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SEO
Why does every page need internal links to other pages?
Every page needs internal links, because these links guide visitors to further pages on your website and show search engines what pages exist and how they belong together. Google's crawler moves from link to link through your website. A page that no internal link points to, and that itself points nowhere, sits isolated — experts call it an orphaned page.
The Google crawler moves from link to link
Google gets to know your website through a program — the crawler — that visits your pages and follows every link it finds. Internal links are the pathways through your building: from the homepage to the services page, from there to the references page, on to the contact page. Without these pathways, rooms stay undiscovered. A subpage linked from no other page is barely found by the crawler — it can't even appear in search results, however good its content. And a page that itself contains no links is a dead end for the crawler: the tour ends there.
Internal links distribute significance and guide visitors onward
Internal links pull double duty: search engines read from them which pages you consider important yourself — a page pointed to by many of your own links counts as significant. And visitors stay longer if every page offers a sensible next step: from a guide article to the matching service, from a reference to the contact form. The link text should say where it leads — "to our custom kitchens" instead of "click here". That way, the visitor understands the target before clicking, and the search engine additionally learns what the target page is about. Both come from the same move while writing.
How we check internal linking
The SEO audit area establishes, for every page examined, whether it contains at least one internal link — a link to another page on the same website. A page with no internal links at all gets reported as a moderate shortcoming: it's a dead end for visitors and the crawler alike, and often points to a forgotten or orphaned page. In practice, the main navigation already satisfies this requirement; what stands out, then, are mostly special pages like landing pages from ad campaigns, confirmation pages, or old promo pages created outside the menu.
- Link from every guide or blog article to the matching service or product page.
- Word link text that names the target — "to our references" instead of "click here".
- Search for pages linked in no menu and no text, and either link them in or retire them deliberately.
- Check landing pages from ad campaigns especially — they often arise outside the menu and stay unconnected.
- Offer a next step at the end of every page, a route to the contact form, say.
FAQ
What is an orphaned page?
A page that no other page on your website links to. Visitors only find it via the direct address, and Google's crawler, which moves from link to link, barely discovers it. Orphaned pages often arise unnoticed — old promo pages or campaign landing pages, say. The fix: link the page into the menu or matching text, or deliberately retire it.
How many internal links should a page have?
Our check requires at least one internal link per page — a page with no links at all is a dead end. There's no fixed upper limit; what matters is usefulness: every link should offer a sensible next step. In practice, the main navigation already satisfies the minimum requirement; links from running text to content-related pages are additionally valuable.
Are internal links significant for Google too?
Yes, for two reasons. The crawler discovers new and changed pages by following internal links — unlinked pages stay invisible. On top of that, Google reads from internal linking which pages within your website count as significant: whatever many of your own links point to is understood as central content. So internal links steer both findability and weighting at the same time.