Internal links are one of the most controllable parts of technical and content SEO. They help users move through your site, distribute authority to important pages, and give search engines clearer signals about page relationships. Ahrefs can make this process more systematic by showing where your pages lack links, which pages have authority to pass, and what anchor text may be relevant.
TLDR: Use Ahrefs to find internal link opportunities by auditing your site, identifying underlinked pages, and matching them with relevant pages that already have traffic or backlinks. The most useful tools are Site Audit, Site Explorer, Best by links, Top pages, and the Internal link opportunities report. Prioritize links that are contextually relevant, useful to readers, and point toward commercially or strategically important pages.
Why Internal Links Matter
Internal links are not just navigation elements. They are signals that help search engines understand which pages are important and how topics are connected across your website. A page with no internal links, or very few, is harder for search engines to discover and may struggle to rank even if its content is strong.
Good internal linking also improves the user journey. If someone reads a guide on keyword research, it is reasonable to link them to related pages about SEO tools, search intent, or content optimization. This keeps visitors engaged and helps them reach pages that support your business goals.
The objective is not to add as many links as possible. The goal is to create relevant pathways between pages that genuinely belong together.
Start with a Site Audit in Ahrefs
The best place to begin is the Site Audit tool. After crawling your website, Ahrefs provides reports on technical issues, crawlability, indexability, and internal linking. If you already have a project set up, open the project and go to Site Audit. If not, create a new project and allow Ahrefs to crawl your site.
Once the crawl is complete, review the internal linking reports. Pay close attention to pages with very few incoming internal links. These are often pages that exist on the site but are not well integrated into the overall structure.
- Orphan pages: Pages with no internal links pointing to them.
- Low internal link count: Pages that receive only one or two internal links.
- Deep pages: Pages that require too many clicks from the homepage.
- Broken internal links: Links pointing to pages that no longer exist or return errors.
Fixing broken and orphaned pages should be a priority. However, do not automatically link to every orphan page. First, confirm that the page is indexable, useful, up to date, and aligned with your SEO strategy.
Use the Internal Link Opportunities Report
Ahrefs includes an Internal link opportunities report inside Site Audit. This report is especially useful because it suggests pages where a keyword is mentioned but not yet linked to a relevant target page. In practical terms, it helps you find places where a natural internal link may already make sense.
For example, if your site has a page about “technical SEO” and another article mentions that phrase without linking to the technical SEO guide, Ahrefs may flag it as an opportunity. This saves time because you do not have to manually search your entire site for every possible mention.
When reviewing these suggestions, apply editorial judgment. A suggested link is not automatically a good link. Ask:
- Does the source page make sense as a place to recommend the target page?
- Will the link help the reader continue learning or complete a task?
- Is the anchor text natural and not overly optimized?
- Is the target page important enough to receive more internal links?
If the answer to these questions is yes, the link is likely worth adding.
Find Strong Source Pages with Site Explorer
Not all internal links carry the same potential value. A link from a strong, frequently visited, or highly linked page can be more impactful than a link from a weak page buried deep in the site. To identify valuable source pages, use Site Explorer.
Enter your domain into Site Explorer, then review the Best by links report. This shows pages on your website that have attracted the most backlinks. These pages often have more authority to pass through internal links. If one of these pages is topically relevant to another important page, it may be a strong internal linking opportunity.
You should also review the Top pages report. This shows which pages receive organic search traffic. Pages with consistent traffic can drive users toward important resources, product pages, lead generation pages, or supporting content.
For example, suppose a blog post receives steady organic traffic for informational queries. If it naturally relates to a service page, category page, or detailed guide, adding a relevant internal link can help both users and search engines discover that destination more easily.
Identify Pages That Need More Support
After finding strong source pages, identify target pages that need more internal links. These may include high-value commercial pages, underperforming articles, newly published content, or pages ranking on the second page of Google.
In Ahrefs, use Site Explorer and check Organic keywords for important URLs. Look for pages ranking in positions 5 to 20 for valuable keywords. These pages may already have some traction, but stronger internal linking could help improve their visibility.
You can also export your important URLs and compare them against internal link counts from Site Audit. Pages with commercial value, search potential, and low internal link support should be prioritized.
Search for Contextual Mentions
Another effective method is to search your own site for mentions of relevant terms. Ahrefs can help with this through Site Audit and the internal opportunities report, but you can also combine Ahrefs data with manual review.
Make a list of target pages and their primary topics. Then look for pages that already discuss related concepts. For each target page, identify phrases that could serve as natural anchors.
- For a page about link building, search for mentions of “backlinks,” “authority,” or “outreach.”
- For a page about content strategy, search for “editorial calendar,” “search intent,” or “topic clusters.”
- For a product page, search for problem based phrases that the product helps solve.
Context matters more than exact-match anchor text. It is usually better to use a natural phrase that fits the sentence than to force a keyword-heavy anchor.
Improve Existing Content Clusters
Internal linking works best when it supports a clear site architecture. If your website has topic clusters, Ahrefs can help you strengthen them. A topic cluster usually includes a broad pillar page and several supporting articles. Each supporting article should link back to the pillar page, and the pillar page should link to the most important supporting resources.
Use Ahrefs to identify all pages ranking for related keywords. Then check whether they are linked together logically. If several articles cover similar themes but do not link to one another, you may be missing an opportunity to build topical relevance.
Image not found in postmeta
Check Anchor Text and Avoid Over Optimization
Internal anchor text is useful because it tells users and search engines what the linked page is about. However, excessive exact-match anchors can look unnatural and may reduce the quality of the reading experience.
Use varied, descriptive anchors. Instead of linking the phrase “best CRM software” every time, you might use “compare CRM platforms,” “choose the right CRM,” or “our CRM evaluation guide,” depending on the context. The anchor should accurately describe the destination and fit the surrounding text.
Ahrefs can help you review internal anchors and identify patterns. If many internal links use the same keyword phrase, consider diversifying future links.
Prioritize Opportunities Before Editing
Large websites can generate hundreds or thousands of internal link suggestions. To avoid wasting time, prioritize opportunities based on potential impact.
- Fix technical problems first: Broken internal links, redirect chains, and orphan pages should be reviewed early.
- Support high-value pages: Focus on pages tied to revenue, leads, or strategic visibility.
- Use strong source pages: Add links from pages with backlinks, traffic, or high topical relevance.
- Favor contextual links: Links inside the main content are usually more meaningful than generic footer or sidebar links.
- Review results: Track rankings, traffic, and crawl behavior after implementation.
Measure the Impact
After updating internal links, allow time for search engines to recrawl your pages. Then monitor performance in Ahrefs. Review whether target pages gain more organic keywords, improved rankings, or increased traffic. You can also rerun Site Audit to confirm that internal link counts and crawl depth have improved.
Internal linking is not a one-time task. New content should be linked from relevant older pages, and older content should be updated to link to new important resources. A quarterly internal link review is a practical routine for many websites.
Final Thoughts
Ahrefs gives you the data needed to make internal linking decisions with more confidence. Use Site Audit to uncover structural issues, Internal link opportunities to find contextual suggestions, and Site Explorer to identify strong source pages. Then apply human judgment to ensure every link is useful, relevant, and naturally placed.
When done carefully, internal linking can improve discoverability, strengthen topical authority, and guide users toward the pages that matter most. The key is to treat internal links as part of your site’s editorial and technical foundation, not as a quick optimization trick.
