I remember the first time I heard the term “interlinking” while working on my website’s SEO. The person explaining it to me might as well have been speaking in another language. “Inter-what?” I thought to myself, frantically nodding and pretending to understand while I mentally panicked. But after I dug deeper and finally grasped the concept, it was like a light bulb went off—interlinking became my new favorite SEO strategy. And I’m about to tell you why it should be yours, too.
Let’s break it down in a way that makes sense—without the jargon, the confusion, or the panic I initially felt.
What Exactly Is Interlinking?
Alright, so picture this: you’ve just moved into a new house. The movers dump all your boxes in the living room, and suddenly you’re staring at chaos. Some things are in the kitchen, some in the bedroom, and some random items are in places they definitely shouldn’t be (why are your shoes in the fridge, again?). The house exists, but it’s a mess. You’re constantly running from room to room, unsure where anything is. Sounds frustrating, right?
Now, think of your website like that house. It’s full of valuable content—blog posts, product pages, how-to guides—but without proper organization, it’s all over the place. This is where interlinking comes in. It’s the process of linking one page of your website to another relevant page. Kind of like setting up a handy series of doorways between rooms in your house. It helps visitors (and search engines!) find what they’re looking for quickly, while also improving your SEO ranking.
How Does Interlinking Work for SEO?
Imagine you’re Google. You’re crawling through billions of websites, trying to figure out which ones deserve a spot on the front page when someone types in a search query like “best pizza recipe.” You want to show users the most relevant and high-quality pages. Now, when a site has a lot of internal links (links between pages on the same site), it’s like setting up a trail of breadcrumbs for Google to follow. The more connected and easy-to-navigate your site is, the more likely Google is to rank it higher.
And here’s the kicker: interlinking doesn’t just help Google. It helps your readers, too. You’re guiding them to more content, keeping them on your site longer, and giving them a better overall experience. Everybody wins!
Why Interlinking is the Best SEO Practice? (No, Really!)
I know, I know. There are about a million SEO tips floating around the internet—keyword research, backlinking, mobile optimization, the list goes on. But interlinking holds a special place in my heart. Why? Because it’s easy to implement, costs nothing, and packs a punch when it comes to results.
Let me tell you about one of my personal experiences that made me a believer. I was working on a blog for a small business owner who ran a pet grooming service. She had a ton of great blog content—everything from “How to Keep Your Dog’s Coat Shiny” to “The Benefits of Regular Grooming.” But her traffic was stagnating, and she had no idea why.
Then we looked at her interlinking strategy—or rather, the lack of one. Each blog post lived in isolation, like little islands with no bridges between them. So, we got to work. In the “Shiny Coat” blog, we added links to her articles on “Best Dog Shampoos” and “DIY Pet Grooming at Home.” We interlinked her services page from blog posts that mentioned grooming. Before long, her bounce rate went down, readers stayed longer, and Google took notice. The site climbed higher in search rankings over the next few months. Boom. Success.
The Secret Sauce: How to Do Interlinking Right
Okay, so how do you actually interlink effectively? Because you can’t just slap links everywhere and call it a day. There’s a bit of strategy involved.
1. Link Relevant Pages
Let’s start with the obvious. Only link to pages that make sense contextually. If you’re writing a blog post about dog grooming, don’t randomly link to a page on your site about cat toys. (Unless you’re making some kind of humorous point. Then, by all means, go for it.) Keep it natural, like recommending related reading or additional resources that help the reader go deeper into the topic.
2. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
The clickable text in your links (known as anchor text) matters. Avoid using generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use specific keywords that tell both readers and search engines what the linked page is about. For example, instead of “Click here for tips,” you might say “Learn how to groom your dog at home with our step-by-step guide.” Not only is it clearer for your readers, but it also gives Google more context about the page you’re linking to.
3. Link to Older Content
Got some hidden gems in your blog archives that no one’s seeing? Interlinking is a fantastic way to bring older content back into the spotlight. If you’ve written a post that’s still relevant but buried in the depths of your site, link to it in your newer posts. It’s a great way to resurface useful content and get more mileage out of what you’ve already created.
4. Avoid Overlinking
You know how some people overuse exclamation marks and their writing starts to feel like a constant shout? Yeah, don’t do that with links. Overlinking can be just as annoying for readers. A good rule of thumb is to link where it adds value and avoid cluttering every sentence with hyperlinks. Too many links can distract your readers and dilute the SEO benefits.
Hypothetical Scenario: A Bakery Website with Smart Interlinking
Let’s imagine you own a bakery with an amazing website filled with delicious recipes, baking tips, and a blog. Here’s how interlinking could work for you:
- You write a blog post titled “The Best Cupcake Recipes for Every Occasion.”
- Inside that post, you link to your “How to Make the Perfect Buttercream Frosting” article.
- Then, on that frosting article, you link to your “Best Cake Decorating Tools” guide, which has a section in your online store where you sell those tools.
- On your product page for the cake decorating tools, you link back to the cupcake recipe and so on.
See how this creates a loop that keeps your visitors engaged? They come for one recipe, but end up reading three articles and buying a product. And on the SEO side, Google now sees a tightly-knit web of content that’s easy to crawl and full of value.
A Case Study: The Power of Interlinking for an E-commerce Site
A client of mine, who runs an online store selling eco-friendly home goods, struggled with getting product pages to rank on Google. Despite having great products, traffic was low, and people weren’t staying on the site long enough to make a purchase. We realized that their product pages were standalone, with no internal links to blog posts or other related items.
So, we implemented an interlinking strategy:
- Each product page linked to related blog posts (e.g., “How to Create a Zero-Waste Kitchen”).
- Each blog post linked to relevant products within the text (e.g., “Check out our reusable kitchen towels”).
- We created a “Featured Product” section on each blog post with links to the store.
The result? Their bounce rate dropped, the average session duration increased, and within three months, several product pages started ranking on the first page of Google. All because we connected the dots.
Conclusion: Ready to Start Interlinking?
Interlinking is one of the simplest yet most powerful SEO practices out there. Not only does it improve your SEO by making your site easier for Google to crawl, but it also enhances the user experience by helping your readers find more relevant content. And the best part? You can start right now.
It’s not rocket science. Think of it as building a network of bridges between your content—guiding both your visitors and search engines on a smooth, well-marked journey across your site.
So, go ahead. Pick your most recent blog post and find a few older articles to link back to. Don’t forget to sprinkle in some relevant links within your product or service pages. You’ll be amazed at the results.
Happy interlinking!