You’ve probably already heard of keywords, backlinks, or meta descriptions. But there’s one piece of the SEO puzzle<\/a> that’s too often overlooked, even though it’s 100% under your control: internal linking.<\/p>\n Unlike backlinks (links from other sites to yours), internal linking depends solely on you: it’s simply about effectively connecting the pages of your own site. It’s free, it takes time but no money, and it’s one of the most underestimated SEO levers.<\/p>\n In this guide, we explain what it is, why it matters, and how to implement it concretely, even if you have no SEO training.<\/p>\n Internal linking refers to all clickable links that point from one page on your site to another page on the same site. A link in a blog post to your services page, a link between two articles on related topics, a link to your contact page at the bottom of an article: all of this is internal linking.<\/p>\n Good internal linking works on three levels:<\/p>\n In summary: good internal linking is better for Google and<\/em> better for your visitors. It’s rare to have such a “win-win” SEO lever.<\/p>\n Here’s the approach our team concretely applies to our clients’ SEO mandates. You can follow it yourself, or ask us for our ready-to-use template (more on that below).<\/p>\n Before linking pages, you need to know which pages<\/em> deserve the most attention. This list of keywords serves as a starting point to guide all your linking efforts.<\/p>\n To establish it, look at:<\/p>\n We recommend starting with your blog posts<\/a>. Why? Because these are generally the content pieces that cover the most different topics. They therefore offer the most natural opportunities to create links, both to other articles and to your service pages.<\/p>\n Specifically, this involves listing the URLs of your articles. If the titles of your articles are not explicit enough for easy navigation, also add the meta descriptions to your list.<\/p>\n At TREIZE, we use Screamingfrog, a powerful paid tool for various SEO needs. However, it’s also possible to collect all your website’s URLs by typing: yourwebsite.com\/sitemap.xml<\/a> to generate the sitemap,<\/em> or via Google Search Console, or with free tools such as<\/p>\n This is where a simple spreadsheet (Google Sheets works very well) becomes your best tool. Two elements to plan for:<\/p>\n A “Page Type” dropdown menu<\/strong>, to classify each of your pages according to categories adapted to your site, for example:<\/p>\n A color code<\/strong>, to quickly identify the role of each page. For example:<\/p>\n This visual code helps you quickly decide where to create links, and in which direction.<\/p>\n This is the core of the work: by going through your list, you identify content that benefits from being linked. Complementary topics, content that logically follows each other (a “before” and an “after”), or simply very similar themes.<\/p>\n Concrete example:<\/strong> an article on priority keywords to integrate into your site can naturally be linked to an article on internal linking ;).<\/p>\n Add an “Associated Pages” column to your table, and fill it in as you go. It’s perfectly normal for this step to become clearer along the way. It’s a progressive task, not a list to be filled out all at once.<\/p>\n Why do it manually rather than automate?<\/strong> Because internal linking is a contextual exercise. An automated tool can suggest associations, but only a person who knows your content can judge whether a link is truly relevant to the reader and consistent with your SEO strategy.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/em> if you have a lot of content, an artificial intelligence tool can help you generate a first draft of associations, which you then manually validate. This can save time on large volumes, but may also require more cleanup than expected depending on the project, to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.<\/p>\n Once your plan is established, all that remains is to execute it, page by page:<\/p>\n The text you click on, called the anchor,<\/strong> is very important. A good anchor clearly describes the destination page, both for your reader and for search engines.<\/p>\n Avoid:<\/strong><\/p>\n Prefer:<\/strong> A descriptive phrase that provides an overview of the content to which the reader is directed.<\/p>\n Example:<\/em> rather than writing “click here to learn more,” we would write something like “discover how to implement an internal linking strategy,”<\/em> with the link integrated directly into this phrase, pointing to the relevant blog post.<\/p>\n The benefit is twofold: it’s clearer for the user, and easier for Google to interpret.<\/p>\n Ending an article with a clear Call to Action (CTA) helps to:<\/p>\n Good format:<\/strong> text accompanied by a clear action. For example: “Contact us to get the internal linking work template,”<\/em> with a link to your contact page. The more specific the CTA is to the article’s topic, the more effective it is.<\/p>\n You don’t need to start from scratch to apply this method. Our team can provide you with a ready-to-use template<\/strong> (the famous work table mentioned above), already structured with page categories and color coding, so you can quickly start your internal linking exercise.<\/p>\n Does internal linking replace backlinking (external links)?<\/strong> No, they are two complementary levers. Backlinking (getting links from other sites to yours) remains important, but it is harder to control. Internal linking, however, depends entirely on you; it’s often the first thing to optimize.<\/p>\n How many internal links should I add per page?<\/strong> There’s no magic number. The important thing is that each link is truly relevant to the reader. A few well-chosen links are better than a dozen links added just for the sake of it.<\/p>\n Can I automate this entire process?<\/strong> Partially. Tools can help you identify possible associations between your pages, but human validation remains essential to maintain true editorial logic and real relevance for your visitors.<\/p>\n Where do I start if I’ve never done internal linking?<\/strong> Start with your most viewed blog posts, and link them to your most strategic service pages. You’ll quickly see logical associations emerge.<\/p>\nWhat is internal linking?<\/h2>\n
Why is internal linking important for your SEO?<\/h2>\n
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Our step-by-step method<\/h2>\n
Step 1: Identify your priority keywords<\/h3>\n
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Step 2: List the pages to work on<\/h3>\n
Step 3: Build a working table<\/h3>\n
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Step 4: Associate pages with each other<\/h3>\n
Step 5: Implement the links<\/h3>\n
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Best practices for your link texts (anchors)<\/h2>\n
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Recommended Bonus: Add a Call to Action at the End of Articles or Pages<\/h2>\n
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A practical tool to get started<\/h2>\n
Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/h2>\n