SOP 255: Implement An Internal Linking Strategy On A Website
\nThis SOP outlines how to audit, plan, implement, and validate an internal linking strategy on WordPress using Screaming Frog, Google Search Console, and Google Sheets. It standardizes anchors, placement, and ongoing monitoring for small sites.
\nLast Updated / Reviewed: 09/22/2025
\nExecution Time: 3–6 hours for the initial sprint (≤500 URLs) + 15–30 minutes/month to monitor
\n🚀 Goal: Implement a practical internal linking strategy that improves crawlability, relevance, and rankings on a WordPress site.
\n🤞 Ideal Outcome: Ensure priority hubs and money pages receive consistent, contextual internal links; eliminate orphaned pages, redirects, and broken links; and track impact in Google Search Console.
\n🤔 Why this is important: Internal links help search engines understand site structure, distribute authority, and improve discovery while guiding users to related content.
\n🧐 Where this is done Screaming Frog (desktop), Google Search Console (web), Google Sheets (web), and WordPress (wp-admin).
\n🗓️ When this is done: When running an initial sprint, iterate monthly and whenever new content is published.
\n👨 Who does this: SEO specialist or content manager with WordPress Editor access.
\n__⚠️Prerequisites or requirements: __
\n• WordPress Editor access to target pages/posts
\n• Google Search Console access to the property
\n• Screaming Frog installed (free or paid)
\nClick here to get the most up-to-date version of this SOP
\n__Note: __We perform this baseline crawl and export in Screaming Frog to capture a clear snapshot of the website’s current internal linking and technical health before making any changes. This provides visibility into the existing site structure, page status codes, redirects, and high-level issues, ensuring no important page is overlooked or orphaned. By documenting these details upfront, we create a reliable benchmark that allows us to track improvements, measure the impact of internal linking strategies, and quickly identify any unintended issues after implementation.
\nNote: You identify target pages in Google Search Console to ensure your internal linking strategy supports the URLs that matter most for visibility and performance. GSC highlights which pages are already earning impressions and clicks, as well as those ranking on the cusp of stronger positions. By prioritising these pages, you can strengthen their authority with contextual internal links, improve their chances of climbing in search results, and focus efforts on the URLs that will deliver the greatest impact on traffic and conversions.
\nNote the highest-impression and highest-click queries. Pay attention to queries ranking on page 2 (positions 11–20), as these are prime candidates for improvement with internal links.
\nCombine your top pages (by clicks) and their associated queries into a worksheet. This becomes your priority list for internal linking.
\nNote: Use canonical or final URLs only; no redirects. Enter one URL per row and match your site's trailing-slash style; include parameters only if canonical. Exclude non-indexable pages you won’t link to.
\nNote: \"Hub\" pages are pillar or overview pages. \"Spoke\" pages support the cluster. \"Money\" pages focus on conversions.
\nNote: Set \"Priority\" based on business value and current performance (e.g., 1–3 or \"High\"/\"Medium\"/\"Low\"). Add the main topic or primary keyword you want the page to rank for.
\nNote: Filter the export to status \"200\" URLs. Use \"VLOOKUP\" or \"INDEX-MATCH\" to map the \"Inlinks\" count to each URL, then paste it into \"Existing Inlinks\".
\nNote: Set \"Target Inlinks\" by page type: set \"Money\" and \"Hub\" pages to 5–15 now (build toward 10–20), and other posts to 3–10. Calculate \"Gap\" as MAX(Target Inlinks − Existing Inlinks, 0). You should see \"Gap\" values at 0 or higher.
\nNote: Search site - yourdomain.com plus the topic to find relevant pages. Review the \"All Outlinks\" export for context-rich sources. Choose higher-traffic, authoritative pages that return status \"200\" and do not redirect. List 5–10 top candidates per target, separated by line breaks or commas.
\nNote: Add the responsible implementer in \"Owner\". Set \"Status\" to \"Queued\" to mark the row ready for linking work.
\nNote: Choose a descriptive, natural anchor that includes the main concept or a close variant; avoid generic text like \"click here\". Vary anchors across pages (exact, partial, synonyms, long-tail) while keeping them readable.
\nNote: We use Screaming Frog to validate and QA the site because it allows us to spot technical issues that could impact performance, SEO, and user experience. By reviewing inlink counts, we can confirm that priority pages are well-linked internally. Exporting response codes helps us catch errors (like 4xx/5xx) that need fixing. Checking redirect chains ensures we avoid unnecessary hops that slow down load times and waste crawl budget. Finally, exporting all outlinks lets us identify any broken or redirected external links that may affect credibility or usability.
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