How to Use Internal Linking to Improve Your Google Rankings: An In-Depth Guide
Internal links are one of the most effective ways to pass authority and rankings between pages on your own website. Properly optimizing internal links provides a completely free way to boost key pages higher in Google search results.
In this in-depth guide, we’ll cover how to master internal linking to improve SEO and organic visibility, including:
1. How Internal Links Impact Rankings
2. Finding Relevant Internal Linking Opportunities
3. Tracking Your Linking Efforts for Results
4. Getting Pages to Rank #1 with Intent Optimization
Read on to learn proven internal linking strategies that can help you outrank the competition in 2022!
Understanding How Internal Links Boost Rankings
Internal links allow you to pass authority and PageRank from one page on your site to another. This helps signal to Google which of your pages should rank higher for important keywords.
When a page accumulates authority through quality backlinks or engagement metrics, it can pass a portion of that value via internal links. This “middleman” technique uses an authoritative page to link out to your most important “money pages” you want to rank.
However, simply linking between random pages won’t provide benefits. You need to ensure:
1. The source page has enough authority to pass value
2. The target page satisfies searcher intent
3. The target page can reasonably outrank current competitors
Get these key elements right, and internal links will become a go-to tactic for SEO rankings growth.
Finding the Best Internal Linking Opportunities
The first step is identifying pages you want to boost rankings for. Make a list of 10-20 targets pages that:
1. Align with high-value keywords
2. Have good traffic potential
3. Aren’t yet ranking #1 for the focus term
Next, search your own site for relevant pages to link from. Useful places to uncover opportunities include:
1. Site search with “site:yourdomain.com”
2. The Internal Links report in Site Audit tools
3. Your site’s pages sorted by most backlinks
Assess whether the source pages have enough authority to pass value. Also check that the page topic and content are relevant to your target URL.
Where possible, link from pages with the most authority. But even new pages can lend benefits when used intentionally to theme your site.
Read Also: Master the Art of On-Page SEO
Track Your Efforts for Results
Once adding internal links, track rankings in a tool like Semrush, Ahrefs or other SEO tools. Make note of when you implemented the links.
Monitor ranking progress for several weeks to determine if the internal links provided a boost. Some pages may improve quickly, while others take more time.
If you don’t see positive movement, consider content updates or other optimizations to complement the internal linking. The goal is creating high-quality pages that fully satisfy searcher intent.
Getting to the #1 Ranking
For competitive queries, internal links alone may not be enough to hit the top spot. You’ll likely need to both increase authority and optimize on-page elements.
Review the current #1 page and identify where you fall short. Does their content better answer the search intent? Do they have more authority signals? Identify content and technical gaps.
In addition to internal linking, focus on:
1. Building external links from authoritative sites
2. Updating page content to be more comprehensive
3. Improving page speed and technical SEO factors
4. Earning more engagement like social shares and links
With a balanced approach, your key pages can outrank incumbent results over time. Internal links create the foundation upon which other optimization layers can be built.
Master Internal Linking for More Organic Traffic
When executed strategically, internal linking delivers powerful SEO results. Link intentionally between relevant pages on your site, track rankings, and complement with other optimizations.
By improving page authority transfer and searcher satisfaction, your most important pages will attract more organic visibility and traffic from Google. Internal linking is one of the most cost-effective ways to elevate key targets, so leverage it for substantial gains!