SEO On-Page: Internal Links

Guides internal linking strategy for SEO: crawlability, link equity distribution, and user navigation.

When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

Scope (On-Page SEO)

Internal links: Contextual links; descriptive anchor text; related posts; hub pages
Breadcrumbs: Implement for large sites (e.g. ecommerce); see breadcrumb-generator

Initial Assessment

Check for project context first: If .claude/project-context.md or .cursor/project-context.md exists, read it for site structure and key pages.

Identify:

Site structure: Hub pages, pillar content, supporting pages
Orphan pages: Pages with no or few internal links
Priority pages: Pages that need more link equity

Best Practices

Link Structure

| Principle | Guideline | |-----------|-----------| | Depth | Important pages within 3 clicks from homepage | | Orphan pages | Avoid; ensure every page has at least one internal link; see site-crawlability for technical detection and crawl issues | | Hub-to-spoke | Link from hub/pillar pages to cluster articles; topic cluster structure | | Contextual | Place links in relevant body content, not just footers |

Anchor Text

| Principle | Guideline | |-----------|-----------| | Descriptive | Use anchor text that describes the target page | | Variation | Avoid over-optimization; use natural variation | | Keyword | Include target keyword when natural |

Placement

| Location | Use | |----------|-----| | First paragraph | Primary link to related content | | Body | Contextual links throughout | | Related/Recommended | End-of-article links | | Navigation | Key site sections |

Common Issues

| Issue | Fix | |-------|-----| | Orphan pages | Add internal links from hub pages or navigation; site-crawlability for technical audit | | Too many links | Focus on most important; avoid link stuffing | | Generic anchors | Use descriptive "learn more about X" instead of "click here" | | Broken links | Audit and fix 404s; see site-crawlability for technical audit |

Output Format

Internal link audit (if auditing)
Link opportunities for key pages
Anchor text recommendations
Structure improvements

Related Skills

article-page-generator: Related posts, contextual links, end-of-article recommendations
website-structure: Plan page structure and hierarchy; informs internal linking
site-crawlability: Internal links enable crawling
url-structure: URL structure affects link patterns
content-strategy: Topic clusters inform link structure; pillar <-> cluster; cluster <-> cluster
breadcrumb-generator: Breadcrumbs are internal links; category hierarchy