How to use internal links to rank higher in Google

Executive overview

Most sites leave internal linking to chance, losing free ranking power they already own. Internal links serve three functions: helping search engines discover pages, passing PageRank between pages, and signalling relevance through anchor text and surrounding context.

Internal links are the only link-building tactic with a 100% success rate and zero cost.

Why internal links matter

• Google has confirmed it still uses PageRank after 18 years
• Anchor text and surrounding text tell search engines what the linked page is about
• Pages that earn backlinks pass authority to other pages via internal links

Building structure with content hubs

• Content hubs are interlinked collections of pages covering a topic and its subtopics
• A hub page links out to subtopic pages; each subtopic links back to the hub
• As any page in the hub earns backlinks, PageRank flows to all other pages in the hub
• Hubs create both relevance signals and authority flow simultaneously

Finding internal linking opportunities

1. Google site search — search site:yourdomain.com/blog "target phrase" to find pages that mention a term but don't yet link to it
2. Ahrefs Site Audit link opportunities report — matches pages that mention a keyword to the pages that rank for that keyword; filters out source pages already linking to the target; free via Ahrefs Webmaster Tools
3. Best by links report — identifies your site's highest-authority pages (by URL rating) so you can add links from them to relevant pages that need a boost

Key principles

• Never force links from irrelevant pages
• Don't overdo it — quality of link placement matters more than quantity
• If your site lacks pages with link authority, prioritise link building before internal linking optimisation