1. Understanding the Importance of Internal Linking
Internal linking is one of the most underrated yet powerful strategies in on-site SEO. It involves linking from one page of your website to another, helping both users and search engines navigate your content more effectively. When done right, internal linking not only improves user experience but also boosts the visibility and performance of underperforming pages.
Why Internal Links Matter
Think of your website as a city, and each page is a building. Internal links are like roads connecting these buildings. Without proper roads, it’s hard for people—and search engines—to find their way around. Google uses these internal pathways to discover new content, understand context, and determine which pages are the most important.
Benefits of Internal Linking
| Benefit | Description |
|---|---|
| Improves Crawlability | Helps search engine bots find and index deeper pages that might otherwise be missed. |
| Distributes Link Equity | Passes authority from high-performing pages to underperforming ones, giving them a potential boost in rankings. |
| Enhances User Experience | Makes it easier for visitors to find related or helpful content, keeping them on your site longer. |
| Clarifies Site Structure | Shows how different pieces of content relate to each other, improving contextual relevance. |
The Role in Boosting Underperforming Pages
If you have blog posts or product pages that aren’t getting much traffic, internal links can help shine a spotlight on them. By linking from popular or authoritative pages on your site to these lower-performing ones, you guide both users and search engines toward them. This increases their chances of being crawled, indexed, and ranked better in search results.
Quick Example:
Let’s say you have a high-traffic blog post about “Top 10 SEO Tips” and another post titled “How to Optimize Meta Descriptions” that’s struggling to get views. By adding a relevant link in the high-traffic post pointing to the meta description article, you’re giving it more visibility and SEO value.
Key Takeaway
Internal linking isn’t just about creating connections between pages—it’s a strategic way to guide both your audience and search engines through your site. When used thoughtfully, it can significantly lift the performance of pages that need more attention.
Identifying Underperforming Pages
Before you can improve your internal linking strategy, you need to know which pages actually need help. These are the underperforming pages — content that isn’t getting much traffic or isn’t ranking well on search engines. By identifying them, you can direct more internal links their way and give them a better chance to shine.
Use Google Analytics to Spot Low-Traffic Pages
Google Analytics is a great starting point. You can look at metrics like pageviews, bounce rate, and average time on page to figure out which content is not engaging users or pulling in enough visitors.
Steps to Find Low-Traffic Pages in Google Analytics:
- Log in to Google Analytics
- Go to Behavior > Site Content > All Pages
- Sort pages by Pageviews, starting from the lowest
- Look for important pages (like service or product pages) with low traffic
Use Google Search Console for Ranking Insights
While Google Analytics shows how users interact with your site, Google Search Console (GSC) reveals how your pages perform in search results. It tells you which keywords bring people to your site, and how often your pages appear in search results (impressions), get clicked (clicks), and their position on Google.
Steps to Identify Underperforming Pages in GSC:
- Log in to Google Search Console
- Select your property (your website)
- Click on Performance
- Select the Pages tab
- Sort by clicks or impressions to find pages with low engagement
- Check each page’s average position — anything beyond position #10 means it’s likely not on the first page of Google
Create a List of Target Pages
After gathering data from both tools, create a list of underperforming pages so you can prioritize them when planning your internal linking strategy. Here’s an example of what that might look like:
| Page URL | Pageviews (GA) | Avg. Position (GSC) | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| /services/seo-audit | 150 | 14.2 | Needs Internal Links |
| /blog/content-marketing-strategy | 90 | 18.6 | Add More Internal Links |
| /product/local-seo-toolkit | 60 | 22.5 | High Priority for Linking |
This list helps you stay organized and focused as you optimize your internal links. By zeroing in on these pages, you can begin sending them more link equity from higher-performing content across your site.
3. Auditing Your Existing Internal Link Structure
Before you can improve your internal linking strategy, you need to understand what’s already in place. Auditing your current internal link structure helps you spot gaps and opportunities where underperforming pages can be supported by stronger, better-connected content. This process doesn’t require advanced tools or technical skills — just a thoughtful approach and some basic SEO knowledge.
Why Internal Link Audits Matter
When certain pages on your website aren’t performing well, it’s often because they’re isolated or buried too deep within your site’s architecture. By auditing your internal links, you can:
- Identify orphan pages (pages with no internal links pointing to them)
- Find high-authority pages that can pass value to weaker pages
- Ensure important content is easily accessible to users and search engines
- Create logical pathways that guide visitors through related topics
Steps to Audit Your Internal Linking Structure
1. Crawl Your Website
You can use tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, or Ahrefs Site Audit to crawl your entire website. These tools will give you insights into how many internal links each page has, which pages have no incoming links, and more.
2. Identify Underperforming Pages
Use Google Analytics or Search Console to find pages with low traffic, poor rankings, or low engagement metrics. Make a list of these pages so you can focus on improving their visibility through better linking.
3. Map Existing Internal Links
Create a simple table to visualize how your top-performing pages are linking — or not linking — to those that need support. Here’s an example:
| Underperforming Page | No. of Incoming Internal Links | Main Topics | Potential Linking Opportunities |
|---|---|---|---|
| /blog/seo-basics-guide | 2 | SEO, Beginners Guide | /blog/keyword-research, /blog/on-page-seo-checklist |
| /services/content-strategy | 1 | Content Marketing, Strategy | /blog/content-calendar-tips, /case-studies/content-success |
| /resources/website-audit-toolkit | 0 | Technical SEO, Auditing Tools | /blog/technical-seo-checklist, /services/seo-audit-service |
4. Spot Quick Wins with High-Authority Pages
Your top-performing pages often carry the most authority in Google’s eyes. Use these as “link donors” by adding contextual links from them to your underperforming pages — especially when the topics are closely related.
Tactics for Quick Improvements:
- Add relevant anchor text inside existing high-traffic blog posts.
- Create new hub pages that organize related content and link out to deeper articles.
- Edit old content updates to include strategic internal links where appropriate.
Aim for Relevance and Context
The goal isn’t just to add more links — it’s to create meaningful pathways that enhance user experience and help search engines understand the relationship between your content. Prioritize quality over quantity and ensure each internal link adds real value for your readers.
This audit lays the foundation for building a smarter internal linking system that supports both user navigation and SEO performance.
4. Creating Strategic Link Opportunities
One of the most effective ways to boost underperforming pages is by linking to them from your high-performing content. This strategy helps pass authority and relevance, making it easier for search engines to understand the importance of your weaker pages.
Identify Top-Performing Pages
Start by finding which pages on your site are already performing well. These could be blog posts, cornerstone articles, or landing pages with strong traffic, backlinks, and engagement. You can use tools like Google Analytics or Google Search Console to gather this data.
| Page Type | Performance Indicator | Tool to Use |
|---|---|---|
| Blog Posts | High traffic & low bounce rate | Google Analytics |
| Cornerstone Content | Backlinks & engagement | Ahrefs / SEMrush |
| Landing Pages | Conversion rate & dwell time | Google Analytics / Hotjar |
Match Relevant Underperforming Pages
Once youve identified your strong pages, find underperforming pages that are topically related. The goal is to link naturally within the content, so the connection should make sense for readers and provide added value.
Example:
If your top-performing page is a blog post about “10 Healthy Breakfast Ideas” and you have an underperforming page about “Benefits of Eating Oatmeal Daily”, consider adding a section in the breakfast blog that talks about oatmeal and links to the detailed oatmeal article.
Create Natural Link Placements
Avoid forced or spammy links. Instead, look for opportunities where internal links feel helpful and organic. Focus on:
- Contextual Relevance: Make sure the link fits the topic being discussed.
- Anchor Text: Use descriptive and keyword-rich anchor text when appropriate.
- User Experience: Ask yourself if the link adds value to the reader’s journey.
Update Existing Content Strategically
You don’t always need new content to build links. Revisit your existing top pages and look for sections that could naturally reference your underperforming content. A quick update to an old blog post can create powerful internal linking opportunities without much effort.
Pro Tip:
Create a spreadsheet to track which high-performing pages link to which underperforming ones. This helps ensure even distribution and avoids overlinking from a single source.
5. Tracking Performance and Optimizing Over Time
After youve implemented internal links to help boost your underperforming pages, the work doesnt stop there. To truly get long-term results, its important to monitor how those changes are performing and make ongoing adjustments as needed. Internal linking is not a one-and-done strategy — its something that needs regular attention to stay effective.
Why Monitoring Matters
When you add internal links pointing to your weaker pages, youre signaling to search engines that those pages are important. But if you don’t track how these links are influencing performance, you won’t know whether your efforts are working or need improvement.
Key Metrics to Watch
Use tools like Google Search Console and Google Analytics to keep an eye on metrics that indicate progress. Here are some important ones:
| Metric | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Organic Traffic | If more users are visiting the underperforming page through search engines |
| Average Position | The pages ranking in Google search results for targeted keywords |
| Click-Through Rate (CTR) | If more people are clicking on your link when it appears in search results |
| Bounce Rate | Whether visitors are engaging with the content or leaving quickly |
How Often Should You Review?
A good rule of thumb is to check performance monthly. This gives you enough data to spot trends without overwhelming you with constant changes. Set a recurring reminder to review your internal linking updates and evaluate their impact.
Tips for Ongoing Optimization
- Add More Links: If a page is still struggling, find more relevant places across your site where you can link to it naturally.
- Update Anchor Text: Make sure the anchor text youre using is descriptive and includes relevant keywords.
- Remove Low-Quality Links: If some internal links arent helping or feel forced, consider removing or updating them.
- Reassess Content: Sometimes, improving the content on the underperforming page itself can make your internal linking more effective.
Create a Simple Link Tracking Sheet
You dont need fancy software to track your internal linking efforts. A basic spreadsheet can help you stay organized:
| Page URL | Date Linked | Source Page(s) | Anchor Text Used | Monthly Traffic |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| /blog/seo-tips | 2024-05-01 | /blog/on-page-seo-guide | SEO tips for beginners | 120 (up from 60) |
Stay Flexible and Keep Testing
Your sites structure, content, and user behavior will evolve over time — and so should your internal linking strategy. Don’t be afraid to test new approaches, rework old links, or experiment with different anchor texts. The more attention you give this process, the better your underperforming pages will do in the long run.
