Internal linking connects pages within your own domain. When you link from your homepage to a service page, or from a blog post to a product, you're creating an internal link. These links use anchor text (the clickable words) to tell both users and search engines what the destination page is about. Internal links serve three core functions. First, they create crawl paths so Google can discover and index your pages—without internal links pointing to a page, crawlers may never find it. Second, they distribute PageRank (link equity) throughout your site, letting you channel authority from high-traffic pages to the ones you want to rank. Third, they guide users to related content, lowering bounce rates and increasing time on site. The anchor text matters significantly. Instead of generic "click here" links, use descriptive phrases that contain your target keywords. If you're linking to a page about commercial roofing in Ottawa, anchor text like "commercial roofing services" is far more valuable than "learn more." Google uses this text as a relevancy signal. At Ottawa SEO, we typically aim for 2–5 contextual internal links per page, prioritizing links from high-authority pages to important conversion pages. We avoid over-optimization (stuffing dozens of keyword-exact anchors to one page) because it looks manipulative. We also maintain a logical hierarchy: cornerstone content gets the most internal links, supporting articles link up to pillars, and everything connects back through breadcrumbs and navigation. Common mistakes include orphan pages (zero internal links pointing to them), broken internal links after URL changes, and linking exclusively from footers or sidebars instead of within main content. The links that carry the most weight appear in your body copy, early in the document, surrounded by relevant context. Footer links still count, but they pass less authority than editorial links. Internal linking is one of the few ranking factors you control completely. Use it deliberately.