Internal linking is one of the most underutilized SEO levers for Shopify stores. A well-planned internal link structure helps Google understand your site, distributes page authority, and guides shoppers from content to checkout.
40%
Of ranking power comes from internal links
3-5
Internal links recommended per blog post
2x
More pages indexed with proper linking
Internal links are one of the few SEO factors you have complete control over. Here is why they are critical for your store.
Internal links pass SEO value from one page to another. Your homepage and top-performing pages have the most authority. Linking from these pages to product and collection pages transfers that authority, helping them rank higher.
Google discovers pages by following links. If a product or blog post has no internal links pointing to it, Google may never find or index it. A strong internal link structure ensures every important page is discoverable.
Internal links keep visitors on your site longer by guiding them to related content. A shopper reading a blog post about skincare routines can click through to the products mentioned, increasing time on site and conversion probability.
When visitors find relevant linked content, they explore more pages instead of leaving. This signals to Google that your site provides value, which can positively influence rankings.
Your Shopify store uses several types of internal links, each serving a different purpose for SEO and user experience.
Links in your header menu, footer menu, and sidebar navigation. These are your most powerful internal links because they appear on every page.
Examples:
Best Practices:
Links placed within the body of blog posts, product descriptions, and page content. These are highly valuable for SEO because they provide context about the linked page.
Examples:
Best Practices:
Product recommendations shown on product pages, usually as "You may also like" or "Customers also bought" sections. These create a web of connections between products.
Examples:
Best Practices:
The hierarchical navigation trail shown at the top of pages (e.g., Home > Women > Dresses > Floral Maxi Dress). Breadcrumbs reinforce your site structure for both users and search engines.
Examples:
Best Practices:
The most powerful internal linking opportunity for Shopify stores is connecting blog content to product pages. Here is how to do it effectively.
Create blog posts that naturally lead to your products. "How to Choose the Right Running Shoe" naturally leads to linking your running shoe products.
Don't just link generically. Name specific products: "Our TrailMaster Pro Running Shoes feature the arch support recommended by podiatrists."
Use product names or benefit-focused phrases as anchor text. "Shop the TrailMaster Pro" is better than "click here to buy."
Add a curated product section within or at the end of blog posts. This creates additional product links and drives traffic from content to commerce.
Product pages should link to buying guides, how-to articles, and comparison posts. This helps customers make informed decisions and creates bidirectional linking.
When you launch new products, go back to relevant existing blog posts and add links. This keeps your content fresh and creates instant internal links to new pages.
The hub-and-spoke model is the most effective internal linking strategy for Shopify blogs. A "hub" page covers a broad topic comprehensively, while "spoke" pages dive deep into specific subtopics. All spoke pages link back to the hub, and the hub links out to all spokes.
Complete Guide to Shopify SEO (hub page)
Links to and from all spoke pages
Shopify Product Title SEO (spoke)
Shopify Meta Tags Guide (spoke)
Shopify Image Optimization (spoke)
Shopify Schema Markup (spoke)
Shopify Internal Linking (spoke)
Shopify Alt Text Guide (spoke)
Benefits of Hub-and-Spoke:
The words you use as clickable link text (anchor text) matter for SEO. Here is how to get it right.
Anchor text tells Google what the linked page is about. Descriptive anchors improve the target page's relevance for those keywords.
Check out our complete guide to Shopify image optimization
Click here for more information
Using the exact same anchor text repeatedly looks manipulative. Natural variation signals authentic, helpful content.
Using "running shoes for flat feet," "best shoes for flat arches," and "flat feet running shoe guide"
Using "running shoes" as anchor text on every single link to the same page
Mismatched anchors confuse search engines and frustrate users who expect to land on relevant content.
Linking "organic skincare products" to your organic skincare collection page
Linking "organic skincare products" to your homepage
Generic anchors waste an opportunity to tell Google what the linked page is about. Be specific about the destination.
Browse our collection of leather wallets
Read more, Click here, Learn more, This page
Pages with zero internal links are essentially invisible to search engines. Even if they have great content, Google may never discover or rank them.
Fix: Audit your site for orphan pages using tools like Screaming Frog or Ahrefs. Add at least 2-3 internal links to every important page.
Cramming dozens of internal links into a single page dilutes the SEO value passed to each link and creates a poor user experience.
Fix: Keep contextual links to 3-5 per blog post or page section. Navigation links are separate and do not count toward this limit.
Relying solely on menu links means your product and collection pages miss out on contextual link equity from blog content.
Fix: Build a content marketing strategy that creates blog posts linking to products. Contextual links carry more topical relevance than navigation links.
Linking to your "running shoes" collection with the exact same anchor text from 50 blog posts looks unnatural and can trigger spam signals.
Fix: Vary your anchor text naturally. Use product names, descriptions, and benefit-focused phrases interchangeably.
Links that point to deleted products, changed URLs, or 404 pages waste link equity and frustrate users.
Fix: Run monthly audits for broken links using your SEO tool of choice. Set up redirects for any deleted pages that have existing internal links.
If your deep product pages only link to other product pages but never to collection or hub pages, you miss the chance to distribute authority upward.
Fix: Create a balanced linking structure. Deep pages should link up to collection and hub pages, and hub pages should link down to deep pages.
Building internal links manually is time-consuming. Obsess AI automatically weaves product links into every blog post it creates for your store.
Obsess AI analyzes your product catalog and automatically links to relevant products within blog content. Links are placed naturally where they add value for readers.
Every internal link uses descriptive, SEO-optimized anchor text that helps both search engines and shoppers understand what they will find on the linked page.
Obsess AI creates content that links to your other blog posts and guides, building the hub-and-spoke model that establishes topical authority with search engines.
New blog posts automatically link to related existing content, ensuring your internal link network grows stronger with every piece of content published.
Obsess AI generates blog content that automatically links to your products, building a powerful internal link network that drives both SEO and sales.
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