How to Build Internal Links for SEO (Beginner’s Guide)

V, the VivaMomentum character, pointing at a rising line on a whiteboard

The short answer: to build internal links for SEO, link each new post to two or three related posts on your own site, then go back and add a link to the new post from two or three older ones. Use link words that say what the other page is about, never “click here”. Make sure every page you care about has at least one link pointing to it, which is what Google’s own guidance asks for.

You write a new post. You hit publish. Then nothing happens. No visitors. Not even from Google.

One quiet reason is that nothing on your site points to it. Google finds pages by following links. If no link leads to your new post, it is a room with no door.

The fix is free, and it takes about ten minutes per post. It is called internal linking. Let me walk you through it in plain words.

What are internal links?

An internal link is a link from one page on your site to another page on your site. That is all it is.

When you click a “related post” link at the bottom of an article, you just used one. When a menu sends you to your About page, that is one too.

Links to other websites are called external links. This guide is about the first kind, the ones that stay on your own site.

Why do internal links matter for SEO?

There are three simple reasons.

They help Google find your pages. Google’s own help pages say every page you care about should be linked from at least one other page on your site.
They show how your pages connect. When you link related posts together, Google and your readers can see what belongs with what.
They keep readers moving. A reader who finishes one post and clicks to another stays longer. That is good for them, and good for you.

I want to be fair about one thing. Links are not magic. A weak post with a hundred links will still be a weak post. Links help good posts get found. They do not fix bad ones.

Google also says there is no magical ideal number of links per page. So think “helpful,” not “as many as possible.”

What I found when I counted the links on this site

This is not theory for me. In September 2026 I checked every post on VivaMomentum for internal links. My first count said 36 posts had none. That number was wrong.

The check I used looked for my web address anywhere in a post. But images also carry my web address, so every post with a picture looked “linked” when it was not. When I counted only real links (the href= part of a link), the truth came out: 74 of 116 posts had zero links to any other post on the site. Only 20 had three or more.

So I added a short “Keep reading” block of three related posts to 96 of them. The lesson I took from it: count real links, not mentions of your domain. And if your site is a few years old, assume it has more orphan pages than you think.

What rules should internal links follow?

Five simple rules cover most of it: link where it helps, use clear link words, link both ways, point to your main pages, and only link to live pages.

1. Link where it helps the reader

Put the link inside a sentence, right where the reader might wonder, “How do I do that?” Links in the middle of your text work better than a pile of links stuck at the end.

2. Use anchor text that says what the page is about

Anchor text is the clickable words. Google’s guidance is clear: good anchor text describes the page it points to, and it should still make sense if you read it on its own.

Here is the difference:

Weak: “Click here to read more.”
Better: “Here is how to start a content website from scratch.”

Do not stuff keywords into every link either. Write it the way you would say it to a friend.

3. Give every post a few links in, and a few links out

When you finish a new post, link to two or three older posts from it. Then go to two or three older posts and link back to the new one. This second step is the one most beginners skip.

4. Point to the pages that matter most

Some of your posts are bigger guides. Others are small and narrow. Send more links to the big guides. They are the pages you most want people to find.

5. Only link to pages that are live

This sounds silly, but it happens. If you link to a post that is still a draft, readers hit a “page not found” error. Check that every link opens before you publish.

How do I build internal links, step by step?

You list your posts, pick your main pages, link out from each new post, link back to it from older ones, and fix orphans. You do not need a special tool. A notebook or a free spreadsheet is enough.

Step 1: Make a list of your posts

Open a sheet. Write the title and web address of every post you have. If you only have ten, that is a ten-minute job. If you have a hundred, do the newest twenty first.

Step 2: Mark your “main” pages

Pick the three to five posts that matter most. These might be a beginner guide, or a post that already brings in visitors. For example, on this site, a guide like how to start a content website is a main page. Lots of smaller posts can point to it.

Step 3: Add links from your new post

Read your new post out loud. Wherever you mention an idea you have already covered, link it. Aim for two or three links. If you wrote about finding keywords, a link to how to use AI for keyword research fits nicely.

Step 4: Go back and link to the new post

Search your older posts for words from the new one. In WordPress, you can use the search box on your Posts screen. Find two or three older posts where the new one fits, and add a link in a natural spot.

Old posts that already have visitors are good places for this. A link there sends those readers to something new.

Step 5: Hunt for orphan pages

An orphan page is a post with no internal links pointing to it. It is the room with no door from earlier. Here is a simple way to spot them:

List every post address you have.
Open each of your main pages and see which posts they link to.
Any post that never shows up is a possible orphan. Link to it from a related post.

Google Search Console also has a Links report. Under “Internal links” it shows your top linked pages inside your site. Pages with very few links in are worth a look. The report may look different from month to month, so check Google’s help page if the screen has changed.

Step 6: Add a “You might also like” list

At the end of each post, add four to six links to related posts. Pick posts that truly help the reader go to the next step. Try to include at least one from a different topic, so readers move across your site, not just around one corner of it.

A real example of good anchor text

Say you are writing about slow traffic. Here are three ways to link the same page:

Bad: “For more help, click here.”
Okay: “Read my traffic guide.”
Good: “If your site is brand new, here is how to get traffic to a new website when Google is ignoring you.”

The good one tells the reader what they will find. It also tells Google. And it reads like a real person wrote it.

Can AI help with internal links?

Yes, a little. You can paste a list of your post titles and one new draft into an AI chat. Then ask: “Which three of these posts fit naturally inside this draft, and where?”

It saves time. But check every suggestion yourself. AI can pick a post that sounds close but does not really match, or it may invent a title you never wrote. If a post is not on your list, do not link to it.

If you want to go deeper on using AI the careful way, this keyword research guide shows the same “AI suggests, you check” idea, and so does this guide to finding low-competition keywords with AI.

What internal linking mistakes should I avoid?

Using “click here” everywhere. It tells nobody anything.
Linking to the same page again and again. Once or twice in a post is plenty.
Adding links that do not fit. If a reader would be confused, skip it.
Forgetting old posts. New posts need links from old ones, not only the other way around.
Leaving broken links. Posts get deleted or moved. Check your links now and then. A post like how to update old blog posts is a good moment to fix them.
Expecting fast results. Google has to visit your pages again before it sees new links. That can take days or weeks, and nobody can promise a date.

What Google itself says

If you want to read the source, Google explains links, anchor text and internal links on its Search Central page about crawlable links. It is short and written for beginners. Google says to use a normal link that has a real web address, and to avoid empty links with no words.

A small plan for this week

If this feels like a lot, start small. You can do this in one evening.

Make your list of posts and addresses.
Pick your three main pages.
Add two or three links inside your newest post.
Add one link to that post from an older post.
Add a “You might also like” list to one post.

Then do one more post tomorrow. Small and steady works here. Your site is a web, and every link you add makes it a little stronger.

Questions people ask

How many internal links should a blog post have?

There is no magic number. Google says there is no ideal amount. For a post of about 1,500 to 2,000 words, a few links in the text plus a short “related posts” list is a sensible place to start.

Do internal links help SEO?

They can. They help Google find pages and understand how they connect. They do not replace good content, and they do not promise a ranking.

Should internal links open in a new tab?

Usually no. Keep readers in the same tab for links on your own site. It feels smoother.

Do I need an SEO plugin to add internal links?

No. You can add them by hand in the WordPress editor. Some SEO plugins suggest related posts, which can save time, but they are optional.

What is the difference between internal and external links?

Internal links go to another page on your own site. External links go to a different website.

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How to Build Internal Links for SEO (A Beginner’s Guide)