How Should You Link Pages Together on Your Business Website?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 16, 2026

The short answer

Internal links are links from one page on your site to another. Link related pages together with short, plain link text that says where the link goes, like “water heater repair” instead of “click here.” Make sure every page you care about has at least one link pointing to it, and connect your service, location, proof, and contact pages so a visitor is always one click from the next step.

What this means

Every time you link from one of your pages to another, you do two things. You give the visitor a path to related information. And you help search engines find and understand that page. Google says most new pages it finds each day are found through links.

The clickable words in a link are called anchor text. Google says it uses those words to understand what the linked page is about.

Say Summit Heating and Air has these pages: furnace repair, furnace installation, a page for each town it serves, a project gallery, and a contact page. Good internal links look like this:

The furnace repair page links to furnace installation, with text like “when it’s time to replace your furnace.”
Each town page links to the service pages offered there.
The project gallery links each photo to the service it shows.
Every service page links to the contact page or estimate page.

Why it matters

Pages without links can get lost. Google says every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site. Visitors can’t reach a page that nothing links to.
Vague link text wastes a clue. “Click here” and “read more” tell nobody what’s on the other side. Google lists these as text to avoid.
Visitors get stuck. If a location page doesn’t link to your services or contact page, the visitor has to hunt. Many won’t.
Too many links blur the message. Google says there’s no perfect number, but if a page feels crowded with links, it probably is.

Who this applies to

Every business website with more than a handful of pages. It matters most if you have several services, serve several towns, or publish articles that could send readers to your service pages.

How to do it

Make a list of your key pages: home, each service, each location, proof or reviews, about, and contact.
For each service page, decide which pages a customer would want next. Usually that’s related services, the towns you serve for it, proof, and contact.
Add links inside the body text where they fit naturally. Menus and footers count, but links in the text carry more context.
Write link text that makes sense alone. “See our drain cleaning service” is clear. “Here” is not. Keep it short.
Don’t stuff keywords into link text. Google says that can break its spam policies.
Use standard links. Google can reliably follow links built as a normal HyperText Markup Language (HTML) link, which is an “a” tag with an “href” address. HTML is the code web pages are built with. Buttons that only work with scripts may not be followed. Ask your developer if you’re not sure.
When an image is a link, give it alt text that describes where it goes. Google uses the alt text as the link text.
Check for orphan pages, meaning pages with no internal links pointing to them. Google Search Console’s Links report shows your top linked pages. Pages missing from that list may need links.
Every time you add a new page, add at least one link to it from a related page.
When you remove or rename a page, update the links pointing to it (see 19.5.6 Broken Links and Redirects).

What proof to keep

A spreadsheet or simple map of your key pages and which pages link to each
A screenshot of the Search Console Links report
Notes on any orphan pages you found and fixed, with dates

Keep these in your website records folder.

Common mistakes

“Click here” everywhere. Use the name of the page or service instead.
Linking every mention of a word. Five links to the same page in one paragraph helps no one.
Location pages that dead-end. Each town page should lead to services and contact.
Blog posts that never mention your services. If an article is about a problem you fix, link to the service page.
Links that point to old addresses. After a rebuild, menus often still point to old pages that now redirect or break.
Adding nofollow to your own links. Google suggests using nofollow for links you don’t trust, such as paid links or links users add. It isn’t meant for your own pages.

When to get help from a pro

A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist: if your site has many pages and some important ones get no search traffic. Questions to ask:

Which of my important pages have few or no internal links?
Are any of my links built in a way Google can’t follow?

Your web developer: if menus or buttons are built with scripts instead of standard links.

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short story or lesson here. For example, a client page that sat unfound until it got linked from the home page, or how you plan the links between SiteSmarty’s service and location pages.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty builds websites with service, location, proof, and contact pages linked together.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: how I mapped and added links between SiteSmarty’s pages]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: SiteSmarty’s link map and the Search Console Links report]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

What is anchor text? The clickable words in a link. They should say what the linked page is about.

Should I use “click here” for links? No. Google recommends link text that makes sense on its own.

How many internal links should a page have? There’s no set number. Link where it helps the reader, and trim if a page feels crowded.

Do links in menus count? Yes. Links inside the body text add more context about why the pages are related.

How do I find pages with no links pointing to them? Compare your page list to the Links report in Google Search Console, or use a site crawler tool.

Audit check

Question: Are the service, location, proof, and contact pages linked together with clear link text, and does every key page have at least one internal link?
Pass looks like: Each service page links to related services, locations, proof, and contact. Each location page links to its services and contact. Link text names the destination. No orphan pages.
Fail looks like: “Click here” links, dead-end location pages, orphan pages, links built with scripts that can’t be followed, or links to removed pages.
Evidence to collect: The link map spreadsheet and the Search Console Links report.

Where this fits

Do this first: 13.3.3 Website Navigation, 13.3.4 Service Architecture, 19.4.5 Page Structure

Do this next: 19.4.8 Calls to Action

Sources

Google Search Central, "Link best practices for Google" (checked October 16, 2026)
Google Search Central, "SEO Starter Guide" (checked October 16, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.