Internal Linking
Internal linking is important for both user experience and search engine crawlers, to help them find relevant and important pages. Our SEO Office Hours recaps on internal linking topics cover queries including the importance of internal links for SEO, how anchor text is used as a ranking signal, and how Google handles internally linked parameter URLs for indexing.
For more on internal linking, check out: 5 Internal Linking Strategies to Boost SEO and Drive Organic Traffic
Disallowed URLs may Show in Search Due to Internal Linking
If you’re seeing disallowed URLs showing up in search results, it may be because of internal linking to these pages, so you should change links to point to pages you want to be shown.
Cross Linking Deep Pages Can Help Indexing
Cross linking between deep pages linked through paginated category pages can help them be discovered more easily.
Google Uses Anchor Text on Internal Links for Context but not Select Forms
Google does use anchor text on internal links to understand the context of a page. The text in select forms probably won’t be seen as anchor text.
JavaScript Links May be Treated as Nofollow
If a JavaScript link uses any server side processing, it probably won’t be crawled correctly If you have JavaScript scripts which generate links, they will be nofollowed. If you use JavaScript to build a link in the page, it will be followed.
Links on the Homepage Pass the most Weight
Google considers pages linked from the homepage to be the most important, so those links carry the most weight. They should be used to promote your most important pages.
Bi-directional Internal Links Won’t Make a Big Difference
It’s not a requirement that internal links should be bi-directional, and it won’t make a big difference.
Google Automatically Chooses a Preferred Domain Based on Multiple Signals
Google uses many factors to determine the canonical domain including redirects, canonicals, internal links, sitemaps and backlinks, so choosing a preferred domain in Search Console is not critical.
Add Links Important Pages on Your Main Pages
You should link new pages which are important from other important pages on your site like the homepage, so Google understands it is something they should focus on.
Sitemaps Require Absolute URLs and Recommends for Internal Links
Relative URLs are fine for internal linking, but Google requires absolute URLs for Sitemaps. Google now recommends using absolute URLs for internal linking to avoid any uncertainty about the preferred protocol.
Internal Linking Affects Crawl Frequency
Pages with more internal links are more likely to be crawled more frequently.