Find and add useful internal links in WordPress

Plan and add useful links between related pages on your WordPress site. Choose a target page, find existing pages that help its readers, use clear link text, and test each link after the pages are public.

• Outcome: SEO delivery
• Tools: WordPress, Web Browser
• Responsible: WordPress editors who can update pages in the Block Editor and want to help readers move between related pages on the same website.
• Estimated time: 35 minutes

Scope

This SOP covers:

• Choose relevant destination pages on the same website for links from a published or draft target page
• Find existing pages that should link to the target, adding those links after the target has a public address
• Write natural, descriptive link text and add it in the WordPress Block Editor
• Save or submit the changes and check each published link on the website

This does not cover:

• Adding links to other websites, site menus, footers, sidebars, or site-wide templates
• Changing page addresses, redirects, page design, or theme-specific page-builder layouts
• Creating new pages or rewriting whole sections just to add a link
• Adding links only to meet a fixed number or improve rankings by a promised amount

Requirements

• WordPress access to edit the target page and relevant source pages in the Block Editor, the standard editor for paragraphs and links. If you cannot publish, a named editor must be able to review and publish your drafts.
• One WordPress target page that you can edit in the Block Editor. It may be a draft or published page. If it is a draft, you or a named editor must be able to publish it before live pages link to it.
• A Google account to make and fill in your own copy of the supplied Link plan spreadsheet.

Related SOPs

• SOP 042: Improve a WordPress page’s headings and body content for SEO

01. Choose the target page

The target is the page you want more readers to reach. A source page is where a link begins; its destination is the page it opens.

1. If you already have a checklist for this page, reuse it. Otherwise, make your own copy of the On-page SEO improvement checklist and open the Link plan tab.

2. Use one row for each link. From URL is the page where it starts; To URL is the page it opens. The other columns record the linked words, placement, reader benefit, and final check.

3. Identify whether the target is published or still a draft.

   1. Open the target in the WordPress editor and read enough to understand what useful information it offers. If it is published, also open its public page as a reader.

   2. If the target is published, copy its public address into the correct From URL or To URL cells.

   3. If the target is a draft, leave its URL cells blank and write “fill after target is published” in Destination check. Never use a Preview or edit address.

02. Find pages that belong together

An outgoing link goes from the target page to another page. An incoming link starts on an existing page and leads to the target.

1. Look for published pages on your website that would help the target page’s reader take a useful next step or understand a related point.

   1. Search the WordPress Pages or Posts list, or your website’s search, using the target topic and likely next questions. Open a candidate page and check its contents, not only its title.

   2. Keep a candidate when it explains a related detail, next step, or term the target page mentions. For example, a tomato-in-pots draft might link from its watering paragraph to a published guide on watering container plants. Use only pages that exist and fit the sentence.

2. Find existing published pages that could naturally send readers to the target.

   1. Search the WordPress Pages and Posts lists, or your website’s search, for pages about the target topic or a closely related question.

   2. Open each likely match. Keep it when a paragraph already discusses a related need and the target answers a natural next question or adds useful detail.

   3. Continue with related title and topic searches until they stop finding new pages with a natural place for the link. If no page fits, add no incoming link.

03. Choose the words and place for each link

A good link prepares readers for what opens when they select it.

1. Choose link wording that describes the destination and makes sense in the source sentence.

   • Resource: Google Search Central link best practices (See why descriptive link text helps people understand where a link leads.)

   1. Choose a few words in the source sentence that accurately describe the destination. Read those words alone: would a reader know what page they will open? Avoid vague text such as “click here” or “read more,” and keep the sentence natural.

   2. Read the whole source sentence and keep it accurate after adding the link. If the page needs a substantial new section, follow the linked guide to improve its headings and body before adding the link.

      • Then follow SOP 042: Improve a WordPress page’s headings and body content for SEO

2. Record one row for each useful link in Link plan.

   1. Enter the source in From URL, the page it opens in To URL, and the exact clickable words in Exact link text. For an outgoing link, the target is the source; for an incoming link, it is the destination.

   2. In Section / context, name the source page’s paragraph or section. In Why it helps the reader, say what useful next step or detail the destination provides.

   3. In Destination check, say what to confirm after the link is live, such as “opens the watering guide.” For a draft target, name who will publish or check it. Add rows in your private copy if you need more space.

3. Use this fictional example to compare the two link directions.

   1. Outgoing: The target page is “Growing tomatoes in pots.” If your site has a watering guide and the tomato page has a natural place for it, plan:

      • From URL: tomato page
      • To URL: watering guide
      • Exact link text: “how to water container plants” If the tomato page is a draft, add the link there and check it after publication.

   2. Incoming: An existing container-gardening page has a paragraph about tomatoes. If the tomato page is public, plan:

      • From URL: container-gardening page
      • To URL: tomato page
      • Exact link text: “growing tomatoes in pots” If the target is a draft, add this link only after it is published.

04. Add the links and check each destination

Add each planned link on the page where it starts. Then follow it on the live website to check its placement and destination.

1. Add each planned outgoing link to the target page.

   • Resource: WordPress Link control documentation (See how to select text, find a page on your site, or enter its full address in the Block Editor.)

   1. Open the target page in WordPress, choose Edit, and find the paragraph named in Section / context. Select only the exact words listed in Exact link text.

   2. Choose the Link control. Search for the destination by page title or paste its full public address from To URL. Choose the matching page and confirm the link.

   3. Preview the target. If you can publish, choose Update or the save control shown. If not, submit it through the site’s review process.

      • Resource: WordPress Link control documentation (See how to select text, find a page on your site, or enter its full address in the Block Editor.)

   4. Send the edit link to the named editor. In Destination check, note any live check due after publication.

2. Add incoming links only after the target page is published at its public address. Until then, keep each useful match in Link plan and name who will complete the edit and live check.

   1. After the target is public, open its page as a reader and copy its public address. Fill that address into any blank target From URL or To URL cells.

   2. Open each source page in From URL in WordPress, choose Edit, and find the paragraph named in Section / context. Select only the exact words in Exact link text.

   3. Choose the Link control. Search for the public target page by title or paste its full public address from To URL. Choose the matching page and confirm the link.

   4. Preview the source page. If you can publish, choose Update or the save control shown. If not, submit it through the site’s review process.

   5. Send the edit link to the named editor. In Destination check, note any live check due after publication.

3. After the target and any changed source pages are public, follow each saved link from its source page and confirm it opens the right destination.

   1. Open each changed, published page. Check that the exact link text appears in the planned Section / context and makes sense in its sentence.

   2. If a changed page is still in review, name its publisher in Destination check. That editor will repeat the placement check after publishing.

   3. Select each live link. Confirm it opens the public address in To URL and that the page provides what the link text promised.

   4. Record the result in Destination check. If the wrong page opens or the link fails, fix it on its source page and test it again.