Key Takeaways
- An internal link points from one page of your site to another. An external link points off it. Internal links are the only ranking signal you control entirely.
- There is no correct number per page. The test is whether every link would genuinely help the reader — a page with eight useful links beats one with forty decorative ones.
- Anchor text should describe the destination in the words a person would search for. “Click here” wastes the signal completely.
- Nofollow on your own internal links achieves almost nothing useful. It is for links you do not vouch for — user-generated content, paid placements — not for shaping your own site.
An internal link is a link from one page on your site to another; an external link points somewhere else entirely. Internal links do three jobs at once: they help people find the next thing, they let a crawler discover pages, and they pass a share of one page’s earned authority to another. That last job is the only ranking signal you control completely — nobody has to agree to it, and it costs nothing but thought. Which makes it remarkable how often it is left to a template.
How Many Internal Links Per Page?
There is no correct number, and any specific figure you are given is somebody’s rule of thumb rather than a rule. What actually matters:
| Question | The useful answer |
|---|---|
| Is there a limit? | Not a hard one. Very old guidance suggested around a hundred; modern crawlers handle far more. Practical limits are about the reader, not the crawler |
| So how many? | As many as genuinely help. On a 1,500-word article that is usually five to fifteen in the body. On a hub page it can be dozens, because listing is the page’s job |
| Can there be too many? | Yes, in two ways: each link passes a smaller share of authority, and a page dense with links reads like a directory and gets skimmed |
| What about the same link twice? | Pointless. The first instance is the one that counts, so vary the destination rather than repeating it |
Anchor Text: The Part That Is Usually Wasted
Anchor text is the clickable words. It tells both the reader and the search engine what is at the other end, which makes it a free description of the destination page — and most sites throw it away.
- Describe the destination, in searchable words. “Custom ERP for UK businesses” tells everyone what is there. “Click here” and “read more” tell them nothing.
- Vary it naturally. The same exact phrase on forty links looks manufactured. Write it as the sentence needs it.
- Keep it honest. Anchor text that oversells the destination produces a bounce, which helps nobody.
- Front-load the meaning. Long anchors dilute; three to six meaningful words is usually plenty.
- Do not link images without alt text. An image link with no alt text is an anchor with nothing in it.
Nofollow: What It Is Actually For
A rel="nofollow" attribute tells search engines you do not want to vouch for the link. It exists for links you cannot stand behind — and that is not the same thing as links you want to de-emphasise.
| Situation | Nofollow? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A comment or forum link from a user | Yes | You did not choose it and cannot vouch for it |
| A paid or sponsored placement | Yes — and mark it sponsored | Not disclosing paid links is the actual risk |
| An affiliate link | Yes | Same reason: it is a commercial relationship |
| Your own login, cart or admin page | No — noindex or block it instead | Nofollow is the wrong tool; you do not want it indexed at all |
| Your own internal links, to “save” authority | No | This is the myth. It does not concentrate authority anywhere useful; it just discards a signal |
| A source you are citing honestly | No | Citing real sources is good practice, and linking to them is part of it |
So: are nofollow links good for SEO? For links you did not choose or were paid for, yes — they are the correct and honest markup. As a tool for shaping your own site’s internal structure, no. That approach was never as effective as claimed and is not worth doing now.
A Simple Internal Linking Routine
Five steps, repeatable, and it takes an hour a month on a normal site.
- Find your strongest pages. In Search Console, the pages with the most impressions. These have authority to share.
- Find your orphans. Pages nothing links to. They are invisible to readers and nearly invisible to crawlers.
- Link down, deliberately. From each strong page, add links to the pages you actually want to rank — where the sentence genuinely calls for it.
- Link up from new pages. Every new article should link to the service page it supports. That is how a blog earns its keep commercially.
- Check the anchor text you used. If any of it says “here” or “this page”, rewrite it to name the destination.
Done consistently, this is the cheapest ranking work available, and it compounds with every page you add. It also helps AI answers understand which of your pages is authoritative on what — see AEO and GEO explained. For the wider picture, technical SEO covers where linking sits among the rest.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are internal links?
Links from one page on your site to another page on the same site. They help readers find the next thing, let crawlers discover pages, and pass a share of a page’s earned authority onward. External links point off your site instead.
How many internal links should a page have?
There is no correct number. On a 1,500-word article, five to fifteen in the body is typical; a hub page can carry dozens because listing is its job. The test is per link: would a reader who followed it be better off? Very old advice about a hundred links per page is no longer a meaningful limit.
What is anchor text in SEO?
The clickable words in a link. It describes the destination to both readers and search engines, which makes it a free summary of the page you are pointing at. Use three to six meaningful words that name the destination; "click here" and "read more" waste the signal entirely.
Are nofollow links good for SEO?
For links you did not choose or were paid for — user comments, sponsored placements, affiliate links — yes, nofollow is the correct and honest markup. As a way to shape your own site’s internal authority it does not work and simply discards a signal you control.
What is the difference between internal and external links?
Internal links point to another page on your own site; external links point to a different site. Internal links are the only link signal you fully control. Linking out to real sources is good practice, not a leak — and should not be nofollowed when you genuinely stand behind the source.
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