How to Add and Manage Internal Links in WordPress

TL;DR:

• In WordPress, you can manually add internal links by highlighting text, clicking the link icon, and searching for the page to link.
• There are also plugins available, such as All in One SEO, Rank Math, and Link Whisper, that assist with internal linking in WordPress.
• Keeping track of internal links in a spreadsheet can be overwhelming, but tools like Letterdrop can automate the process.
• Best practices for internal linking include linking to relevant pages, using descriptive anchor text, and regularly checking for broken links.

Your WordPress site is up and running, and you've started pushing out some killer content. But without relevant internal links, you're not sending users (or Google) to your high-value content.

There's more to an internal linking strategy than just adding links, though — which is why we're here with this guide to show you some best internal linking practices to boost your SEO.

You don't want to lose out on conversions. It's time to get internal linking.

Why Are Internal Links Important for SEO?

Internal links connect pages on your website to other relevant pages on your website, creating a sort of pathway through all of your content. They're incredibly important for your SEO rankings for two reasons:

1. They can help guide users down the conversion funnel by offering them relevant information. They're more likely to spend longer on your site and interact with high-conversion pages.
2. They help search engines crawl and prioritize your content. Google uses these links to understand your content, how your pages relate to one another, and its overall topical authority.

Internal links are arguably one of the easiest ways to improve SEO, especially since they're in your control. Backlinks, on the other hand, are totally dependent on third parties endorsing you.

Neglecting internal links can seriously hurt your site — users are more likely to bounce, and you leave Google in the dark.

How to Add Internal Links in WordPress Manually

Before you start looking for pages on your site to link out to, you need to understand:

• What your current page is about
• What topics you're covering on that page
• What keywords you're covering on that page

After you're clear on that, you can start looking for your best pages relating to that specific topic or keyword.

Finding and Adding Internal Links to WordPress Manually

You can add internal links directly in the WordPress editor. Here's how:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Posts → All Posts.

‎2. Click "Edit" on the post you want to add internal links to.

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3. Highlight the text you want to add a link to (which is also referred to as "anchor text.") Click on the link icon.

4. From here, you can search for the page you want to link in the search bar and auto-add it.

5. Once you're done, make sure to publish or update the post.

You'll Need to Keep Track of Internal Links on a Spreadsheet

Taking this approach on WordPress means you'll have to manually search for and keep track of all your internal links in a spreadsheet. Lots of companies do this, but it can quickly become overwhelming, and it's easy to forget to update it.

Here's an example of what an internal linking spreadsheet might look like. Remember, you'd have to populate the entire sheet with every possible linking opportunity you've used and haven't used.

Finding and Adding Internal Links to WordPress Automatically with Letterdrop

Manually searching for (and trying to remember) relevant internal links can be a little frustrating, but luckily, there's a way around it.

Letterdrop integrates seamlessly with WordPress, acting like a headless CMS that automatically pushes content to your WordPress site (and any other site you can think of.)

What's more, Letterdrop uses LLMs and a GPT engine that actually understands the different pages on your site, categorizes them, and makes internal linking suggestions for you. It can go on related phrases as well as target keywords. This is what sets it apart from WordPress linking plugins like Link Whisper.

From there:

• The software suggests relevant internal links as you write in the editor. You can add them automatically in just one click.
• It also lets you automatically publish internal link suggestions in bulk across your entire site.

Here's what it looks like in action:

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It's also easy for you to find specific keywords and replace or hyperlink them in bulk with the Find and Replace feature. This is super useful for your internal link-building strategy and saves you from more manual searching.

Finding and Adding Internal Links to WordPress with Plugins

There are a couple of plugins that you can use for your internal linking in WordPress. Here are three popular choices:

1. All in One SEO – Link Assistant:

• All in One SEO's (AIOSEO) Link Assistant feature provides insights into internal, outbound, and affiliate links for each post and page.
• The plugin offers smart internal link suggestions based on your existing content, which you can add in one click.
• Notable Con: The suggestions are primarily based on keywords alone, which can lead to a lot of irrelevant suggestions when the AI misses out on context.

2. Rank Math:

• This plugin quickly scans your website for links and provides you with suggestions for adding internal links.
• You can copy and paste the recommended link into the WordPress editor.
• Notable Con: There's no auto-add option, which means adding links is manual.

3. Link Whisper:

• Link Whisper is a premium WordPress plugin that suggests and auto-adds internal links directly in the WordPress editor.
• It's easy for you to customize these suggestions and choose what to include and exclude.
• Notable Con: Only the premium version can help you auto-add internal links, and even then, the AI doesn't semantically understand your content. This can lead to lots of irrelevant or unhelpful suggestions.‎

How to Install Plugins in WordPress

If you find an internal linking plugin you like, you install it in two simple steps:

1. In your WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins → Add New

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2. Search your plugin in the search bar and install it.

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From there, you just navigate to the post you want to add links to and you should find your plugin's options if you scroll down.

Internal Linking Best Practices

Now you know how to add internal links to WordPress and why. But how do you make sure you're using them properly?

It's only too easy to end up with broken links or lose leads because you're not linking to the right pages.

Here are some suggestions for putting internal links into practice, the right way.

1. Link to relevant pages relating to the original search intent. Remember, you're trying to help your user. If your article is about employee advocacy, don't link to another article about setting up a PPC campaign.
2. Aim for three-five internal links per post. You want to have a healthy amount of links in each of your articles — not so little that it's near impossible for Google to crawl your site, and not so many that your page becomes spammy.
3. Make sure that the anchor text you use is relevant to the page you're linking to in some way. Avoid using "this link" or "here" when you're referring your reader to relevant pages. This doesn't give Google any information. Make it as easy as possible for search engines to understand your content to stand a chance of high rankings.
4. Try and direct visitors to a high conversion page. If you know what pages generally get readers to book a demo or subscribe to your newsletter, try directing them there — if it's still relevant to search intent.
5. Watch out for broken links and do regular updates. A broken URL can lead to an error 404 page, which is a total roadblock for your prospects. Luckily, Letterdrop has a Link Health feature that automatically alerts you to broken links and redirects and can automatically fix them.

Make it Easy for Google and Users to Navigate Your WordPress Site

It can be frustrating for your users if they can't find what they're looking for. Don't leave them (or Google) in the dark and your conversions up to chance.

Internal linking is just one of the many ways you can improve your SEO rankings — and automate them with a tool like Letterdrop. We are actively thinking about the future of SEO and are happy to help you streamline your content ops, the right way.