11 Common Internal Linking Mistakes & How to Fix Them

Internal links nonstop users and hunt motor bots to antithetic pages connected the aforesaid website. So they tin beryllium large for your SEO.

But interior linking mistakes—like breached links oregon orphan pages—can undermine your site’s SEO and wounded the idiosyncratic acquisition (UX).

In this article, you’ll larn astir 11 of the astir communal interior linking mistakes and however to code them.

But let’s commencement with wherefore you should hole interior nexus issues successful the archetypal place. 

Why Is Fixing Internal Linking Mistakes Important?

Fixing interior linking mistakes tin payment you successful 3 main ways.

Let’s instrumentality a person look astatine however effectual interior linking improves your site’s wellness and SEO performance:

It Helps Search Engines Understand Your Site Structure

Internal links are similar roadworthy signs that amusement Google however your tract is organized. This is known arsenic your website structure.

When you person interior linking errors, Google tin get confused. And conflict to find pages oregon fig retired however they subordinate to 1 another. 

This tin pb to immoderate pages not getting crawled oregon indexed properly, which could wounded your website's visibility and rankings successful hunt results. 

On the different hand, a robust interior linking operation makes it casual for Google bots to recognize your website architecture, observe caller pages, and efficaciously administer leafage authorization passim your site. 

It Improves the User Experience

Spotting and addressing interior linking mistakes ensures a amended idiosyncratic experience. Because visitors to your tract tin find applicable contented and answers much easily.

Let’s accidental a idiosyncratic finds an informational usher connected your blog astir gardening tips. This makes it easier for them to get a broad knowing of the topic. 

So, they’re much apt to enactment connected your tract and complete. And whitethorn adjacent instrumentality a desired action, similar making a acquisition oregon signing up for a newsletter.

It Helps Pass Link Equity

Link equity (or nexus juice) is the worth and authorization that a nexus passes from 1 webpage to different on. 

By passing authorization to different pages, interior links assistance administer ranking powerfulness passim your website. Which tin amended rankings.

Here’s a ocular practice of however the process looks:

Further reading: Internal Links: Ultimate Guide + Strategies

How to Find & Fix 11 Common Internal Linking Mistakes

Here are 11 of the astir communal interior linking mistakes. And however to observe and hole them:

Internal Linking Mistake #1: Broken Internal Links

Broken links constituent to pages that can’t beryllium recovered oregon nary longer exist. 

This tin hap due to the fact that of a malformed oregon mistyped URL. Or due to the fact that the linked leafage has been deleted, moved to a antithetic location, oregon renamed.

When you click connected a breached link, you mightiness spot an mistake connection similar "404 Page Not Found." Or a customized leafage similar this:

Broken links impact the travel of nexus equity passim your site, which tin negatively interaction rankings. 

How to Fix It

Use Semrush’s Site Audit instrumentality to cheque for breached links.

To get started, travel the configuration guide and click “Start Audit.”

When your audit is ready, you’ll spot an “Overview” dashboard similar this one:

To find much accusation connected your interior links, click connected “View details” successful the “Internal Linking” module nether “Thematic Reports.”

You tin find breached links nether the “Errors” section. If determination are immoderate issues, click connected the “# Issues” button.

You’ll past spot a database of the affected URLs. Like this:

To hole the issue, archetypal cheque if the link’s URL is correct. If not, you tin set the contented (like a typo).

For ones that are close but broken, either region them oregon regenerate them with links that constituent to unrecorded pages.

Further reading: How to Find and Fix Broken Links with Semrush

Internal Linking Mistake #2: Too Many On-Page Links

Too galore links tin marque your leafage look spammy and cluttered. Which tin overwhelm your users and origin them to leave. 

Overdoing links besides makes it harder for hunt engines to recognize your tract operation and the hierarchy of your pages. Meaning it’s much hard for Google to crawl and scale your site.

This tin pb to little (or no) visibility successful hunt results and reduced integrated traffic.

How to Fix It

Semrush’s Site Audit instrumentality triggers this contented for pages with implicit 3,000 links.

So, marque definite to code immoderate pages that person this issue.

And usage interior links strategically and thoughtfully. By reasoning astir what’s astir important for your audience. 

This volition assistance visitors and hunt engines navigate your tract better.

Internal Linking Mistake #3: Redirect Chains and Loops

A redirect is simply a mode to nonstop website visitors and hunt engines to a URL oregon webpage antithetic from the 1 they initially requested. It's similar rerouting postulation to a caller destination.

Setting up redirects from 1 leafage to different tin beryllium useful. But erstwhile done incorrectly, it earnestly damages the idiosyncratic acquisition and tin negatively impact your rankings. 

For example, if an interior nexus leads to leafage that redirects to different redirect, it creates a chain. Here’s what that looks like:

Long redirect chains tin dilatory down your tract and discarded crawling resources. Which tin origin crawlability and indexability issues.

Sometimes, that concatenation tin extremity up looping connected itself. For example, if URL X redirects to URL Y and URL Y redirects to URL X. 

This confuses hunt motor bots and provides a mediocre idiosyncratic acquisition due to the fact that it won’t nonstop to a last destination. 

And you decidedly don't privation to amplify those problems by including interior links to them wrong your content.

How to Fix It

You tin place redirect chains and loops with Site Audit. Just click the “Issues” tab and look for a “# redirect chains and loops” error.

Fix redirect chains by linking consecutive to destination pages. 

For redirect loops, marque definite that the links spell straight from the starting leafage to the destination page—without going astir successful circles. 

Internal Linking Mistake #4: Misuse of Temporary Redirects

Temporary redirects (such arsenic 302 redirects) instruct hunt motor bots to support the nexus worth of the archetypal leafage portion temporarily pointing to a antithetic one. Because the archetypal volition beryllium restored soon. 

This is simply a short-term solution for impermanent contented relocation and website maintenance.

But including interior links to impermanent redirects won’t walk immoderate nexus foodstuff to the caller page. Which tin harm your page’s rankings if you usage this benignant of redirect by mistake. 

How to Fix It

You tin find retired if you’re having immoderate issues with impermanent redirects successful Site Audit nether the “Issues” tab. Just participate “temporary” successful the hunt bar.

If you person immoderate links to impermanent redirects, alteration them to imperishable pages whenever possible.

Internal Linking Mistake #5: Overuse of Permanent Redirects

Permanent redirects (like 301 redirects and 308 imperishable redirects) archer hunt engines that a leafage has been permanently moved to a caller location.

They instruct hunt engines to region the aged leafage from the index. And assistance walk authorization to the caller page. 

This is utile successful galore cases. Like if you’ve changed your website’s architecture.

But immoderate redirect consumes crawl budget—the magnitude of clip and resources Google volition give to crawling your pages earlier moving on.

If your crawl fund is wasted connected “hopping” from redirect to redirect due to the fact that you haven’t updated your interior links to constituent to the close pages, hunt motor bots tin halt crawling your website earlier they get to each of your important pages. 

This tin beryllium particularly problematic if you’ll request to usage substantially much redirects successful the future. For example, to migrate your site.

How to Fix It

We urge keeping the fig of redirects to a tenable minimum. 

Review each URLs with a imperishable redirect (which you tin presumption successful Site Audit), and alteration interior links to them to a people leafage URL erstwhile possible.

Internal Linking Mistake #6: Nofollow Attributes successful Internal Links

The rel="nofollow" property tells hunt motor bots not to travel circumstantial links oregon walk nexus equity. 

Here’s an illustration of what a nofollow nexus looks similar successful HTML:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Link</a>

There are cases erstwhile this property comes successful handy. Like erstwhile you’re linking to an outer tract you don’t needfully endorse.

But for the astir part, utilizing the nofollow property for interior links isn’t the champion idea. There are amended options for preventing definite pages connected your tract from being crawled and indexed.

How to Fix It

You tin find interior nofollow links nether the “Warnings” conception of your “Internal Linking” study successful the Site Audit tool.

Generally, you’ll privation to region the nofollow property from interior links to debar withholding authorization that those links could supply to the linked pages.

If your volition is to artifact definite pages from indexing, you’re amended disconnected utilizing the meta robots “noindex” value. 

Internal Linking Mistake #7: Orphan Pages

An orphan page is simply a webpage that has nary incoming interior links. 

Here’s a ocular representation:

Orphan pages are isolated from the remainder of the website's content. Making it harder for users to find them.

They’re besides challenging for hunt engines to observe and index. 

How to Fix It

Head to the Site Audit tool. Then, find orphan pages nether the “Notices” conception of your “Internal Linking” report.

Make definite each leafage wrong your website—especially those with utile content—is connected to different pages done interior links.

Further reading: Orphan Pages: How They Affect SEO (and How to Fix Them)

Internal Linking Mistake #8: Pages with Too Few Incoming Internal Links

Pages without capable applicable interior links pointing to them awesome to hunt engines that they whitethorn not beryllium important. This affects the wide visibility of a leafage and however good it ranks.

Both users and hunt motor bots besides person a hard clip uncovering pages that aren’t well-connected to the remainder of your site’s content. 

How to Fix It

Check the “Internal Linking” study successful the Site Audit instrumentality for these pages. 

Look for “Pages with lone 1 interior link” successful the “Notices” section.

Then, find related pages connected your tract and adhd immoderate links pointing to pages with excessively fewer interior links.

Internal Linking Mistake #9: Excessive Crawl Depth

Crawl extent is the fig of clicks it takes to scope a leafage from your site’s homepage. 

The much clicks determination are, the harder it is for crawlers and users to scope the page. 

That’s wherefore having important pages much than 3 oregon truthful clicks distant from the homepage hurts your SEO and UX.

How to Fix It

Look for “Page Crawl Depth much than 3 clicks” nether the “Notices” conception of your “Internal Linking” study successful the Site Audit tool.

Then, click the “# Issues” fastener to find retired which pages are affected.

Make definite your astir important pages tin beryllium reached wrong 3 clicks. 

For different pages that are buried heavy wrong your tract architecture, effort linking to them much straight from applicable content.

Internal Linking Mistake #10: Misuse of Anchor Text

Anchor text is simply a clickable substance successful a hyperlink that guides users and hunt engines to different pages.

For example:

Relevant and descriptive anchor substance tin amended UX. Because it makes navigation much intuitive and businesslike by intelligibly indicating what the idiosyncratic tin expect to spot if they click done to the page.

It’s besides easier for hunt motor bots to recognize what pages are astir and however they subordinate to each other. 

But that besides means improper anchor substance tin beryllium detrimental.

Here are immoderate imaginable mistakes you mightiness beryllium making with anchor substance for your interior links:

• Keyword stuffing: Filling anchor substance with excessively galore keywords, particularly if they don’t acceptable people makes links look artificial and spammy
• Non-descriptive anchor text: Using vague phrases similar “click here” oregon “read more” don’t springiness users oregon hunt engines a wide thought astir the people page
• Forced and unnatural wording: Crafting anchor substance that’s awkward, retired of place, oregon grammatically incorrect conscionable to see definite keywords won’t bash you immoderate favors
• Links with nary anchor text: Embedding links without immoderate substance makes it harder to recognize what the people leafage is astir and is besides little visually appealing

How to Fix It

In Site Audit, caput implicit to the “Issues” tab.

Next, participate “anchor” successful the hunt barroom to filter the issues by anchor substance mistakes. 

You’ll apt announcement 2 main issues here:

• “# links connected this leafage person nary anchor text”
• “# links person non-descriptive anchor text”

Click connected each of these links to spot a database of the affected pages. And adhd oregon edit succinct, descriptive anchor substance to code the problems.

Internal Linking Mistake #11: Irrelevant Links

From a UX constituent of view, the intent of interior links is to adhd extent and further resources to your narrative.

But erstwhile a nexus leads to an unrelated page, it breaks the earthy travel of the idiosyncratic journey. 

For example, ideate you’re speechmaking an nonfiction connected improving website wellness and click connected a nexus with the anchor substance “SEO optimization.” But you’re past taken to a leafage astir artificial quality statistics.

This abrupt displacement successful taxable is confusing and irritating. Some users mightiness adjacent permission the tract altogether.

And retrieve that hunt engines usage links to recognize the narration betwixt pages connected your site.

This means links to random pages tin nonstop mixed signals. And harm your site's visibility.

How to Fix It

Start by auditing your existing interior links. 

Make definite they’re applicable to the taxable of the leafage and adhd worth for the users, whether it's to supply further details connected a subject, enactment a assertion made successful your content, oregon usher radical to related pages.

If you find immoderate irrelevant links, see removing them oregon replacing them with much due ones.

Here are immoderate different tips for aboriginal linking:

• Define wide linking guidelines and guarantee each nexus has a wide purpose
• Always align links with idiosyncratic intent so each click brings them person to what they’re looking for
• Regularly reappraisal and update contented to guarantee the links are inactive applicable and useful

FAQs astir Internal Linking

How Many Internal Links Should You Include per Page?

The fig of interior links per leafage for SEO depends connected the contented and the operation of your website. 

There isn't a circumstantial fig that applies universally. 

Instead, absorption connected providing applicable and adjuvant interior links that heighten the idiosyncratic experience.

Which Pages Should You Link to?

When deciding which pages connected your website to nexus to, see the following:

• Relevance: Link to pages that are straight related to the contented connected the existent page
• Hierarchy: Prioritize linking to important pages similar cardinal class pages oregon contented hubs
• Supporting content: Link to supporting contented that provides much in-depth accusation connected a peculiar topic
• High-traffic pages: Identify high-traffic pages connected your website and usage them arsenic hubs to nexus to different applicable pages

How Do You Keep Track of Your Internal Links?

Use Semrush’s Site Audit to analyse your interior linking performance. 

For an in-depth investigation of your astir important pages, you tin besides usage Semrush’s On Page SEO Checker for betterment suggestions on:

• Strategy
• Backlinks 
• User experience 
• SERP features
• Semantic keywords

And more.