Internal linking: the architecture that lifts every page

Internal linking is one of the most powerful, and most neglected, SEO techniques available. Unlike backlinks (which you need other sites to give you), you have complete control over your internal link structure. Used strategically, internal links can lift pages that are stuck on page 2 onto page 1 without creating any new content or acquiring any external links. Google has confirmed that internal links help with crawling, indexing, and distributing ranking signals across your site. Yet most Wix sites I audit have virtually no intentional internal linking strategy. Pages are isolated, with no links connecting related content. This lesson teaches you how to build an internal linking architecture that lifts every page on your Wix site.

How Internal Links Pass Authority (PageRank)

Google distributes "link equity" (originally called PageRank) through both internal and external links. Your homepage typically has the most accumulated authority because it receives the most external backlinks and is linked from every page via the navigation. Every internal link from a high-authority page to a lower-authority page transfers some of that authority, helping the linked page rank better.

• Every page on your site has a certain amount of link equity based on the external and internal links it receives.
• When a page links to another page, it passes a portion of its equity through that link.
• Pages linked from the homepage receive more equity than pages buried deep in the site.
• The more internal links a page receives, the more equity it accumulates, and the better it can rank.
• Internal links from within body content pass more equity than navigation or footer links.
• The anchor text of internal links tells Google what the destination page is about, reinforcing its keyword relevance.

The Hub and Spoke Internal Linking Model

The most effective internal linking structure for Wix sites is hub and spoke. Your hub page is a comprehensive piece of content (a service page, category page, or pillar blog post) that links out to multiple spoke pages (location pages, sub-service pages, supporting blog posts). Each spoke page links back to the hub. Related spokes also link to each other.

• Hub pages are your most important, highest-value pages (main service pages, pillar content).
• Spoke pages are supporting content that covers specific aspects of the hub topic in detail.
• Every spoke links back to its hub with keyword-rich anchor text.
• The hub links out to all its spokes within the body content (not just a list at the bottom).
• Related spokes cross-link to each other where the content naturally connects.
• This creates a tightly interconnected topical cluster that Google recognises as comprehensive expertise.

Example Hub and Spoke Structure

HUB: /wix-seo-services (main service page)
  SPOKE: /wix-seo-audit (links to/from hub)
  SPOKE: /wix-technical-seo (links to/from hub)
  SPOKE: /wix-local-seo (links to/from hub)
  SPOKE: /blog/wix-seo-tips (links to/from hub)
  SPOKE: /blog/wix-site-speed-guide (links to/from hub)
  Cross-links: /wix-technical-seo <-> /blog/wix-site-speed-guide
  Cross-links: /wix-local-seo <-> /wix-seo-audit

Contextual Links vs Navigation Links

Not all internal links are equal. Google distinguishes between contextual links (links within the body content of a page) and navigational links (menu, footer, sidebar). Contextual links carry more weight because they are editorially placed within relevant content.

• Contextual links: Links placed within the body text of a page, surrounded by relevant content. These are the most powerful internal links.
• Navigation links: Links in the header menu. Important for site structure and crawling but carry less ranking weight than contextual links.
• Footer links: Links in the footer. Useful for secondary navigation but less powerful than contextual links.
• Sidebar links: Links in blog sidebars or related content sections. Moderate SEO value.
• Priority: Focus on building contextual links FIRST, then optimise navigation and footer links.

Anchor Text for Internal Links

The anchor text (clickable text) of an internal link tells Google what the destination page is about. Unlike external links (where over-optimised anchor text can trigger penalties), internal links are safer to use with keyword-rich anchor text because you control the context.

• Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text: "learn about our Wix SEO audit process" not "click here".
• Vary your anchor text across different pages linking to the same destination. Do not use identical anchor text on every link.
• Make anchor text natural within the sentence. It should read as part of the content, not as an inserted keyword.
• Use 2-5 word phrases. Single words are too vague. Full sentences are too long.
• Internal anchor text can be more keyword-focused than external anchor text without risk of penalty.

Finding Orphan Pages (Pages With No Internal Links)

Orphan pages are pages on your Wix site that have zero internal links pointing to them. Google has difficulty finding and indexing orphan pages because Googlebot discovers pages by following links. If no internal link points to a page, Googlebot may only find it through the sitemap (if at all).

How to find and fix orphan pages

• Use Screaming Frog (free up to 500 URLs) to crawl your Wix site
• Check the "Inlinks" column for each URL. Pages with zero or one internal link are effectively orphaned.
• For each orphan page, add internal links from at least 3 relevant pages
• If the orphan page is no longer needed, redirect it to a relevant page or delete it
• Re-crawl after adding links to verify the orphan pages now have sufficient internal links

Internal Linking Strategies for Wix

Strategy 1: Related Content Sections

Add a "Related Services" or "Related Posts" section at the bottom of every page. Wix Blog has a built-in "Related Posts" feature that automatically shows related blog posts. For service pages, manually add links to 3-5 related pages.

Strategy 2: Contextual Mentions

Every time you mention a topic that you have a dedicated page for, link to that page. If a blog post mentions "technical SEO", link those words to your technical SEO service page. This is the most natural and effective form of internal linking.

Strategy 3: Blog-to-Service Bridging

Every blog post should link to at least one relevant service page. This creates a bridge between informational content (which builds traffic and authority) and transactional content (which generates revenue). A blog post about "how to improve Wix site speed" should link to your "Wix Site Speed Optimisation" service page.

Strategy 4: New Content Linking Protocol

Every time you publish a new page or blog post, follow this protocol: add 3-5 internal links FROM the new content TO existing relevant pages, AND go back to 3-5 existing pages and add links TO the new content. This ensures every new page is immediately connected to the existing link structure.

How Many Internal Links Per Page?

• Minimum: Every page should have at least 3 internal links pointing to it and contain at least 3 internal links to other pages.
• Service pages: 5-10 outgoing internal links to related services, blog posts, and case studies.
• Blog posts: 3-7 outgoing internal links. At least 1 to a service page, 2-3 to related blog posts.
• Homepage: Links to all main category/service pages via the body content (not just navigation).
• There is no strict maximum, but links should be relevant and useful. A page with 100 internal links where most are irrelevant will dilute the value of each link.

Auditing Your Internal Link Structure

How to run an internal link audit

• Crawl your site with Screaming Frog and export the internal links report
• Identify pages with fewer than 3 incoming internal links (underlinked)
• Identify pages with zero outgoing internal links (dead ends)
• Check that your most important pages (services, pillar content) have the most internal links pointing to them
• Verify all internal links work (no 404 errors)
• Check anchor text distribution for your key pages
• Fix underlinked pages by adding links from relevant existing content
• Fix dead-end pages by adding outgoing links to related content
• Add Related Content sections to pages that lack them

Complete How-To Guide: Building an Internal Linking Strategy for Your Wix Site

Follow these steps to build a comprehensive internal linking strategy

• Map your site hierarchy: homepage at top, main categories in the middle, individual pages at the bottom. Visualise this as a tree structure.
• Identify your 5-10 most important pillar pages (services, key guides, main category pages). These should receive the most internal links.
• Crawl your site with Screaming Frog and export the internal links report. Note the number of incoming links for each page.
• Identify orphan pages (zero or one incoming link) and underlinked pages (fewer than 3 incoming links).
• Open each content page in the Wix Editor and add 3-5 contextual links to relevant pillar pages using keyword-rich anchor text.
• From each pillar page, add contextual links to all related supporting pages within the body content.
• Ensure the homepage links to every main category or service page within the body content (not just the navigation).
• Add "Related Services" or "Related Posts" sections at the bottom of every page that lacks them.
• For every new piece of content published, add 3-5 links TO existing pages and go back to 3-5 existing pages to add links TO the new content.
• Vary anchor text across different pages linking to the same destination. Do not use identical text every time.
• Update the footer with links to important pages that are not in the main navigation.
• Re-crawl your site after implementing changes to verify all links work with no 404 errors.
• Run the audit quarterly and after every major content addition.