The Most Common Internal Linking Mistakes in 2025 and How to Fix Them
- doriavisionfactory
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
An internal link connects one page to another within the same website. They assist in orienting visitors around the website and establishing a distinct structure between pages. In addition, they offer several advantages, such as boosting user experience and engagement indicators. Many websites continue to ignore internal connectivity, even with the improvement of AI analysis and SEO tools. Smart link architecture becomes essential to the user experience in 2025 and helps rankings. Website owners can make a few errors and face certain difficulties with internal links, though. The majority of frequent errors and how to avoid them will be covered in this article.
Mistake #1: Over-Optimizing Anchor Texts
Firstly, the simplest explanation of Anchor Texts is: “ Clickable texts that link to another page.” The most common problem is keyword stuffing in internal anchors. Links look spammy and artificial when too many keywords are added to anchor text. They also don't look natural.
How to fix it?
Use natural and semantically rich anchor variations.
Mistake #2: Linking to Irrelevant or Low-Value Pages
A really common mistake is adding irrelevant links without any meaning just for the sake of linking. This can confuse readers and disvalue your whole article. The goal of internal links is to provide more resources and depth to your story. However, the natural flow of the user journey is disrupted when a link redirects to an unrelated page. Nowadays, links relevance is way more important than just getting links.
How to fix it?
Prioritize links to pages that enhance user journey or topical depth.
Mistake #3: Ignoring Orphaned Pages
Pages that are considered orphaned are those that are cut off from the rest of the site because there are no internal links directed to them. Many sites still leave important pages unlinked from others. A key page's ranking is directly impacted if it becomes orphaned because it won't get any link juice transfer. Additionally, consumers could never find it through browsing because they are hard to discover and they have little exposure.
Search engines instinctively steer clear of crawling these pages since they are untraceable.
How to fix it?
Regularly audit with tools like Screaming Frog or GSC to identify orphaned content.
Mistake #4: Using JavaScript-Based or Hidden Links
In 2025, some JS-heavy sites still hinder crawlable internal links. Links added via JavaScript or the ones that are hidden behind code aren't always recognised by search. This can hurt crawlability for your page. Semrush points out that using JavaScript based links can make your site harder to reach which undermines SEO.
How to fix it?
Use HTML-based links when possible
Implement proper rendering/testing
Mistake #5: Lack of a Logical Linking Structure
A logical linking structure is very important so that users can have a clear view of everything important they want to find. random and erratic positioning of links could get in the way of that. Most common problems a website page could face are, for example, no clear hub-and-spoke models. Also the problem could be with links that are too deep and no information silos. Not following topic clusters is a big mistake which is leading exactly to the lack of logical linking structure.
How to fix it?
Make a plan for strategic internal linking that corresponds to the topic clusters.
Mistake #5: Lack of a Logical Linking Structure
A logical linking structure is very important so that users can have a clear view of everything important they want to find. random and erratic positioning of links could get in the way of that. Most common problems a website page could face are, for example, no clear hub-and-spoke models. Also the problem could be with links that are too deep and no information silos. Not following topic clusters is a big mistake which is leading exactly to the lack of logical linking structure.
How to fix it?
Make a plan for strategic internal linking that corresponds to the topic clusters.
New SEO Tools for Internal Link Optimization in 2025
● Surfer SEO - optimization program aids in producing content that performs well on Google, ChatGPT, and other AI-driven search platforms.
● LinkWhisper AI - you can now create AI-driven site maps and utilize the strength of artificial intelligence in your internal link building.
● Internal Link Juicer - really good option for establishing internal links within your post content. By smartly setting up your preferred keywords for each article, it functions. It guides you to the appropriate content for the context, which enhances your overall on-page SEO and user experience.
Conclusion
A neglected, but very powerful part of SEO in 2025 remains Internal linking. Issues like orphaned pages, linking to irrelevant pages, over-optimizing anchor texts can harm rankings and user experience. To make sure your website has correct and useful linking you should stay ahead of these common mistakes. Also, a very important thing to say is to conduct regular internal link audits. Moreover, you can monitor google search console regularly and ensure every important page is connected logically. Educating your team and giving them frequent training on internal linking is also very important. Errors are frequently caused by ignorance or disregard for fundamental SEO principles, particularly in bigger teams and websites with a large amount of content. After correcting all mistakes from the above and implementing a new approach with links, the site should be way better.
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Reference list:
seoclarity
Backlink-tool
Marketingglad
Semrush
SurferSEO