Glossaire
Internal Linking
The network of links between pages on the same site (or across a brand's satellite sites) that distributes authority, guides crawlers, and signals topical structure to search engines.
Definition
Internal linking is the practice of creating hyperlinks from one page on a website to another page on the same site (or within the same brand's network of sites). Internal links serve three purposes: navigation for users, authority distribution for SEO, and topical structure signals for search engines.
Why Internal Linking Matters for SEO
Search engines like Google discover and evaluate pages partly through the links pointing to them. Internal links:
- Pass authority ("link equity") from strong pages to weaker ones
- Establish topical relationships between pages — a cluster of interlinked pages on the same topic signals depth of expertise
- Help crawlers find and index pages that might otherwise be missed
- Guide users to relevant content, improving engagement signals
Pages with no internal links pointing to them ("orphan pages") are crawled less frequently and rank less well, even if their content is good.
The Pillar-Cluster Model
The most effective internal linking architecture for topical SEO is the pillar-cluster model:
- Pillar page: a comprehensive, authoritative page on a broad topic
- Cluster pages: focused articles each covering a specific aspect of the same topic
- Links: cluster pages link to the pillar, the pillar links back to cluster pages
This creates a network where authority concentrates on the pillar (boosting its rankings for competitive queries) while the cluster pages rank for more specific long-tail queries.
Best Practices
- Aim for 3–7 internal links per article (800–1200 word posts)
- Use descriptive anchor text that reflects the target page's topic
- Vary your anchor text — avoid using the same phrase every time
- Link from high-authority pages to pages you want to rank
- Audit for orphan pages monthly and connect them
In a Satellite Site Strategy
Internal linking is especially important across multiple satellite blogs. Each blog should have its own internal pillar-cluster architecture, and cross-blog links should be used sparingly and contextually — only when genuinely useful to the reader.