Internal linking shapes how search engines crawl your ecommerce site and how customers discover products. It also determines how link equity flows through your pages, affecting your overall search engine ranking performance.
Strong internal links improve user experience, reduce bounce rate, strengthen content marketing, and support hierarchical web architecture.
When internal linking is handled poorly, it harms crawlability, leads to orphan pages, and blocks search engines from reaching important product category pages.
This guide explains the most common internal linking mistakes ecommerce brands make and how to fix each one to improve ecommerce SEO and long-term visibility.
Mistake 1: Using Weak or Generic Anchor Texts
Anchor texts help search engines understand page context. Generic links like “click here” and “read more” waste valuable relevance signals.
Keyword-rich anchor texts should reflect the target page’s topic. They also help strengthen topic clusters and support accurate indexing.
Google’s documentation on anchor text and crawlable links explains how link text helps Google interpret the page you’re linking to.
Mistake 2: Letting Orphan Pages Build Up
Orphan pages have no internal links pointing to them. Search engine crawlers struggle to find and index these URLs. Orphan pages commonly occur in large product catalogs, especially after updates.
Run a Site Audit with Screaming Frog or Semrush’s Site Audit to detect them quickly.
Fix orphaned pages by linking them from:
- Category pages
• Related products
• Buying Guides
• Content hubs
Strong linking ensures every important page contributes to SEO success.
Mistake 3: Broken Links and Link Rot
Broken links hurt user experience and weaken search engines’ trust. 404 error pages waste crawl budget and create dead ends.
Use tools like:
- Google Search Console
• Screaming Frog
• Link-monitoring tools such as Link Whisper or Link Seeker
Fix 404s immediately with either 301 redirects or updated URL paths. Search engines prefer clean site architecture with minimal link rot.
Mistake 4: Overuse of Nofollow Links Internally
NoFollow Links block the flow of link equity.
While useful for external links, they should rarely appear in ecommerce internal linking.
Important pages like:
- Product pages
• Category pages
• Buying guides
should receive dofollow internal links to support ranking and crawl depth.
Using nofollow internally confuses link hierarchy and weakens link juice distribution.
Mistake 5: Redirect Chains From Old Links
Redirect chains are a silent SEO killer. They slow down load times, reduce crawl efficiency, and dilute link equity.
A redirect chain might look like:
Page A → Page B → Page C → Page D
Ecommerce sites often create these chains from discontinued products or changing URL structure. Fix them by mapping old URLs directly to the final destination with a single 301 redirect.
Mistake 6: Ignoring Breadcrumb Navigation
Breadcrumb Navigation strengthens internal linking and improves user experience. It also clarifies hierarchical web architecture for search engines.
Breadcrumbs help reduce click depth and surface deep category and product pages faster.
Google supports breadcrumb markup through structured data. They improve crawling and support rich snippets.
Mistake 7: Forgetting Internal Links on Product Pages
Many ecommerce stores focus exclusively on product descriptions and forget internal links. Product pages should guide users to:
- Related products
• Product comparison guides
• Category pages
• Buying guides
• Product reviews
This strategy improves Dwell Time and reduces bounce rate while strengthening link equity.
Mistake 8: Internal Links Hidden Behind JavaScript
Internal links must appear in clean HTML. Many ecommerce themes rely heavily on JavaScript code, which may hide links from search engine crawlers.
Server-Side Rendering helps ensure your links appear during initial page load. Google has improved JavaScript crawling, but problems still appear in complex ecommerce sites.
Test JavaScript pages using the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to confirm crawlability.
Mistake 9: Ignoring Link Hierarchy
Every ecommerce site needs a clear link hierarchy. Your homepage, main product category pages, and top-level guides should receive the most internal links.
Problems occur when:
- Low-value pages receive too much link equity
• Deep product pages lack links
• Link silos isolate parts of the catalog
Internal linking should reflect your website structure and SEO priorities.
Mistake 10: Overlinking in Footers or Navigation Menus
Adding too many internal links in the footer dilutes relevance and creates a spam-like pattern. Mass linking to every category or product wastes link equity.
Focus on:
- High-value pages
• Popular product categories
• Primary content hubs
Search engines value intentional linking more than excessive linking.
Mistake 11: Using Only Automated Internal Linking Tools
Tools like Link Whisper and Modern SEO Platform’s link optimization features accelerate linking. But relying only on automation leads to irrelevant or repetitive anchor texts.
Manual review ensures links actually help users. Automation should support your strategy, not replace it.
Mistake 12: Not Refreshing Old Content With New Internal Links
Older blog posts and guides often have no links pointing to new product pages. This blocks internal link-building potential and wastes content marketing value.
Regular content analysis helps uncover internal linking gaps. Update older content hubs with fresh internal links to maintain strong link routing across the site.
Mistake 13: Failing to Use Contextual Links in Blog Posts
Contextual links inside blog posts help users explore related pages. They also support topic clusters and semantic relevance.
Examples include:
- Linking from a buying guide to top-selling products
• Linking from comparison content to product pages
• Linking from category trend articles to relevant product category pages
Contextual linking improves crawl depth and adds meaning for search engines.
Mistake 14: Not Using Structured Data to Support Internal Linking
Structured data markup enhances how search engines interpret relationships between pages.
Examples include:
- Review schema markup
• Breadcrumb schema
• Product schema
• FAQ schema
These enhance rich results and clarify link relationships. Tools such as Schema Optimizer and Schema.org guidelines help ensure accurate markup.
Mistake 15: Poorly Managed Faceted Navigation and Filters
Filters often create duplicate pages with different URL parameters. If internal links point to these filtered pages, search engines crawl unnecessary URLs.
This wastes crawl budget and confuses crawl equity distribution.
Use:
- Canonical tags
• NoIndex tags
• Clean URL structure
to prevent internal links from pointing to duplicate content.
Mistake 16: Not Creating Content Hubs or Pillar Pages
Content hubs organize your content into topic clusters. This structure supports internal linking across related articles and product pages.
Pillar Pages strengthen the internal linking strategy by creating a structured hierarchy. They also help search engines understand topical authority.
Mistake 17: Linking to Temporary or Seasonal URLs
Seasonal URLs like “/black-friday-sale” often expire. If they receive too many internal links, link equity is wasted once the sale ends.
Redirect these URLs using a 301 redirect after the campaign ends. Or reuse the same URL for annual promotions to preserve link equity.
Mistake 18: Not Reviewing Internal Linking During a Technical SEO Audit
Technical SEO audits reveal internal linking issues like:
- Broken links
• Redirect chains
• Orphaned pages
• Duplicate anchor texts
• Misplaced nofollow tags
Tools such as Screaming Frog, Semrush, and Google Analytics highlight linking and crawl patterns. Regular audits improve long-term ranking stability.
Internal Linking Mistakes and Fixes
| Mistake | Impact | Fix |
| Weak anchor texts | Poor relevance | Use descriptive anchors |
| Orphan pages | Not indexed | Link from hubs & categories |
| Broken links | Crawl issues | Fix with 301 redirect |
| Nofollow internal links | Lost link equity | Use dofollow links |
| Redirect chains | Slow crawling | Point links to the final URL |
| Hidden JS links | Crawling issues | Ensure HTML rendering |
| Overstuffed footers | Diluted equity | Focused linking |
| Missing contextual links | Weak clusters | Add relevant internal links |
| Bad faceted navigation | Duplicate pages | Canonical + NoIndex |
| Seasonal links | Equity loss | Reuse or redirect |
Conclusion
Internal linking is not just a technical SEO task—it is a structural system that determines how search engines and users move through your ecommerce site.
By fixing common internal linking mistakes, brands can improve crawl efficiency, strengthen link equity distribution, and ensure important product and category pages receive consistent visibility.
A well-maintained internal linking strategy supports long-term rankings, scalability, and user experience as ecommerce catalogs grow.
