The idea, in plain English
Start here.
An internal link connects pages on the same website. A useful contextual link helps someone continue from the information they are reading to a relevant answer or action. Choose the destination first, describe it naturally and check that the link reaches the intended current page.
A guide mentions a fitting requirement that another page explains in detail. That can be a useful place for a link. A repeated keyword beside an unrelated sales page is a weaker reason. In this lesson, you will evaluate one connection at a time and explain why it belongs.
A few words you’ll meet.
OPEN WHAT YOU NEED ↙Internal link
A link from one page to another on the same website. An external link points to a different website.
Anchor text
The visible text someone can select to follow a text link. It helps set an expectation for the destination.
Contextual link
A connection placed within an explanation where another page helps with the reader’s current question.
Orphan page
A page with no internal links pointing to it in the site inventory being reviewed. Other discovery routes may still exist.
Start with the next reader need
Pause at the point where a person might need more detail, a related explanation or an action route. Name that need in plain language before searching for a keyword to link. A measurement guide might need the current product’s fitting details; a product explanation might need a separate guide that helps someone understand the method.
Open the possible destination and check its actual answer. A matching title or repeated word does not prove that the page helps. Prefer the intended current owner for the task and record why it is appropriate. If there is no relevant destination, leave the sentence unlinked or create a separate research task instead of forcing a connection.
Describe the destination in the sentence
Choose link wording that gives a reasonable expectation of the next page. ‘Fitting measurement instructions’ tells someone more than an isolated ‘click here’. Keep the whole sentence natural, including the words around the link, and avoid turning a long string of related search phrases into the clickable text.
Navigation and contextual links have different jobs. A menu helps someone move around the site; a link inside an explanation answers a need at that particular moment. The same destination can reasonably appear in navigation and relevant content. That does not mean every mention in an article needs another link to it.
- Make the linked words specific enough to describe the destination.
- Keep the surrounding explanation readable.
- Avoid adding another link when it gives the reader no useful choice.
A useful link has a reason and a destination
Make the route real and checkable
A website link needs an actual destination, rather than only text styled to look clickable. Google’s recommended crawlable pattern uses an HTML anchor element with an href containing a resolvable address. As a beginner editor, you can check that your editing tool creates a normal link and that it opens the intended page.
After an authorized change, follow the route from the source page. Confirm the destination, relevant content and preferred current address. A successful click is evidence that this route worked for that check; it does not establish indexing or a ranking improvement. When URLs change, review important existing links instead of assuming the old route still serves the same reader need.
Maintain useful connections without a link quota
When a useful new page is added, inspect relevant existing pages for a sensible route to it. Also keep section or hub navigation current, so a page does not depend on a chance visit. A crawl or page inventory can help identify missing connections, but review the result: a page absent from one crawl may reflect a scope or access limit that needs investigation.
There is no universal ideal link count in Google’s guidance. Let the reader’s task and the page’s clarity guide the connection. A short explanation can need few links; a useful directory has a different role. Review broken routes, outdated destinations and repetitive recommendations as the site changes, while keeping structural checks separate from later performance observations.
- Check relevant existing pages when adding a new owner.
- Keep important destinations reachable through sensible site routes.
- Fix observed link problems and verify the actual change.
Three possible links, three different decisions
Fictional teaching examples for a product-fitting guide. The destination descriptions are practice candidates, not links to live pages or measured ranking opportunities.
| Candidate connection | Reader reason | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| ‘Fitting measurement instructions’ → the current detailed method | The reader needs to understand how the required measurements are defined. | A useful candidate after checking the actual destination. |
| ‘Product details’ → the specific current product page | The reader needs the verified information for the item being considered. | A useful candidate if the page provides those details. |
| Every mention of ‘sleeve’ → an unrelated seasonal campaign | The repeated word does not explain a useful next step. | Leave unlinked rather than force the campaign into the guide. |
Put it into practice
Review a small link candidate sheet
A fictional fitting guide has a relevant measurement-method page, a product page and an unrelated campaign page available as candidates.
- Name the reader need that each candidate would serve.
- Choose the exact page role and draft a natural anchor in a complete sentence.
- Reject one candidate that does not help at that point in the explanation.
- Write the checks you would perform after an authorized edit.
- Describe one relevant existing page that might provide an incoming route to a new useful guide.
Keep your working notes in your own document. This page saves only your completion check, not your answers or customer data.
Check your understanding
Make the call.
Choose an answer for each question. Then compare the reasoning.
You have a useful next step.
- Choose the reader need and destination before the anchor.
- Use descriptive, natural wording and keep recommendations purposeful.
- Verify current routes and maintain incoming connections as the site changes.
Completion is your own learning record. Quiz scores and practice checks are saved separately, on this browser.
Sources & context
The sources below explain the factual foundations and editorial methods used in this lesson. Worked examples, planning models and exercises are illustrative teaching material.
- Google: Link best practices
Official guidance on crawlable anchor elements, descriptive link text, surrounding context and helpful internal connections. No universal ideal link count is prescribed.
- Google SEO Starter Guide
Primary context for useful site organization, discovery and understandable links. The candidate sheet is an original fictional exercise.