Overview
Assesses how well internal linking distributes authority and guides discovery.
What this audit checks
Determines whether your internal link architecture channels authority to priority pages, surfaces deep content and eliminates orphans and broken paths.
Authority flow
- Identify priority pages and count the internal links pointing to them
- Confirm the strongest pages link down to important commercial targets
- Flag priority pages buried more than three clicks from the homepage
- Check that authority is not concentrated on low-value pages
Structure and clusters
- Verify pillar pages link to their supporting cluster content and back
- Confirm related content is cross-linked within each topic
- Check navigation and hub pages expose deep content
Coverage gaps
- Detect orphan pages with no internal links pointing to them
- Identify important pages reachable only through the sitemap
- Confirm new content is linked from relevant existing pages
Link quality
- Find and fix broken internal links returning 404 or redirecting
- Review anchor text for descriptiveness and query relevance
- Flag excessive or generic anchors diluting relevance
How to score it
What good looks like
Recommended next steps
Where this fits - and what's next
The SearchScore path from a problem you feel to visibility you can measure.