TL;DR
Design your site so both people and crawlers can reach core facts quickly. Use crawlable <a href> links, descriptive anchor text, hub-to-spoke structures, and BreadcrumbList markup that mirrors on-page breadcrumbs. This makes canonical pages easy to find, improves navigation, and aligns with Google-endorsed best practices.
When leaders think about digital strategy, the focus often falls on content creation. But equally important is how that content is structured and connected. Search engines like Google prioritise internal linking and breadcrumb trails to understand context and surface facts reliably. By combining a clear information architecture with descriptive internal links, organisations make their most important pages both discoverable and usable. This not only benefits crawlers but also ensures users find accurate information without unnecessary steps.
Why Does Internal Linking Matter?
Google relies on internal links to discover and interpret content. Each descriptive anchor tells the crawler and the reader what lies behind the click. Breadcrumbs strengthen this by providing clear context about where the page sits within the site hierarchy. Together, they improve visibility, reduce ambiguity, and make facts easier to extract.
What Is The Right Approach?
A solid information architecture uses hubs and spokes. Hubs (pillar pages) consolidate broad themes, while spokes (cluster pages) explore subtopics. Breadcrumbs, displayed visibly and reinforced through JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data) schema, further support clarity. On long-form pages, contents lists add scanability, helping both executives and search engines land on the right section without friction.
How Can Leaders Apply This In Practice?
- Use crawlable <a href> internal links. Avoid relying on JavaScript-only navigation for essential content. Plain, crawlable links ensure both users and search engines can reach canonical pages without barriers.
- Write descriptive anchor text. Labels such as “Read more” lack context. Instead, use anchor text that mirrors the topic or fact the link points to, creating signals that aid both ranking and comprehension.
- Implement BreadcrumbList JSON-LD. This schema markup reflects the on-page breadcrumb trail, helping search engines categorise and display content pathways directly in search results.
- Audit and fix orphan pages. Orphan pages, those without incoming internal links, risk being invisible to both users and crawlers. Use audit tools to identify and link them back into hubs.
- Keep link depth shallow. Users should reach canonical facts within a few clicks. Shallow hierarchies reduce friction and help search engines prioritise key pages.
Show & Tell
- Google highlights best practices for crawlable links and descriptive anchor text.
- Breadcrumb documentation offers clear examples of how markup improves categorisation.
- The UK Government Design System demonstrates contents lists and headings that improve navigation on long pages.
Takeaway
Internal linking and information architecture are not technical details to be left to developers alone, as they are strategic levers for visibility. Leaders who invest in clean, descriptive links, shallow hierarchies, and schema markup ensure that both users and search engines can extract the right facts with minimal effort. Think of it as making your organisation’s knowledge accessible in one hop.
Micro-Glossary
- Orphan page: A page with no internal links pointing to it, making it undiscoverable.
- BreadcrumbList: A Schema.org type that describes a page’s hierarchy in structured data.
