Add 5 internal links: what moved in 45 days

Internal linking for SEO

Here’s a sprint I run today. I timebox it to 30-60 minutes and keep it tied to revenue, not vanity metrics.

• Identify your top five revenue pages. Think services, industries, or case studies that help close deals.
• Open your highest-traffic blog posts in a new tab. Pick two or three that naturally align with each target page.
• Add 2-3 contextual links within real sentences high in those posts, pointing to the target pages with descriptive, intent-matching anchor text.
• Log changes and track the result in Google Search Console for clicks, impressions, average position, and conversions from analytics or your CRM.

Why this works: internal links pass context and signal importance, helping search engines understand which pages matter. That shapes topical signals and improves discovery. Here’s the twist that matters for B2B services: strong internal links shift attention toward bottom-of-funnel pages. That means more demo requests, more qualified conversations, and less dependence on paid traffic.

Mini snapshot from a recent sprint I ran: five links added from three high-traffic guides to one service page. In 45 days, clicks to that service page rose by 32%, impressions by 41%, and form fills ticked up week by week. Correlation isn’t causation, but focused internal linking moved the right numbers.

What I track:

• Target pages updated
• Links added
• Clicks
• Impressions
• Average position
• Conversions

Internal links

An internal link connects one page on your site to another page on your site. External links point to other domains. Both matter, but internal links are the ones you fully control. They give crawlers a clear path, help indexation, and shape topical signals across your content.

Two quick notes I see teams mix up:

• “Followed” is the default. A standard link passes signals and context. There’s no need to add a “dofollow” attribute.
• rel="nofollow" signals that ranking credit shouldn’t be passed. I use it sparingly (for example, on login links). For internal navigation issues like facets or filters, I prefer canonical tags, URL design, and noindex over relying on nofollow.

For B2B funnels, internal links stitch top, mid, and bottom content into a single path. A guide that ranks brings visitors in. A case study builds trust. A service or industry page carries the offer. When those pages link to each other with intent, you reduce paid spend and increase qualified demand without writing a new paragraph.

Contextual links

These are the workhorses. Links inside paragraphs tend to carry more weight and more intent. They also get clicked more often, which helps both users and crawlers.

Placement tips that keep things simple:

• Add your most important internal link early in the copy.
• Keep it within relevant paragraphs, not in isolated “see also” boxes.
• Aim for 1-3 contextual links per 800-1,200 words, based on relevance, not a quota.

Anchor examples:

• Do: “IT managed services for healthcare providers”
• Do: “B2B PPC audit checklist for SaaS”
• Don’t: “click here” or “learn more”
• Don’t: vague pronouns like “this” or “these”

Navigational links

Header, footer, and breadcrumbs create reliable paths. They help crawl, they help users, and they keep your structure tidy. That said, they usually carry less topical punch than contextual links.

Practical notes:

• Keep menus short and clear. Group by Services, Industries, Resources, and About.
• Use consistent breadcrumbs so users and crawlers see where a page sits.
• Avoid footer link bloat. Keep it to utility pages, privacy, terms, and key hubs.
• Include the highest-margin or most strategic service in the primary nav to give it frequent internal exposure from every page.

Anchor text

Anchor text says what the target page is about. Search engines read it. People skim it. I write it like a helpful label. For deeper guidance, see Anchor Text.

I use natural partial-match phrasing, mix semantically related terms, and avoid repeating the same exact-match anchor across dozens of pages. Variety looks and feels natural.

A simple distribution I aim for (not a rule, just a guardrail):

• Brand or URL anchors: roughly 10-20%
• Partial-match anchors: roughly 50-70%
• Exact-match anchors: roughly 10-20%
• Other descriptive anchors: the remainder

B2B nuance matters. I match how the ICP talks. If buyers say “SOC 2 compliance audit” more than “security compliance consulting,” I favor the terms they use. It increases clarity and tends to lift relevance.

Before publishing, I scan anchors. Are they specific, readable, and helpful? Do they match the search intent of the target page? Am I avoiding “click here”? If yes, I’m set.

Topic clusters

I think in clusters with a clear hub. A service or industry page is the hub. Guides, comparisons, tools, webinars, and case studies are the spokes. The goal is simple: make it easy for a buyer and a crawler to find all of your depth on a topic. For more on clusters, see topic clusters.

Ground rules:

• The hub links to all spokes that matter for the buyer’s next step.
• Each spoke links back to the hub with a descriptive anchor.
• Each spoke links to 2-3 sibling pieces where relevant. Keep loops tight.

Templates I use:

• Service page: overview, ICP pain points, benefits, pricing guidance, FAQs, and links to the top five supporting guides and three relevant case studies.
• Industry page: outcomes, regulations, tech stack nuances, and links to two service pages plus three industry-specific resources.
• Case study: clear problem, method, results, and links to the matching service plus one or two related guides.

Link audit

I run quick audits to spot high-impact fixes I can ship fast.

A simple flow:

• Crawl the site to pull inlinks, outlinks, status codes, and crawl depth with tools like Screaming Frog or Semrush Site Audit.
• Find orphan pages with zero inlinks. Add contextual links from relevant pages. Start with content that already gets traffic.
• Fix 3xx and 4xx chains. Point every internal link straight to the final URL.
• Consolidate thin or duplicate hubs. If two pages cover the same topic, keep the stronger one and 301 the weaker (helps reduce keyword cannibalization).
• Refresh inlinks from high-authority posts to newer or bottom-of-funnel pages.

Prioritization tips:

• Use impression and click data from Google Search Console to find strong source pages.
• Keep per-page links to a sensible range. Around 100-150 total links is often practical on larger guides, including nav.
• Start with quick wins: repair orphans, remove redirect hops, and reclaim links from 404s.

Site architecture

Structure should make sense to a new visitor and to a bot. Keep important pages close to the homepage and easy to reach. Efficient internal linking also improves crawl budget use and discovery.

Targets that work well for B2B:

• Crawl depth of three clicks or fewer to key revenue pages.
• Clear folders like /services/, /industries/, /resources/, and /about/.
• HTML sitemaps for humans and XML sitemaps for crawlers. See Your guide to sitemaps.
• Breadcrumbs that mirror the folder structure.

Faceted navigation needs care. Filters can create many URL variations. If they don’t add unique value, keep them out of the index. Prefer a combination of canonical tags, smart URL design, appropriate robots directives, and facet rules that prevent near-duplicate pages from being indexable.

Internal linking tools

I use tools to speed up discovery, not to outsource judgment. Examples (not endorsements):

• Crawlers to surface inlinks/outlinks, status codes, and crawl depth like Screaming Frog.
• SEO platforms to spot authority pages, internal link gaps, and content that already ranks but needs support, such as Semrush Site Audit.
• Visualization tools to map link structure.
• Google Search Console to watch the Links report, impressions, clicks, and average position for target URLs.
• Suggestion tools that can propose link targets, with a human reviewing wording and relevance before publishing.

When I pick what to use:

• Small sites (under ~500 URLs) can do most of this with a crawler and GSC alone.
• Mid-size sites benefit from adding a platform for page-value signals and a visualizer for quick sanity checks.
• Teams with many writers may add a suggestion tool to surface ideas, then editors approve only the top matches.

Link equity

Not every page has the same pull. Some pages earn links from other sites. Some rank well and get steady traffic. Those are equity sources. I use them to lift pages that need a push. For background, see What is link equity and why does it still matter?

How I pass strength with intent:

• Identify top pages by external links, traffic, or both.
• Add contextual links from those pages to current priority URLs, like a new service or industry page.
• Use anchors that match the target’s topic, not generic labels.

Launch support tactic:

• When I publish a new service page, I link to it from three to five of the strongest posts.
• I add one link high in each post, within the first third of the article.
• I watch Google Search Console for 2-8 weeks and adjust.

I avoid the “everything links to everything” trap. Too many links on a page can dilute attention and confuse users. I keep links focused and relevant.

A simple monthly rhythm helps. I pick two or three target URLs and pass equity to them from top posts. Next month, I pick the next set. It adds up.

FAQs

How many internal links are too many?

There isn’t a fixed number that fits every page. Search engines can crawl hundreds of links on a page, but humans don’t enjoy that. I keep user experience first. On longer resources, staying near 100-150 total links is often fine, including nav. If the page feels spammy or hard to scan, I trim it. I test changes and watch GSC for movement.

Should I automate internal linking?

I use tools for suggestions, not auto-insertion. Full automation can add off-topic links, repeat the same anchor text everywhere, and create sitewide noise. I keep a human in the loop to check relevance and wording before a link goes live.

How long until results show?

If a page already has some traction, I often see movement in 2-8 weeks. Stronger domains move faster. Newer sites may take longer. I keep links consistent and relevant, and I watch the trend line rather than day-to-day shifts.

Do related content links count?

Yes, when they match the topic and sit inside crawlable HTML. I avoid generic “related” blocks that pull weak matches. I hand-pick or tune the logic so recommendations feel truly helpful.

Should I use abbreviated anchor text?

Yes, if the short form is clear to your buyers. “SOC 2” is fine if your audience knows it. I avoid vague words like “this” or “that.” The aim is clarity.

Are tag or category pages useful?

They can be, but only if they act like real topic hubs. I give them unique value, a short intro, and links to the best content. Thin tag pages with no context usually don’t help.

What is internal linking vs external linking?

Internal links connect pages on your site. External links point to other sites. Internal links shape structure and pass strength where you want it. External links can build credibility and bring new visitors, but you don’t control them.

Do footer links help SEO?

They help with utility and navigation. They usually pass less topical weight than contextual links inside copy. I keep footers lean and useful rather than long lists.

Wrap-up

A quick wrap before you get back to your day. Internal linking for SEO is simple to ship, easy to measure, and tied to outcomes that matter: demos, trials, and signed contracts. I run a 60-minute sprint, measure with GSC, and keep a monthly rhythm of passing equity to the pages that pay the bills. It’s not flashy. It works.