Knowledge Base

TL;DR: Pick a target page, list its “related phrases,” then search your site for those words and add links where they make sense.

The “10-Minute” Internal Linking Method

Step 1: pick a target page

This is the page you want to strengthen (rank better, index faster, get more traffic).

Step 2: list 5–10 related phrases

Example for an indexing article:

• request indexing
• Search Console
• not indexed
• crawled currently not indexed
• XML sitemap

Step 3: search your site for those phrases

Two easy ways:

• Google search: site:yourdomain.com “request indexing”
• WordPress search: search posts/pages for the phrase

Step 4: add links where they naturally fit

Add the link in a sentence that already mentions the topic. Keep it helpful and natural.

Quick Rules To Keep It Clean:

1. Only add a link if it truly helps the reader.
2. Use descriptive anchor text (not “click here”).
3. Don’t add 10 links to the same page on one article.
4. Prioritize linking from pages that already get traffic.

TL;DR: Early on, internal links are the fastest thing you fully control. Backlinks are powerful, but harder and slower to earn. Do both, but don’t wait for backlinks to get organized.

Internal Links: Your “Right Now” Lever

• You control them
• They help indexing and crawling
• They clarify site structure and topical relevance
• They help pages share authority internally

Backlinks: The “Trust” Lever

• They build authority and credibility
• They can improve ranking ability across the whole domain
• They take time (and usually relationships or content promotion)

What To Focus On In The First 30–90 Days:

1. Publish consistent helpful content targeting low-competition keywords.
2. Build topic clusters and internal links.
3. Make sure technical SEO basics are clean (indexing, sitemap, canonicals).
4. Start light backlink work (directories, partnerships, digital PR) after the foundation is solid.

The Real Answer

Backlinks can be the difference-maker long-term, but internal links are how you stop wasting the authority you already have (even if it’s small at first).

TL;DR: Create one main “hub” page for a topic, then write supporting pages that answer specific questions. Interlink them so Google (and readers) see the full topic covered.

What A Topic Cluster Is

A topic cluster is a group of pages about one subject that are connected through internal links.

Basic Cluster Structure

• Hub page: broad overview (the main resource)
• Support pages: narrow, specific answers (the how-tos and FAQs)

How To Build One (Step-by-Step):

1. Pick a topic you want to be known for (example: “Indexing and crawlability”).
2. Create a hub page that covers the full overview.
3. Create 6–15 supporting articles that answer related questions.
4. Link every supporting article back to the hub.
5. From the hub, link out to every supporting article.

Linking Best Practices

• Use contextual links in the body, not just a list of links at the bottom.
• Keep the cluster tight (don’t link to unrelated topics unless it truly helps).

TL;DR: Use anchor text that clearly describes the destination page in plain language. Think helpful first, SEO second.

What Anchor Text Does

Anchor text helps:

• Readers understand what they’ll get when they click
• Google understand what the linked page is about

Best Anchor Text Examples

• Good: “request indexing in Google Search Console”
• Good: “internal linking strategy for topic clusters”
• Not great: “click here”
• Not great: “this post”

How To Write Anchor Text (Simple Method):

1. Describe what the reader will learn on the next page.
2. Keep it natural (don’t force exact-match keywords every time).
3. Use variety across the site (synonyms are fine).

Avoid Over-Optimization

If every internal link uses the exact same keyword phrase, it looks unnatural. Write like a human and stay consistent with the topic.

TL;DR: For most posts, 3–8 internal links is a solid range. The right number depends on length and how much related content you have.

A Practical Rule Of Thumb

• Short posts (500–900 words): 3–5 internal links
• Medium posts (900–1,500 words): 5–8 internal links
• Long posts (1,500+ words): 8–12 internal links

What Matters More Than The Number

• Relevance (link to pages that truly help the reader)
• Placement (contextual links inside the body are best)
• Anchor text (tell Google and humans what they’ll get)

Where To Place Internal Links:

1. Near the top: 1 link to a foundational page or service page (if relevant).
2. In the middle: 1–3 links to supporting how-to or related posts.
3. Near the end: 1–2 links to “next step” content.

What To Avoid:

• Stuffing links for SEO only
• Linking 15 times to the same page
• Using vague anchor text like “click here”

TL;DR: Yes. Even small sites benefit from an XML sitemap. It’s not magic, but it helps Google discover URLs and understand site structure.

What A Sitemap Does (And Doesn’t Do)

Does: lists the URLs you want crawled and indexed.

Doesn’t: guarantee indexing or rankings.

Why A Small Site Still Benefits

• New pages get discovered faster (especially if internal linking is weak early on)
• You reduce the chance Google misses pages that aren’t linked well
• It helps keep your site more organized in Google’s eyes

When Sitemaps Matter The Most

• New sites
• Sites that add new pages regularly
• Sites with lots of service pages / knowledgebase pages
• Sites with some pages not linked from main navigation

Best Practice:

1. Make sure your sitemap is generated automatically (WordPress plugins often do this).
2. Submit it in Google Search Console.
3. Keep internal linking strong anyway (sitemap is not a replacement).

TL;DR: Yes. Internal links are one of the best ways to help Google discover new pages faster and understand what they’re about.

Why Internal Links Speed Up Indexing

Google finds new pages by following links. If your new page has zero internal links pointing to it, Google may not discover it quickly (or it may treat it like a low-priority URL).

What Counts As A Good Internal Link?

• From an already-indexed page
• Placed in a relevant spot (not a random footer link list)
• Uses descriptive anchor text (what the linked page is about)

How Many Internal Links Should You Add For Indexing?

A good starting point:

• New page: add 2–5 internal links pointing to it
• From: homepage (if relevant), service page, category page, or related blog posts

Simple “Fast Discovery” Method:

1. Pick one page Google already visits often (homepage or a popular post).
2. Add a contextual link to the new page.
3. Add 1–3 more links from related pages.
4. Request indexing in Search Console.

Bonus Tip: Link Both Ways

When it makes sense, also link back from the new page to the older page. This strengthens the topic relationship and helps readers keep moving.

TL;DR: Paste your URL into Search Console’s URL Inspection tool, then click “Request Indexing.” This doesn’t guarantee indexing, but it often speeds discovery.

Before You Start

• Your site must be verified in Google Search Console.
• The URL should be the canonical version you want indexed.

Steps To Request Indexing:

1. Open Google Search Console for your property.
2. At the top, use the search bar that says “Inspect any URL…”
3. Paste the full page URL and press enter.
4. Wait for the inspection to load (it may say “URL is on Google” or “URL is not on Google”).
5. Click Request Indexing.

What Happens Next?

• Google puts the URL in a crawl queue.
• It may crawl the page soon, or later.
• Indexing still depends on page quality + crawlability.

Common Problems

It says “Crawled - currently not indexed”

This usually means Google saw it, but didn’t think it was worth indexing (yet). Improve content, add internal links, and try again later.

It says “Discovered - currently not indexed”

Google knows it exists but hasn’t crawled it. Internal links and sitemap coverage help.

Best Practices After Requesting Indexing

• Add internal links to the page from other indexed pages.
• Make sure the page is included in your XML sitemap.
• Make sure the page loads fast and doesn’t require login.

TL;DR: Most indexing problems come from one of these: the page is blocked, set to noindex, hard to discover (no internal links), or the content is too thin/duplicate.

Step 1: Confirm Google Can See The Page

Open the URL in an incognito browser. If it doesn’t load, Google won’t index it.

Step 2: Check For “Noindex”

If a page is set to noindex, Google can crawl it but won’t add it to search results.

• Common causes: SEO plugin settings, page-level meta settings, or a template setting.

Step 3: Check robots.txt

Robots.txt can block crawling entirely. If Google can’t crawl it, it can’t index it.

Step 4: Check For Canonical Issues

If your page’s canonical points to a different URL, Google may treat the other URL as the “real” one and ignore this page.

Step 5: Make Sure The Page Is Discoverable

If nothing links to your page, Google may not find it quickly (or at all).

• Add internal links from: homepage, relevant service pages, blog posts, category pages.

Step 6: Watch For Redirects Or Duplicate URLs

If your page redirects multiple times, or if both http/https or www/non-www versions exist, indexing can get messy.

Step 7: Improve Content (Yes, Sometimes Google Just Shrugs)

If the page is very short, near-duplicate, or doesn’t add value, Google may crawl it but skip indexing.

Quick Fix Plan

1. Add 2–5 internal links to the page using descriptive anchor text.
2. Make sure it’s in your XML sitemap.
3. Request indexing in Google Search Console.
4. If it’s thin, add helpful content (FAQs, examples, steps, screenshots).

If you're still not sure if your page can be indexed, go over to NoIndexChecker.com for free analysis.

TL;DR: It can be anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks. You can usually speed it up by making sure the page is crawlable, linking to it internally, and requesting indexing in Google Search Console.

What “Indexing” Actually Means

Indexing means Google has found your page, understood it enough, and stored it in its database so it can show up in search results.

Typical Indexing Time Ranges:

• Hours to a couple days: common for established sites that publish regularly
• 3–14 days: common for smaller sites or brand new pages with few internal links
• 2–6+ weeks: happens when crawl access is limited, content is thin/duplicate, or the site has low trust

What Makes Indexing Faster:

• Internal links: link to the new page from an already-indexed page (like your homepage or a popular blog post)
• Clean crawl signals: no “noindex,” not blocked by robots.txt, no weird redirects
• Strong unique content: useful, original, not a copy of another page on your site
• Search Console: request indexing
• Sitemap: make sure the URL is in your XML sitemap

Quick Checklist:

1. Open the page in an incognito browser window and confirm it loads normally.
2. Make sure it’s not set to noindex.
3. Make sure it’s not blocked in robots.txt.
4. Add at least 1–3 internal links pointing to it from other pages.
5. Request indexing in Google Search Console.

How to Tell if a Page is Indexed Yet:

Try a “site:” search in Google:

site:yourdomain.com the-exact-page-url

Like this:

If it shows up, it’s indexed. If not, it may still be crawling or ignoring it for now.