Claude Internal Link Audit & Optimisation Prompt
Audit your internal linking and build a strategic plan to improve topical authority and link equity distribution.
Category
🔍 SEO
Difficulty
Intermediate
Models
2
Last Updated
2026-06-28
Works with
📄 Example output
⚠️ Common Mistakes
❓ FAQ
⚙️ Fill in your variables
📋 Prompt
You are an SEO specialist who has improved organic rankings by 40%+ through strategic internal linking alone.
Website: [website URL or description]
Total pages: [total number of pages]
Main topic areas: [main topic areas — 3–5 key content themes]
Top priority pages: [top priority pages to rank — list 3–5 URLs or page titles]
Task: Complete internal link audit and strategy:
1. INTERNAL LINK HEALTH CHECK:
- What to check with Screaming Frog or Google Search Console
- Signs of an internal linking problem
- The 3 most damaging internal link mistakes and how to identify them
2. ORPHAN PAGE IDENTIFICATION:
- How to find pages with zero internal links
- Priority order for fixing them
3. LINK EQUITY FLOW MAP:
Based on your site structure, how link equity should flow:
Homepage → [your sections] → individual pages
Where equity is likely leaking
4. PRIORITY PAGE STRATEGY:
For each of your [top priority pages]:
- 5 existing pages that should link to it
- Recommended anchor text (varied, natural)
- Where in the page content the link should appear
5. CONTENT CLUSTER LINKING:
How to build hub-and-spoke internal linking for topical authority
6. IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST:
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 — specific actions in order
7. MEASURING SUCCESS:
What to track and what improvement to expect in 90 days
Website: [website URL or description]
Total pages: [total number of pages]
Main topic areas: [main topic areas — 3–5 key content themes]
Top priority pages: [top priority pages to rank — list 3–5 URLs or page titles]
Task: Complete internal link audit and strategy:
1. INTERNAL LINK HEALTH CHECK:
- What to check with Screaming Frog or Google Search Console
- Signs of an internal linking problem
- The 3 most damaging internal link mistakes and how to identify them
2. ORPHAN PAGE IDENTIFICATION:
- How to find pages with zero internal links
- Priority order for fixing them
3. LINK EQUITY FLOW MAP:
Based on your site structure, how link equity should flow:
Homepage → [your sections] → individual pages
Where equity is likely leaking
4. PRIORITY PAGE STRATEGY:
For each of your [top priority pages]:
- 5 existing pages that should link to it
- Recommended anchor text (varied, natural)
- Where in the page content the link should appear
5. CONTENT CLUSTER LINKING:
How to build hub-and-spoke internal linking for topical authority
6. IMPLEMENTATION CHECKLIST:
Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 — specific actions in order
7. MEASURING SUCCESS:
What to track and what improvement to expect in 90 days
INTERNAL LINK STRATEGY: ToolsNova
SITE STRUCTURE ANALYSIS:
155 pages across 4 topic areas. At this size, a hub-and-spoke model with 4 main hub pages is the correct architecture.
EQUITY FLOW TARGET:
Homepage → [AI Hub / Trading Hub / Calculator Hub / SEO Hub]
→ Individual tool pages
→ AI Prompt Library (cross-linked from all AI tools)
PRIORITY PAGE: AI Prompt Library (/ai-prompt-library.html)
Pages that should link to it:
1. Homepage — Add to AI Hub section: 'Browse 200+ AI Prompts →'
2. ai-token-counter.html — Add footer cross-link: 'Need prompts to paste? Free library here →'
3. ai-api-cost-calculator.html — Add: 'Before spending on API calls, test these free prompts →'
4. ai-prompt-studio.html — Add: 'Looking for ready-made prompts? Browse the library →'
5. midjourney-prompt-builder.html — Add: 'For all AI models, not just Midjourney →'
ANCHOR TEXT DISTRIBUTION for AI Prompt Library:
40% branded: 'AI Prompt Library'
35% topical: 'free AI prompts', 'ChatGPT prompt templates'
25% natural: 'browse prompts', 'see the full library'
ORPHAN PAGE AUDIT:
Run: Screaming Frog → 'All Outlinks' → export → find pages with 0 inbound internal links
Priority fix: Any page with organic traffic but zero internal links is a quick win
WEEK 1 ACTIONS:
1. Add 5 internal links to AI Prompt Library from existing high-traffic pages
2. Add 3 internal links to AI Token Counter from related tools
3. Find and fix all orphan pages in the AI Hub
EXPECTED RESULT (90 days):
Pages receiving 10+ internal links typically see 15–30% ranking improvement for target keywords. Monitor in Google Search Console: position change for priority page target keywords.
SITE STRUCTURE ANALYSIS:
155 pages across 4 topic areas. At this size, a hub-and-spoke model with 4 main hub pages is the correct architecture.
EQUITY FLOW TARGET:
Homepage → [AI Hub / Trading Hub / Calculator Hub / SEO Hub]
→ Individual tool pages
→ AI Prompt Library (cross-linked from all AI tools)
PRIORITY PAGE: AI Prompt Library (/ai-prompt-library.html)
Pages that should link to it:
1. Homepage — Add to AI Hub section: 'Browse 200+ AI Prompts →'
2. ai-token-counter.html — Add footer cross-link: 'Need prompts to paste? Free library here →'
3. ai-api-cost-calculator.html — Add: 'Before spending on API calls, test these free prompts →'
4. ai-prompt-studio.html — Add: 'Looking for ready-made prompts? Browse the library →'
5. midjourney-prompt-builder.html — Add: 'For all AI models, not just Midjourney →'
ANCHOR TEXT DISTRIBUTION for AI Prompt Library:
40% branded: 'AI Prompt Library'
35% topical: 'free AI prompts', 'ChatGPT prompt templates'
25% natural: 'browse prompts', 'see the full library'
ORPHAN PAGE AUDIT:
Run: Screaming Frog → 'All Outlinks' → export → find pages with 0 inbound internal links
Priority fix: Any page with organic traffic but zero internal links is a quick win
WEEK 1 ACTIONS:
1. Add 5 internal links to AI Prompt Library from existing high-traffic pages
2. Add 3 internal links to AI Token Counter from related tools
3. Find and fix all orphan pages in the AI Hub
EXPECTED RESULT (90 days):
Pages receiving 10+ internal links typically see 15–30% ranking improvement for target keywords. Monitor in Google Search Console: position change for priority page target keywords.
🏆
💡 Pro Tips
Best model for this prompt
Claude
Claude (Opus 4 / Sonnet 4)
Every new page you publish should link to at least 3 existing pages — this is the single most important internal linking habit
Your homepage's link equity is your most valuable asset — be deliberate about which pages it links to directly
Contextual links within body content pass more authority than navigation or footer links
The anchor text of internal links is a ranking signal — vary it naturally between branded, topical, and generic anchors
Linking to everything from everything — dilutes link equity and makes navigation confusing
Using 'click here' as anchor text — passes no topical relevance signal to Google
Only linking to the homepage — each page should distribute equity to the pages you want to rank
Not building category hub pages — without hub pages, internal equity doesn't accumulate anywhere meaningful
- How many internal links per page is optimal?For most pages, 5–15 contextual internal links is appropriate. Navigation and footer links are separate. The key metric is relevance — every link should make sense in context and help the reader. Beyond 20–30 links, Google may dilute the PageRank passed by each.
- Do internal links affect SEO rankings?Yes — internal links are a confirmed ranking factor. They distribute PageRank (link authority) through your site, signal page importance to Google, and help Google understand your site's content hierarchy. Pages with more high-quality internal links pointing to them typically rank better for target keywords.
- What's the fastest internal linking win?Find your highest-traffic pages (in Google Analytics or Search Console) and add links from them to your most important pages that don't yet rank well. This transfers existing authority to pages that need it, often with measurable ranking improvements in 4–8 weeks.
- Should internal links open in a new tab?No — internal links should open in the same tab. Opening internal links in new tabs frustrates users who expect same-tab navigation and interferes with the natural flow of exploration. Reserve 'open in new tab' only for external links.