# Internal linking: why link your own pages to each other?

> Internal linking connects the pages of one website. What Google says about crawlable links, anchor text and orphan pages, plus a worked small business audit.

Updated on October 15, 2026 · https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/internal-linking

Internal linking is the set of links that connect pages within the same website, such as a service page linking to the FAQ or a town page linking back to the service offered there. It helps visitors move around and lets Google discover pages and understand what they cover through the link text.

## In short
- Google discovers new pages by following links from pages it already knows.
- Every page that matters should get a link from at least one other page on the site.
- Anchor text should be descriptive, reasonably concise and relevant.
- Google sets no ideal number of links per page.

## How does Google use internal links?

There is no central registry of every web page. Google finds many pages by extracting a link from a page it already knows to a new one, for instance a category page that points to a fresh blog post [2]. Your internal links are crawl paths.

Google also uses links to judge relevance. The visible link text, called anchor text, tells both Google and the reader something about the destination page [1].

The most practical rule fits in one sentence: every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site [1]. A page with no internal links pointing to it is called an orphan page.

## What makes a link crawlable?

As a rule, Google can only crawl a link if it is an HTML a element with an href attribute. Most links built other ways, such as a button that changes pages through a script with no URL, are not extracted by its crawlers [1].

When an image is the link, Google uses the image's alt text as the anchor. A button image with empty alt text tells the search engine nothing [1].

## What does good anchor text look like?

| Anchor text | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| click here | Avoid | Says nothing about the destination |
| commercial parking lot snow clearing | Good | Descriptive and concise |
| cheap snow removal Ottawa best price fast 24/7 | Avoid | Keyword stuffing, which breaks spam policies |
| our 2026-2027 residential snow removal rates | Good | Relevant and specific for the reader |
| (image with no alt text) | Avoid | No readable anchor for Google |

Based on Google's link best practices [1] and spam policies [4].

## How many orphan pages can a small site hide?

**Example: a link audit for a pest control company in Hamilton**

The site has 32 pages. For each one, count how many other pages on the site link to it. The numbers are hypothetical.

- Total pages : 32
- Pages linked from the main menu : 9
- Pages linked only from another content page : 14
- Orphan pages (no internal links) : 9
- Share of orphan pages (9 ÷ 32) : 28%
- **= More than a quarter of the site is reachable only through the sitemap; linking each service page to its FAQ and town pages fixes most of it.**

## How should a service business structure its links?

A simple structure works well: the homepage leads to service pages; each service page links to the towns served, the FAQ and the [quote](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/quote) request page; each town page links back to its service. Put links inside the text where they genuinely help the reader.

Google says there is no magic number of links per page, but if you think it is too many, it probably is. It also advises against stringing links right next to each other, which strips each one of context [1].

Point links at the main address of each page. Google recommends linking to the canonical URL rather than a duplicate, which backs up your [canonical tag](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/canonical-tag) [3].

## Which internal linking mistakes are common?

- Leaving service pages orphaned and reachable only through the [XML sitemap](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/xml-sitemap).
- Using learn more or click here as the only anchor across the whole site.
- Building links in JavaScript with no a element or href attribute.
- Cramming keywords and town names into every anchor.
- Linking to old URLs that redirect instead of the final address.

## How is this different from a backlink?

Internal links connect your own pages. A [backlink](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/backlink) comes from another website to yours. You fully control the first kind; the second has to be earned. Both play a part in [search engine optimization](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/seo).

## What does Pilotiko do about internal linking?

Internal linking is not an advertised feature on its own. Pilotiko builds and hosts your business website, generates its sitemap and [structured data](https://app.pilotiko.com/en/glossary/structured-data), and can audit your current site. How your pages link to each other remains an editorial choice made with you.

## Frequently asked questions

### How many internal links should a page have?

Google gives no ideal number. It asks that every important page get at least one link from another page, and warns against so many links that readers get lost.

### Do menu links count as internal linking?

Yes, as long as they use an a element with an href attribute. Links placed in the body text add context that a menu cannot.

### What is an orphan page?

A page that no other page on the site links to. Google may find it through the sitemap, but visitors will almost never see it.

### Can I use the same anchor text everywhere?

It is not forbidden, but varied, natural anchors that fit the sentence help readers more. Google warns against stuffing keywords into anchor text.

### Should internal links use nofollow?

No. Google reserves nofollow for outbound links to sources you do not trust. For links within your own site, it points to the robots.txt disallow rule instead [5].

### Does internal linking help visitors or just Google?

Both. Someone reading about carpenter ants usually wants prices and a booking next; a well-placed link saves them the search.

## Sources

1. Google Search Central, « Link best practices for Google », https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/links-crawlable (accessed on 2026-10-15)
2. Google Search Central, « In-depth guide to how Google Search works », https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/how-search-works (accessed on 2026-10-15)
3. Google Search Central, « How to specify a canonical URL with rel="canonical" and other methods », https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/consolidate-duplicate-urls (accessed on 2026-10-15)
4. Google Search Central, « Spam policies for Google web search », https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies (accessed on 2026-10-15)
5. Google Search Central, « Qualify your outbound links to Google », https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links (accessed on 2026-10-15)