Internal Linking Architecture

Internal linking architecture is the strategic pattern of how your pages link to each other within your site. It's the connective tissue that tells both search engines and AI systems:

- Which pages are most important (more internal links = higher importance) - How topics relate to each other (linked pages are contextually connected) - What your site's content hierarchy looks like (hub pages vs. detail pages) - How to navigate from general topics to specific content

A strong internal linking architecture includes: - Hub pages that link to all related content on a topic - Contextual links within article body text - "Related content" sections at the end of articles - Breadcrumb navigation showing content hierarchy - Cross-references between related products, articles, and categories

When AI systems crawl your site, internal links are the primary way they discover and contextualize your content:

- **Content Discovery**: AI crawlers follow internal links to find pages. Orphaned pages (no internal links pointing to them) may never be crawled. - **Topic Authority**: A hub page linking to 20 related articles signals deep expertise in that topic. AI systems recognize this pattern. - **Contextual Understanding**: When an article about "original pressings" links to articles about "deadwax identification" and "vinyl grading," AI understands these topics are related. - **Breadcrumbs**: BreadcrumbList schema helps AI understand where a page fits in your site hierarchy. - **Content Silos**: Related content grouped and linked together creates topical authority that AI systems respect.

**1. Create topic hub pages** ``` /guides/jazz-vinyl (hub page) ├── /blog/miles-davis-vinyl-guide (linked from hub) ├── /blog/blue-note-records-history (linked from hub) ├── /blog/jazz-pressing-identification (linked from hub) └── /collections/jazz (linked from hub) ```

**2. Add contextual links in article body** Link key terms to relevant internal pages naturally within your content. Aim for 3-5 internal links per 1,000 words.

**3. Add "Related Articles" sections** ```html <section> <h3>Related Articles</h3> <ul> <li><a href="/blog/original-pressing-guide">How to Identify Original Pressings</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/deadwax-reading">Understanding Deadwax & Matrix Numbers</a></li> <li><a href="/blog/vinyl-grading">The Complete Vinyl Grading Guide</a></li> </ul> </section> ```

**4. Implement breadcrumb navigation** ```json { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://example.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Blog", "item": "https://example.com/blog" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Jazz Vinyl Guide" } ] } ```

**5. Link between content types** Products should link to related articles. Articles should link to related products. Collections should link to educational content. Create a web, not silos.

- No cross-references between blog articles — each article exists in isolation - Missing breadcrumb navigation (both visual and schema) - Blog/content section disconnected from main site navigation - Relying solely on category/tag pages instead of curated hub pages - Not linking from new content to older related content (and vice versa) - Homepage that doesn't link to key content areas

- Google Search Central: Links best practices - Ahrefs/Moz — Internal linking strategy guides - Schema.org BreadcrumbList type reference