Micro Website Internal Linking (2025): Map, Anchors & One-Sprint Fix
Why this guide is different: you’ll get a concrete link map, safe anchor patterns (no jargon), exact placement rules, a one-sprint checklist, two trusted citations, and a mini case to replicate.
Blueprint: Your Link Map
Keep routes predictable so users (and Google) understand your site in seconds.
| From | → To | Purpose | Anchor example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home | Pillar • Start Guide • Tools • 2 Latest Posts | Declare site theme & hubs | “What are micro websites?”, “Start guide”, “Tools we use” |
| Pillar | Best • VS • How-to • Tools | Distribute topical depth | “best simple rank tracker”, “micro website vs blog”, “7-day plan” |
| Best | Pillar • How-to • Tools | Reinforce main topic & conversion path | “learn the basics”, “setup steps”, “our stack” |
| VS | Pillar • Best • Tools | Connect comparisons to buyer pages | “see our roundup”, “tools we use” |
| How-to | Pillar • Best/VS • Start Guide | Move readers to solutions | “full explainer”, “top picks”, “start in 7 days” |
| All posts | Blog Hub | Improve crawl paths | “Orbit Blog” |
Rule: Every page links up to its hub (Pillar/Hub) and sideways to 1–2 siblings (Best/VS/How-to). Avoid dead-ends.
Anchors: Safe, Clear Patterns (No Jargon)
Use human-readable phrases. Mix naturally—no hard “ratios”. As a simple rule of thumb across a page:
- Descriptive anchors (exact/close to the target’s H1) for the main hub links.
- Partial anchors (contain the idea, not exact) for siblings.
- Plain anchors (“learn more”, “this guide”) sparingly for UX variety.
- Branded/navigation (“Orbit Blog”, “Tools”) where it fits.
Anchors should match the promise of the destination page. If the target is “What Are Micro Websites?”, prefer “what are micro websites” over generic “click here”.
Placement Rules (What & Where)
- Intro: 1 link to your pillar (context pointer).
- Body: 2–4 links where relevant (don’t stack links back-to-back).
- Conclusion/CTA: 1–2 links (Start Guide / Tools) + optional one related post.
- Navigation aids: ToC, breadcrumb, and a subtle “Related” block help crawling.
Avoid: sitewide keyword-stuffed footers, auto-link plugins that create dozens of identical anchors, and orphan pages.
One-Sprint Checklist (≈90 minutes)
- List your hubs and supports (Pillar, Best, VS, 2× How-to, Tools, Blog Hub).
- Open each page and add:
- Intro → link to Pillar (descriptive anchor).
- Body → 2 relevant sibling links (partial anchors).
- Conclusion → Start Guide + Tools.
- Add breadcrumb (theme/plugin) and ensure every post appears on Blog Hub.
- Fetch & index the updated pages in Google Search Console.
- Note baseline: impressions, CTR, and avg. position for target queries.
Grab a compact PDF/Notion template you can duplicate in seconds.
Mini Case: From position 12 → 6 (repeatable method)
Example workflow you can replicate. Replace with your own GSC screenshot after running the sprint.
Steps taken
- Added a descriptive intro link to the pillar (“what are micro websites”).
- Inserted two sibling links in the body (Best roundup + VS post) with partial anchors.
- Tightened headings so the link context matched the destination’s promise.
- Conclusion now links to Start Guide + Tools; removed 3 off-topic links.
- Requested indexing for the updated post + target siblings.
What to document: page URL, date, links added/removed, 28-day GSC deltas. One screenshot before/after is enough.
FAQ
How many internal links per page?
Enough to be useful—typically 3–6 context links plus ToC/breadcrumb. Relevance & clarity beat any fixed number.
Should I use exact-match anchors?
Use descriptive anchors for hubs and natural variations elsewhere. Avoid repeating the same exact-match dozens of times.
Do I need a plugin?
No. Manual links are fine. A simple related-posts block or hub page helps discovery.
About Income Orbit
We build lean micro websites that rank fast. This guide is maintained by the Income Orbit team (site builders & content leads).
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