You finish a new page or blog post. The copy is strong, the keywords make sense, and the title and headings are optimized. You hit publish and move on to the next item on your content calendar, leaving that new page to drift alone without a tether, an anchor, or a bridge. Somewhere in that process, it is easy to overlook how the page connects to the rest of your site and to other sources on the web.
Links remain a fundamental part of how people use websites and how search engines find and understand pages. Google recommends internal linking in its SEO guidance, including its guidance for AI-powered search. External links can also serve a useful purpose when you cite research, documentation, data, or another source that gives the reader more information.
How you use those links matters. A link should have a reason to be on the page.
Internal Linking Gives Content Context
An internal link takes someone from one page on your site to another. Google says it uses links to discover pages and as a signal when determining relevance, so the way pages link to each other can help Google make sense of your site. Interlinking, especially when it’s to related pages in the same topic cluster or niche, can convey the depth of knowledge your site has, which can increase your site’s topical authority.Â
Internal links also give visitors somewhere useful to go when they want more information. Someone who finds a blog post through search may have questions that another article answers. A reader researching a problem may reach a point where a service page makes sense. On an e-commerce site, a blog post might lead to a category or product page that relates to what the person was searching for. Opportunities like these are perfect for having a complete and comprehensive answer for users, as well as a relevant product link that can share some of that earned authority back with the e-commerce side of your site.
We have written before about how internal linking supports SEO and site structure, but the part that deserves more attention is the judgment behind each link. When I look at links in a piece of content, I also consider why someone would click them. The page on the other end should add something useful to what they are already reading. It should support the topic and offer a deeper investigation for the curious-minded, which in turn feeds Google’s desire to see helpful content.
The Words You Link To Matter
The words you use for a link help readers know where their click will take them. This text also gives search engines more information about the page you are linking to, making descriptive anchor text more useful than a vague phrase such as “click here.” A link about SEO anchor text tells the reader what to expect before clicking. The wording should fit naturally into the copy and accurately describe the page it points to. By using a keyword relevant to the linked-to page as your anchor text, you can inform search engines like Google that this is exactly what the linked-to page is about.
You can also vary the anchor text when the context changes. Repeating the same keyword phrase each time can make the writing awkward and does little for the reader. Also, it should be noted that linking to the same page more than once on a page does not increase your chances for ranking or improve topical authority.
External Links Have a Place in Good Content
External linking is an area where people tend to get more cautious. You worked to get someone to your site, and an external link gives that person a way to leave. However, there are also times when sending the reader to another site is the most useful choice.
If I write about a Google Search policy, I want to link to Google’s documentation. If I cite research, I want the reader to be able to see the original study. Government data and other primary sources are useful for the same reason. The reader can check the source and get more details if they want to.
Google encourages publishers to link to external sites when appropriate, including when citing sources. The quality of the site you link to matters, though. An old article that cites another article that cites the original research is much less useful than linking straight to that research when it is available. By linking to authoritative sources to supplement your fresh and unique content, you prove your trustworthiness, both to readers and search engines looking to rank the most helpful content.
External links also need some upkeep. Pages move, URLs break, and information gets old. When you update older content, check the links along with the copy. A source you trusted when you wrote the article may no longer be the best source available, or the article may no longer be available.
There is also the chance that a visitor will click an external link and leave your site. To avoid this, you can set external links to open in a new tab or window, which keeps your page open while the reader checks the other source. They can return to your content by clicking back on the original tab, without having to find the page again. Don’t let the chance of losing a visitor stop you from linking to a useful source when it helps the reader.
How Many Links Should a Page Have?
There is no ideal number from Google, and I would be wary of any rule that says every article needs a certain number of internal or external links. The link count will change based on what you are writing. The number of links is related to the context of what you’re writing.
A short post on one topic may have only one or two links. A longer article that draws on research and touches on several related topics may have more. During editing, check whether each link supports the content it refers to. It may answer the next question, back up a claim, or take someone to a relevant page elsewhere on the site. It should be on target and helpful to readers in some way.
This is also a good time to look at the anchor text. You should be able to tell where the link is going without having to stop and figure it out.
What About Links and AI Search?
AI Overviews and AI Mode have changed how some search results look, but Google’s current guidance still includes practices SEOs have used for years. Google recommends making content easy to find through internal links as part of its guidance for AI features.
For me, that is enough reason to keep internal linking in the publishing process as search changes. There is no specific number of links to add for AI search, nor a new type of anchor text to write. Related pages should be easy to find, and the links between them should make sense.
The same care applies when linking to sources outside your site. If a study, policy, or set of data helped shape what you wrote, give the reader access to the source when it adds value.
Give People a Reason to Click
I tend to notice two problems when reviewing links in content. Some pages barely link anywhere, even when there are useful resources that would help the reader. Others contain so many links that it becomes hard to tell which ones are worth clicking.
I want each link to do something for the person reading the page. It may give them more detail, show them where a fact came from, or help them find the next page they need on the site. That is a much more useful standard than adding links because an SEO checklist says they should be there.
