What internal links are and why you need to find them

Internal links are hyperlinks from one page on your website to another page on the same website. Finding which pages link to a specific page matters because it shows you how your content connects, helps you understand your site structure, and reveals which pages send traffic to the one you're checking.

If you're trying to improve a page's visibility, fix broken connections, or reorganize your site, knowing what links to it is the first step. You might discover that important pages link to it, or that nothing does — both tell you something useful about how your site actually works versus how you thought it worked.

Key Takeaways

  • Your website's search console (Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools) shows internal links pointing to any page you own.
  • Most website builders and content management systems have built-in tools to find internal links without leaving your dashboard.
  • Browser extensions and standalone tools can crawl your entire site and map every internal link in minutes.
  • The method you choose depends on your site size — small sites need simpler tools, large sites need crawlers that can handle thousands of pages.

Using Google Search Console to see internal links

Google Search Console is free and shows you internal links to any page on your site. Log in with the Google account connected to your website, then navigate to the page report for the specific URL you want to check.

Go to Pages in the left menu, find the page you're interested in, and click it. Scroll down to the Internal links section — this shows every page on your site that links to it, plus how many times each page links to it. This is the fastest way if you only need to check one or two pages.

The limitation is that Google Search Console only shows pages Google has already crawled and indexed. If you have new pages or pages that aren't indexed yet, they won't appear here. For a complete picture of your internal linking, you'll need a different tool.

Checking your site's built-in tools

If you use WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or another content management system, your dashboard likely has a linking tool built in. WordPress users can install the free Yoast SEO plugin, which shows internal links in the page editor and has a site-wide linking report. Wix and Squarespace have less detailed built-in options, but both let you search your site for specific text or URLs.

The advantage of using your platform's native tools is that they're already connected to your site and don't require setup. The disadvantage is that they're usually simpler than standalone crawlers — they may not show you every internal link, especially on large sites with hundreds of pages.

Check your platform's help documentation for the exact steps, since the location of these tools varies. Search for "[your platform name] internal links" or "[your platform name] site structure" to find the right section.

Using a website crawler to map all internal links

Screaming Frog SEO Spider is the most common tool for this job. Download the free version, point it at your website, and it crawls every page and records every internal link. Once the crawl finishes, you can filter by the page you're interested in and see everything that links to it.

To use it: open Screaming Frog, paste your website URL into the search box, click Start, and wait for the crawl to finish. Then go to Reports in the top menu, select Internal Links, and use the filter to search for your target page. The report shows which pages link to it and the anchor text (the clickable words) used in each link.

The free version crawls up to 500 pages. If your site is larger, you'll need the paid version. Other crawlers like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz do the same thing but cost money and are built for larger-scale analysis.

Finding internal links using your browser

If you want to check internal links without installing software, use your browser's search function. Open the page you're interested in, then use Ctrl+F (Windows) or Command+F (Mac) to search for your domain name. This finds every link on that page that points to your own site.

This method only shows links on the current page, not links from other pages pointing to it. It's useful for a quick check but won't give you the full picture. For a complete view, you need a crawler or your search console.

Some browser extensions like Check My Links or Link Checker can scan a page and highlight all internal links in one color and external links in another, making it easier to spot them visually. These are helpful if you're manually reviewing a page but still don't show you what other pages link to it.

Understanding what the data means

Once you have your list of internal links, you'll see which pages link to your target page and how many times. A page that many other pages link to is usually important to your site structure — it might be a main category page or a key resource.

If nothing links to a page, it's either new, buried in your navigation, or disconnected from the rest of your site. That's not always bad — some pages don't need internal links — but it's worth noticing. If you want people to find a page, it needs at least one link from somewhere else on your site.

Pay attention to the anchor text too. If every link uses generic text like "click here," you're missing an opportunity to tell both readers and search engines what the page is about. Better anchor text describes the page's topic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I see internal links to a page I don't own?

No. You can only see internal links within your own website using Google Search Console or a crawler you run yourself. To see what links to someone else's page, you'd need to ask them or use an external tool like Ahrefs, which shows backlinks from across the internet but costs money.

Why does Google Search Console show different numbers than my crawler?

Google Search Console only shows pages it has indexed, while a crawler like Screaming Frog finds every page on your site regardless of indexing status. New pages, pages blocked from search engines, and pages with no traffic may appear in your crawler but not in Search Console.

What if I find a page with no internal links pointing to it?

Add a link to it from a relevant page on your site. If the page is important, it should be reachable by clicking through your navigation or content. If it's not important, you might consider removing it or merging it with another page.

Do internal links affect my search ranking?

Yes, internal links help search engines understand your site structure and can pass authority from one page to another. Pages with more internal links pointing to them tend to rank better, especially if the links use descriptive anchor text.

Should I use the paid version of Screaming Frog?

Only if your site has more than 500 pages. The free version is sufficient for most small to medium websites. If you have a larger site, the paid version is worth the cost, or you can use a different tool designed for enterprise-scale analysis.