internal Links and Anchor Text on a Business Site

Why internal links matter

Google's SEO Starter Guide says that "the vast majority of the new pages Google finds every day are through links". Its page on link best practices adds that Google "uses links as a signal when determining the relevancy of pages and to find new pages to crawl."

For internal links, the advice is direct: "Every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site." A new service page that only appears in the XML sitemap can still be found, but a link from a related page tells visitors and Google how it fits into the rest of the site. Our guide to robots.txt and XML sitemaps covers the sitemap side. Our small business SEO basics guide shows where internal linking fits among the other basics.

Links are one signal among many. The Starter Guide notes that PageRank "uses links and is one of the fundamental algorithms at Google", but "there's much more to Google Search than just links."

Links Google can follow

Google's link page sets the technical rule: "Generally, Google can only crawl your link if it's an <a> HTML element (also known as anchor element) with an href attribute." It adds that Google "can't reliably extract URLs from <a> elements that don't have an href attribute or other tags that perform as links because of script events."

• Works: <a href="/services/kitchen-fitting/">, including links that JavaScript adds to the page, as long as the result is this kind of markup.
• Not recommended: a <span> with an href, an <a> that only has an onclick handler or a framework attribute such as routerLink, and javascript: URLs. Google says it "may still attempt to parse" these, but you should not rely on it.

This matters most on sites built with JavaScript frameworks, page builders and some menu plugins. If a menu or card grid is built from script-driven elements rather than real links, Google may not find the pages behind it. If anchor text is added by JavaScript, Google suggests checking with the URL Inspection Tool that it appears in the rendered HTML.

Writing anchor text

Anchor text is the visible, clickable text of a link. Google says it "tells people and Google something about the page you're linking to." Good anchor text, in Google's words, "is descriptive, reasonably concise, and relevant to the page that it's on and to the page it links to."

Google's examples of text that is too generic are "Click here", "Read more", and links on words such as "website" or "article". Its test is simple: "Try reading only the anchor text (out of context) and check if it's specific enough to make sense by itself."

• Weak: To find out about our boiler servicing, click here.
• Better: See our boiler servicing page for what a yearly service includes.

The opposite mistake is stuffing. Google says to "resist the urge to cram every keyword that's related to the page that you're linking to", and reminds readers that keyword stuffing breaks its spam policies. Its check: "If it feels like you're forcing keywords into the anchor text, then it's probably too much." Overly long anchors are a problem too; link the few words that name the destination, not the whole sentence.

For an image used as a link, "Google uses the alt attribute of the img element as anchor text", so a linked logo or product photo needs alt text that names where it goes. An empty link with no text and no alt text gives neither people nor Google anything to work with.

The same habits help people who use screen readers. WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) asks that "The purpose of each link can be determined from the link text alone or from the link text together with its programmatically determined link context". W3C explains that assistive technology can show users a list of the links on a page, and "Link text that is as meaningful as possible will aid users who want to choose from this list of links." It also calls it "a best practice for links with the same destination to have consistent text". Our website accessibility basics guide covers the wider standard.

Context around the link

Google says "the words before and after links matter, so pay attention to the sentence as a whole." It warns against chains of links next to each other: "Don't chain up links next to each other; it's harder for your readers to distinguish between links, and you lose surrounding text for each link."

W3C makes a similar point for accessibility. If ambiguous text cannot be avoided, it is better placed at the end of the sentence that describes the destination, and the description can sit in the same sentence, paragraph, list item or table cell as the link.

On numbers, Google is clear there is no target: "There's no magical ideal number of links a given page should contain. However, if you think it's too much, then it probably is." Link where a reader would genuinely want to go next.

Where internal links belong on a business site

Menus, footers and breadcrumbs give every page a route to the main sections; our guide to website navigation menus covers how to plan them. Links in the body text do a different job: they connect related pages in context. Some patterns that suit a business site:

• Service to service. A page on roof repairs can link to gutter cleaning where the text mentions gutters.
• Service to location. Area pages link to the services offered there, and service pages link to the areas covered. Our guide to service area pages explains how to keep these useful rather than repetitive.
• Guides and articles to services. A guide on choosing a boiler can link to the installation page where it discusses installation.
• Case studies and projects to the service they describe, and back.
• New pages. When you publish one, add links to it from two or three related existing pages, not only from the blog list.

Content comes first. Google's advice to link "in context" assumes there is something worth linking to; our guide to helpful content for business websites covers what makes a page worth that link. When pages change address in a redesign, update internal links to the new URLs as well as adding redirects; our redesign SEO guide covers the redirect map.

Links to other sites

Google says linking out "isn't something to be scared of; in fact, using external links can help establish trustworthiness (for example, citing your sources)." For links you do not want to vouch for, Google suggests nofollow "only when you don't trust the source, and not for every external link on your site." Paid links should carry sponsored or nofollow, and links that users add, for example in comments or a forum, should carry ugc or nofollow.

Finding pages with no links

Search Console's Links report includes a table of the top internally linked pages. Google suggests using it to "Confirm that the core site pages (home page, contact page) are properly linked within your site", and you can select a page to see which other pages link to it. Google notes the report "isn't a comprehensive list of every link on your site", but a sample. Our Search Console basics guide explains how to set it up.

A simple routine: list your important pages (services, locations, key guides), check each one has links from related pages in the body text, and fix any that are only reachable from the sitemap or a deep menu. Repeat after each batch of new content.

A checklist

• Every important page has at least one link from another page on the site.
• Links are real <a href> elements, including in menus and card grids.
• Anchor text names the destination and makes sense on its own.
• No "click here" or "read more" as the only link text.
• No keyword-stuffed or sentence-long anchors.
• Linked images have alt text that names the destination.
• Links sit in sentences with context, not in chains.
• New pages get links from related existing pages.
• Paid and user-added links carry the right rel value.

FAQ

How many internal links should a page have?

Google says there is no magical ideal number of links a page should contain, but if you think it is too much, it probably is. Link where a reader would want to go next.

Is it bad to use the same keyword in every anchor?

Google advises writing anchor text as naturally as possible and resisting the urge to cram in every related keyword, noting that keyword stuffing violates its spam policies. Describe the destination in plain words.

Can Google follow links added by JavaScript?

Yes, if the script produces normal a elements with an href attribute. Google says it cannot reliably extract URLs from elements without an href or from links that work only through script events. Check the rendered HTML with the URL Inspection Tool.

Should internal links use nofollow?

Google's link guidance suggests nofollow for links to sources you do not trust, and sponsored or ugc for paid and user-added links. Links between your own pages are there to be followed.

How do I find pages that are not linked from anywhere?

Search Console's Links report shows the top internally linked pages and which pages link to a given URL. Google notes it is a sample, so also check your list of key pages against the body links on related pages.

Want a website whose pages connect clearly for visitors and for search engines? See our website development service and all our services, or email [email protected].