Internal links are crucial for search engine optimization. It helps Google discover all pages on a site and assign a value to each. The more links there are to a page, the more important it is.
The structure of a site produces internal links. Examples include navigation, footers, “related articles” and “related products”.
However, the most impactful links are “contextual” because Google looks at the surrounding context to assign relevance signals. A link in the body of this article is contextual.
Contextual links are difficult to scale, especially for sites with thousands of pages, but AI technology can help. AI can spot phrase variations and synonyms to identify relevant pages.
Here are three AI-powered internal liaison tools.
LinkWhisper
LinkWhisper is a WordPress plugin and Shopify app that analyzes contextual links (internal and external), identifies pages with zero or too few inbound links, and suggests where to add links. The tool only focuses on contextual links, ignoring those in navigation, widgets, and sidebars.
The report is also useful for identifying broken and orphan pages (those with No inbound internal links (accessible via external links or sitemaps).
LinkWhisper suggests relevant internal links in the WordPress editor. It’s a handy reminder. The tool can additionally recommend internal links to a list of pages.
LinkWhisper pricing starts at $97 for one-time use WordPress License or $7 per month for Shopify app with a 7-day trial.
LinkActions
LinkActions connects to Search Console to analyze a site’s structure and provide internal linking suggestions. It can also automatically add internal links. Simply paste the LinkActions snippet into your site header and enable internal link insertions.
Pricing for LinkActions starts at $64 per month for up to three sites and 1,500 pages. The free trial includes limited reporting with no automation.
LinkStorm
LinkStorm explores a site and reveals:
- Immediate content-based internal linking opportunities,
- Additional copy for each article to increase linking opportunities based on the semantic similarity of the two articles.
It also cites the optimal number of internal links for each page and shows where to place a link on the page and the preferred anchor. However, it does not automatically add the link.
LinkStorm costs $30 per month for 1,000 pages on unlimited sites. A free trial is available.