External backlinks are hard to earn; internal links are free, entirely yours, and most sites waste them. Every internal link does two jobs: it walks visitors deeper, and it tells Google which pages matter and what they’re about.
The two rules that carry it
Anchor text says what’s behind the door. “Click here” teaches Google nothing; “wedding photography prices” teaches it exactly what the target page should rank for. Important pages get the most links. Google reads your linking pattern as a map of what you value — if your money page has one menu link and your 2019 news post has thirty, the map lies.
The orphan problem
Pages no internal link points to — orphans — get found late, ranked reluctantly, and visited never. New service pages are the classic orphans: published, announced nowhere on the site itself.
The practical habit
Every new post links to 2–3 relevant service pages (notice this one doing it); every service page links to its proof — cases, prices, contact. Ten minutes per publish, compounding forever — the cheapest SEO work that exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
They tell Google which pages matter and what they're about — a map of value you fully control.
Words describing the target — 'wedding photography prices', never 'click here'.
A page nothing links to — found late, ranked reluctantly, visited never; new service pages are classic victims.
Two or three relevant ones feel natural — linking everything dilutes the signal.
Equally — they walk readers from interest to service to action, which is the site's whole job.
To their proof — case studies, prices and contact — completing the path a customer walks.

