What you need to know

Serious question: Are internal links a ranking factor?

All too often the chatter about internal links as a ranking factor feels more like it comes from an endless phone game and not from the real source, the search engines.

Certain mythical internal link SEO stories have been passed down through generations of SEO professionals. It can be difficult to tell fact from fiction.

In an effort to get things straight, I tapped our resources to see if internal links were a verified ranking factor. Drum roll, please: For the truth about internal links, see above.

The claim: internal links are a ranking factor

An internal link is a hyperlink from one page of a domain to another page of the same domain. Internal links help users navigate websites and build a website architecture for hierarchies.

Okay, but what about the trickier questions like:

• Has the Total number of internal links refer to a page?
• Has the Quality of these internal links to the side show a strong effect?
• What about Anchor text of these internal links – is that another signal of relevance? Does a longer anchor text offer more value?
• Is there such a thing as too many internal links on one side?

The proof of internal links as a ranking factor

Since there are still tons of internal link questions to answer, and I want you to have all the facts clear, here they are.

Are internal links a ranking factor?

Google confirms that internal links are a ranking in its Starter Guide for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Google says:

Create a naturally flowing hierarchy.

Make it as easy as possible for users to switch from general content to more specific content they want on your website. Add navigation pages as needed and integrate them effectively into your internal link structure. Make sure that all pages of your site are accessible via links and do not require an internal “search function” to be found. If necessary, link to related pages so that users can discover similar content.

And Google’s “How Search Engines Work” establishes internal links as a ranking factor.

Some pages are known because Google has already crawled them. Other pages are discovered when Google follows a link from a known page to a new page.

For this reason, the Google Search Console also offers the “Top Linked Pages” report. It is used to “confirm that the core pages of the site (home page, contact page) are properly linked to your site”.

The SEO Starter Guide also recommends using internal links in your breadcrumb structured data markup that says:

“A breadcrumb is a series of internal links at the top or bottom of the page that allow visitors to quickly return to a previous section or the root page. Many breadcrumbs have the most general page (usually the root page) as the first link on the far left, and list the more specific sections on the right. We recommend using structured breadcrumb data markup when viewing breadcrumbs. “

The PageRank algorithm itself and its internal process are based on internal links.

Will your website rank faster if you have internal links from high traffic pages?

Since Bill Slawski shared his analysis of Google’s Reasonable Surfer patent, the SEO community has been debating whether pages with or without traffic influence the ranking signals of internal links.

Slawski explained that “… based on the likelihood that a person who happens to follow links on the web will land on a particular page.”

The patent speaks of the position of a link on a page.

Essentially, it is about adding more weight to links that you believe will actually including links placed in positions higher up the page.

Matt Cutt confirmed this at PubCon 2010.

The patent does not relate to traffic.

Slawski also delves into the Page Segmentation Patent, which explains more about the placement of internal links on a page. And he shares further insights into how search engines use internal links to understand a web page.

Is anchor text in an internal link a ranking factor?

The SEO Starter Guide clears up the confusion when the internal link anchor text is a ranking factor, as they say:

“Also think of anchor text for internal links.

Usually, when you link, you think about pointing to external websites, but paying more attention to the anchor text for internal links can help users and Google better navigate your website. “

Also Google’s John Mueller responded to this claim on Twitter where he said:

“Most of the links offer some additional context through their anchor text. At least they should, right? “

And in 2019, Mueller talked more about how internal links support your rankings in a Google Webmaster Hangout.

However, the claim that there are long anchor texts on your internal links is just speculation right now. Search engines have not confirmed this myth.

In fact, the SEO Starter Guide obviously recommends avoiding “the use of overly keyword-filled or long anchor text for search engines only”.

Rand Fishkin also delves into his anchor text experiments to prove the value of high quality anchor text.

And Roger Montti from the Search Engine Journal discusses Mueller’s answer as to whether anchor text will help improve the ranking.

Are internal links used as a ranking signal in your site architecture?

Internal linking can have positive or negative effects:

• NinjaOutreach has increased website traffic by 50% in three months with its internal link structure.
• The Daily Mail couldn’t outperform its competitors due to its weak internal linking.

Google’s patent for ranking documents based on user behavior or feature data examines the website architecture in more detail.

So what if your internal links are broken?

Broken internal links make it difficult for search engines to index your pages and for users to navigate your site. Broken links are a sign of a poor quality website and can affect your ranking.

Google’s Web Page Decay patent confirms this claim, it is said,

“If the website has a relatively large number of broken links, it is rated as an outdated website.”

Now how many internal links are too many?

In 2009, Matt Cutts stated that there was a limit of 100 internal links per page.

In the past, Google didn’t download more than 100,000 of a single page (it no longer does), so the idea that the links would spread out your PageRank made sense.

In 2013, Matt Cutts withdrew that statement and said he should “stick to a reasonable number”. Thus the rule of 100 internal links no longer applies.

Internal links as a ranking factor: our verdict

Yes, there is some truth to the myth that internal links and your search engine rankings are related.

Think of it the way Cutts said:

“… if there is a page that is important or that has big profit margins or that converts really well – escalate that. Put a link to this page from your home page that makes a lot of sense.”

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Featured image: Paulo Bobita / SearchEngineJournal