Internal Linking for Small Sites: A Realistic Strategy

Internal linking advice often assumes large sites with hundreds of pages. For small sites with 20-50 articles, the strategies differ significantly. You have fewer pages to link between, limited topical clusters, and every internal link matters more. This guide provides a realistic internal linking strategy specifically for small publisher sites, focusing on what works when you cannot build extensive topic silos.

I. Why Internal Linking Matters More for Small Sites

Internal links serve multiple purposes, and their importance increases when you have fewer total pages.

A. Discovery and Crawling

• Help search engines find pages: Every page needs links pointing to it. Orphan pages (no internal links) may not get crawled or indexed.
• Establish hierarchy: Pages linked from many places appear more important than pages with few links.
• Fresh content discovery: Links from existing pages help search engines discover new content faster.

B. Authority Distribution

• Link equity flow: Pages pass authority to pages they link to. Strategic linking concentrates authority on important pages.
• Homepage authority: Your homepage typically has the most authority. Pages linked directly from homepage benefit.
• Deep page authority: Pages only accessible through multiple clicks receive less authority.

C. User Experience

• Keep visitors engaged: Relevant internal links encourage visitors to read more content.
• Answer follow-up questions: Link to content that addresses the logical next question a reader might have.
• Reduce bounce rate: Visitors who click internal links are engaged rather than immediately leaving.

II. Small Site Linking Principles

A. Quality Over Quantity

• Relevance requirement: Only link when the destination genuinely helps the reader. Forced links feel spammy.
• Context integration: Links should flow naturally within content, not appear as disconnected lists.
• Visitor perspective: Would a reader actually want to click this link at this point? If not, reconsider.

B. The 2-3 Link Minimum

Every article should contain at least 2-3 internal links to other relevant content.

• If you have no relevant pages: This signals a content gap. Plan articles that would fill the gap.
• If everything is relevant: Choose the most helpful connections rather than linking to everything.
• New article process: Before publishing, identify which existing pages to link to and which existing pages should link to the new article.

C. Cornerstone Content Strategy

Even small sites benefit from identifying 3-5 cornerstone pages that receive the most internal links.

• What are cornerstones: Your most comprehensive, important articles that cover core topics in depth.
• Link concentration: Many articles should link to cornerstones. Cornerstones link out to related specific articles.
• Priority for ranking: Cornerstones are the pages you most want to rank. Concentrated links help them compete.

III. Practical Linking Techniques

A. Contextual Body Links

• Natural integration: Mention related concepts and link naturally. "We covered WordPress installation in our [previous guide]."
• Descriptive anchors: Use anchor text that describes the destination. "Learn about image optimization" beats "click here."
• Placement variety: Distribute links throughout the article, not just intro or conclusion.

B. Related Reading Sections

• Manual curation: Hand-pick 2-3 related articles rather than relying on automated "related posts" plugins.
• Brief descriptions: Add one-line descriptions explaining why each article is relevant.
• Placement: After the conclusion works well. Does not interrupt content flow.

C. Navigation and Category Links

• Category pages: Ensure every article links to its category archive page.
• Breadcrumbs: Implement breadcrumb navigation showing hierarchy path.
• Footer links: Include links to cornerstone content or popular articles in footer.

IV. Building Links as You Publish

A. Pre-Publication Checklist

• Find linking opportunities: Before publishing, search your site for mentions of the new topic. Add links from those pages.
• Choose outgoing links: Identify 2-3 existing articles the new piece should link to.
• Update cornerstone pages: If the new article relates to a cornerstone, add a link from the cornerstone.

B. Post-Publication Updates

• Immediate linking: After publishing, update 2-3 existing relevant articles to link to the new one.
• Track opportunities: Keep a list of planned articles. When publishing fills a gap, update the linking strategy.

V. Anchor Text Best Practices

• Be descriptive: Anchor text should indicate what the linked page is about.
• Vary anchors: Do not use identical anchor text for every link to the same page. Natural variation is expected.
• Avoid generic text: "Click here," "read more," and "this article" waste an opportunity to describe the destination.
• Include keywords naturally: Anchor text can include target keywords but should read naturally.
• Match expectations: Anchor text should accurately represent what the reader will find. Misleading anchors frustrate users.

VI. Auditing Existing Internal Links

A. Find Orphan Pages

• Site crawl: Use Screaming Frog or similar to identify pages with zero internal links pointing to them.
• Fix immediately: Orphan pages cannot rank well. Find or create relevant pages to link from.

B. Identify Weak Pages

• Low link count: Pages with only 1-2 incoming internal links may need more.
• Important pages especially: Pages you want to rank should have proportionally more internal links.

C. Check for Broken Links

• Regular audits: Run monthly checks for broken internal links.
• Update or remove: Fix links to deleted or moved pages promptly.

VII. Common Small Site Mistakes

• Over-relying on navigation: Menu and sidebar links are not enough. Contextual body links matter more.
• Ignoring new content: Publishing without linking from existing pages leaves new articles isolated.
• Excessive linking: Too many links dilute each individual link's value. 3-7 internal links per article is usually appropriate.
• Same anchor text everywhere: Exact-match anchor text for every link looks manipulative.
• Linking only from navigation: Footers and sidebars provide less contextual relevance than in-content links.

VIII. Conclusion

Internal linking for small sites requires intentional effort with every piece of content. Without hundreds of pages, you cannot rely on volume—each link matters. Establish cornerstone pages that receive concentrated linking, ensure every article links to 2-3 relevant pages, and update existing content to link to new articles when published. Regular audits catch orphan pages and broken links before they harm SEO. The discipline of thoughtful internal linking pays compounding returns as your site grows, establishing clear topic relationships that benefit both search engines and readers.

How do you approach internal linking on your small site? Share your strategies!