How to Build Internal Links for SEO: The UK Marketer’s Faster Route to Rankings

You know the feeling. Your site is a grand old house with dozens of rooms, but most visitors never make it past the foyer. Valuable pages sit in the dark, unvisited, gathering dust. This is exactly why learning how to build internal links for SEO matters. Internal links are the well-lit corridors and signposts that move people and crawlers to the good stuff. When they’re missing, discovery slows, rankings stall, and conversions leak away. When they’re right, everything starts to click.

Here’s the twist: you don’t need thousands of links or a tangled web of menus. You need a simple, data-led architecture that distributes authority with intent. At MyMarketr, we’ve seen lean internal linking lift visibility quickly,by auditing what’s underlinked, aligning anchors to search intent, and mapping clusters with discipline. You’ll learn a practical, testable method you can apply today, grounded in insight-first content planning and a single workflow that takes you from idea to publication to performance tracking. Let’s switch the lights on.

What Internal Links Do For SEO

Improve Crawlability And Indexation

Search engines discover pages by following links. Internal links are how you make every important page simple to find, especially deeper ones that otherwise sit stranded. Crawl bots favour clear paths, consistent navigation, and relevant in-text links. When you reduce click depth to key content, you make indexation more reliable and faster. If a page isn’t linked, it’s practically invisible.

Distribute Page Authority Strategically

Some pages hoard authority because they earn external links or get high traffic. When you link out from those to underperforming but commercially vital pages, you pass value. It’s not magic, it’s flow. Think of authority like water pressure: you can channel it using internal piping. Prioritise links from your most linked-to assets to your highest ROI targets.

Strengthen Topical Relevance And UX

Contextual links help users explore a topic naturally while signalling to Google which pages belong together. A cluster around, say, “SEO and content marketing” can stitch guides, checklists, and case studies to a pillar page. Relevance strengthens, time on site improves, and your site’s topical map becomes very clear to both readers and crawlers.

Audit And Map Your Current Links

Crawl Your Site And Export Link Data

Begin with a full crawl. Export inlinks and outlinks, anchor text, and click depth. Use your preferred crawler, then corroborate with Search Console’s internal link report for coverage. You’re looking for patterns: which pages concentrate links, which sit too far from home, which anchors repeat excessively.

Identify Orphan And Underlinked Pages

Orphan pages have zero internal links. Underlinked pages have too few, or low-quality links hidden in footers. These are common culprits behind poor visibility. Flag all of them. Filter for high-intent pages without adequate internal support,service pages, comparison pages, and evergreen guides often suffer here.

Chart Existing Paths To Key Pages

Visualise the journey to your most important URLs. If it takes more than three clicks from the homepage or pillar, simplify. Map the shortest path, then add contextual routes from semantically related content. In MyMarketr, you can use My Pages to associate target keywords with URLs, then plan links that connect clusters cleanly for both users and bots.

Design A Scalable Architecture And Content Hubs

Define Pillar Pages And Supporting Content

Choose a theme, create a broad, authoritative pillar, and surround it with focused articles that answer specific sub-questions. Link down from the pillar to each support piece. Link back up from every support piece to the pillar. Cross-link laterally where it helps users compare or go deeper. This hub-and-spoke model scales neatly and keeps your site’s topic signals crisp.

Build Logical, Shallow Click Paths

Flatten where you can. Important pages shouldn’t live six clicks deep. Use pragmatic grouping: top navigation for primary categories, secondary menus for subtopics, and highly visible in-article links for action paths. The target is clarity, not clutter.

Use Navigation, Breadcrumbs, And Contextual Links Together

Each link type adds different value. Navigation covers breadth. Breadcrumbs clarify hierarchy and offer quick backtracking. Contextual links connect ideas at the sentence level and usually drive the most engagement. Combine all three so readers always have a next step that makes sense.

Write Natural, Descriptive Anchor Text

Match Anchor To Intent And Target Query Variants

Anchor text should say what the user gets when they click. If you’re pointing to a guide on “technical SEO audits,” use natural variants like technical SEO audit process, audit checklist, or SEO site audit. This supports query matching without sounding robotic.

Avoid Over-Optimisation And Repetition

Exact-match anchors in every link look engineered and can backfire. Rotate phrasing. Blend brand plus topic when appropriate. Keep it short, clear, and relevant to the surrounding sentence.

Maintain Accessibility And Readability

Make anchors readable with surrounding context that explains the benefit of clicking. Avoid vague labels like click here. Ensure colour contrast and underline styles are obvious so links are discoverable for all users.

Place Links Where They Add Value

Link From High-Authority And High-Traffic Pages

Not all internal links are equal. Links from pages with strong external links or heavy traffic carry more practical value. Add meaningful, on-topic links from these assets to push momentum to revenue pages or content that’s just shy of page-one rankings.

Prioritise In-Context Links Above Generic Modules

Sidebar, footer, and mega-menu links can help discovery but often get ignored. In-paragraph links, placed where the user’s intent spikes, tend to drive better engagement and distribute value more intelligently.

Use Related Links, Tables Of Contents, And In-Page Jumps Wisely

Short related-reads modules, a tidy table of contents, and jump links can all improve navigation. Don’t overstack them. Keep modules relevant and limit to the most useful next clicks. Internal linking is guidance, not noise.

Prioritise And Execute Linking Opportunities

Create A Linking Queue For New And Legacy Content

Maintain a running queue that pairs “target pages in need” with “source pages with strength.” Every time you publish, add its link needs. Every time you update, add new source opportunities. Treat it like editorial hygiene.

Target Commercial, Evergreen, And Seasonal Pages First

Move the needle where it matters: high-intent service pages, evergreen guides that keep earning traffic, and seasonal pages ahead of peak demand. A few precise internal links can push a borderline page into visibility at the right time.

Template And Automate Carefully For Scale

Scale with a light touch. Use content templates that include suggested internal link slots and example anchors. Where appropriate, automate lists such as “most-read in this topic,” but keep final link choices human-reviewed so anchors stay natural and intent-aligned. MyMarketr’s Quick Create can draft outlines that pre-plan internal links, while New Content Ideas highlights cluster gaps you can connect quickly.

Measure, Monitor, And Maintain

Track Internal Link Counts, Click Depth, And Engagement

Measure the basics: inlinks per page, average click depth, and which anchors get clicks. Watch how rankings and entrances move after link changes. In MyMarketr, map Articles to My Pages, then Monitor Performance via your project dashboard to see keyword lifts that correlate with link improvements.

Fix Broken Links And Redirect Chains

Housekeeping matters. Broken links waste crawl budget and frustrate users. Redirect chains dilute value and slow load. Replace outdated URLs with direct targets, and keep an eye on anything that needs a fresh internal route after content migrations.

Review And Refresh Links During Content Updates

Every content refresh is a linking opportunity. Add new references to fresh pages, retire stale anchors, and adjust to reflect current search intent. Make it routine,small, frequent improvements compound.

For broader guidance on site structure and internal links, Google’s starter resources are worth a skim: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/seo-starter-guide. If you want a practical, insight-first workflow to plan clusters and link maps in one place, explore MyMarketr: https://mymarketr.io/.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do internal links do for SEO and why do they matter?

Internal links for SEO improve crawlability and indexation, reduce click depth, and distribute page authority to priority URLs. They also strengthen topical relevance by connecting pillar pages with supporting content, improving user journeys and engagement. When mapped intentionally, they help search engines and users find high‑value pages faster.

How to build internal links for SEO step by step?

Start with a full crawl to export inlinks, outlinks, anchors, and click depth. Identify orphan and underlinked pages, then design hub‑and‑spoke clusters with clear pillars. Add contextual links from high‑authority pages, use natural anchors, and keep paths shallow. Track link counts, engagement, and rankings; fix broken links and refresh during updates.

What’s the best anchor text strategy for internal linking?

Use natural, descriptive anchors that match search intent and query variants, not repetitive exact‑match text. Keep anchors concise, relevant to surrounding copy, and accessible (clear contrast and underlines). Rotate phrasing to avoid over‑optimisation, and ensure the anchor accurately reflects the content users will reach.

How many internal links per page is best for SEO?

There’s no fixed number. Use a “reasonable” amount that aids discovery and user experience without clutter. Prioritise contextual links that genuinely help readers, and ensure key pages are reachable within three clicks. Focus on relevance, hierarchy, and clarity over raw counts to maximise internal link value for SEO.

Should I use nofollow on internal links, and when?

Generally, keep internal links followed to signal importance and pass authority. Use nofollow (or block via robots/meta) sparingly for low‑value or non‑indexable areas like login pages, filtered parameters, or duplicate facets. Avoid nofollowing helpful navigational or contextual links you want crawled, indexed, and ranked.