Key takeaways:
- Factors like pricing, level of automation, and whether the tool provides contextually relevant link suggestions are essential when selecting the most suitable internal linking tool.
- Tools like Link Whisper and Internal Link Juicer are WordPress-based linking tools. Others like SurferSEO and InLinks provide advanced features such as topic modelling and SEO data integration for more strategic linking.
- Options range from free tools like SEOwind to premium solutions like SurferSEO and Internal Link Juicer, each catering to different budgets, platforms, and desired levels of manual or automated input.
Internal linking tools vary a lot in cost and functionalities…
Digital marketing is an exciting yet evolving field, offering countless opportunities to thrive online. Whether it’s gaining more Instagram followers or exploring how AI is reshaping SEO, the potential is immense.
Sometimes, it can even be amusing. For instance, the emergence of AI has led to many stories about how ChatGPT hallucinates. However, these quirks can also prove frustrating at times.
As the future of SEO unfolds, more AI tools are bound to emerge. While many industry experts paint an overly optimistic picture of fully automated SEO—where AI handles everything from backlink generation to keyword research—you might wonder how realistic this vision truly is.
Considering the growing importance of Entity SEO in establishing topical authority, wouldn’t it be incredible if AI could also automate tasks like internal linking so you can focus on the fun stuff?
However, when we asked ChatGPT if it could do this, it replied:
“Sure! Please provide the content or articles you’d like to create internal links for, and let me know which articles or pages you want to link to. I’ll help integrate the internal links naturally within your content.”
So much for AI automation.
Thankfully, some tools can automate the internal linking process. However, finding the right internal linking tool has proven more work than expected. There’s a lot to consider (who knew!), such as pricing, the level of automation you want, and whether the tool simply gives random suggestions for potential links.
For it to be truly efficient, it needs to be more specific. Below are five suggestions that simplify the process for you.
SurferSEO- The all-in-one tool
246k searches per month and growing
Their cheapest pack is $99 a month ($79 per month if you sign up for a year)
Rating Trustpilot 4.3 of 62 ratings
SurferSEO is a search engine optimisation tool designed to enhance your content for better visibility. It offers more than just an internal linking tool, though this is one of its standout features.
The internal linking function suggests precise phrases and locations where links could be added, helping you select the most relevant placements based on SEO data to improve your site’s link structure.
As you write, SurferSEO’s Content Editor identifies potential internal links within your content, highlighting relevant pages and specific places to insert them. Instead of overwhelming you with bulk suggestions, it provides targeted anchor text and positions, ensuring each link appears natural and enhances relevance.
This approach saves time and creates a smoother navigation experience for users moving between related topics.
The tool saves you significant time and effort by semi-automating the search for internal link opportunities. However, the price may seem steep if you only want a linking tool.
Yet, this tool could be a good choice for those looking to combine internal linking with keyword research and content optimisation. It’s become increasingly popular recently, and the customers’ ratings are pretty good.
InLinks- Internal linking based on your entities
4400 searches per month and growing
Their price structure is dependent on how many pages you have
Rating Trustpilot 4 of 4 ratings
InLinks offers a package that helps optimise several of your digital marketing efforts, but it also has a tool dedicated to optimising internal linking.
It provides link recommendations based on topic modelling, suggesting links within the context of specific phrases. This semi-automated approach lets users quickly approve link suggestions and insert them into the identified spots.
What sets this tool apart is its focus on topics/entities within your content rather than just keywords. In SEO, optimising for an entity refers to creating content around a person, thing, or idea that search engines recognise independently of specific words. The tool analyses each page’s content to identify the entities representing the main themes or topics.
For example, if your page discusses “machine learning,” “AI,” and “data science,” InLinks identifies these as distinct entities and scans your site for other pages that explore or expand on these topics. This entity-based method suggests internal links, connecting pages that cover complementary subjects.
Focusing on the entity, the tool provides the “new way of SEO,” a modern alternative to traditional keyword-based linking. Organising your website by entities can provide a competitive edge, as it aligns with how search engines increasingly process and prioritise content.
Moreover, suggested links appear natural and contextually aligned with the reader’s journey, avoiding a forced or overly keyword-driven feel. This approach can make internal linking more strategic and more effective in guiding search engines to understand the relationships between different pieces of content.
Whilst InLinks could be an excellent choice, customer feedback on this tool is still limited, and its pricing structure can be complex, depending heavily on the size of your website.
Link Whisper -Semi-automated WordPress plugin
30 000+ active installations
$97 for one year, including all features
Rating 4.4 of 96 ratings
Link Whisper is a WordPress plugin designed to streamline internal linking by automatically suggesting links as you write or edit content. It analyses the context at the sentence level and recommends link placements, with the option to add links in bulk if you approve the suggestions. This approach provides a hands-on, context-aware experience with detailed suggestions.
As you write, Link Whisper analyses the text in real time, suggesting relevant internal links by focusing on phrases and sentences where links would naturally fit. Its AI considers both keyword relevance and context yet also offers flexibility, allowing you to adjust anchor text and choose from a variety of link suggestions.
Additionally, Link Whisper includes an automated linking feature. Setting rules based on target keywords allows you to create large-scale internal links across multiple pages simultaneously. This is especially useful for sites with extensive content, as Link Whisper can connect related pages automatically, saving hours of manual effort.
The tool also includes a dashboard to monitor and repair broken links, identify orphaned pages (those with no internal links pointing to them), and track link performance.
Link Whisper’s AI-driven suggestions significantly speed up the linking process while keeping you in control. If you don’t use the automated feature, the updates will not be applied without approval. With many downloads and positive ratings, it’s a well-regarded choice.
Moreover, the price is really competitive compared to many other options. As a WordPress plugin, Link Whisper requires a WordPress website, but for users on this platform, it’s an excellent option.
Internal Link Juicer – Fully automated WordPress plugin based on Keywords
60,000+ Active Installations
$70 a year, including all features
Rating 4.7 of 475 ratings
Internal Link Juicer is another WordPress plugin, but this one is entirely automated. It identifies keywords within your content and links them to designated articles based on the rules you set. This plugin places links directly in your content wherever specified keywords appear, allowing precise control over which keywords link to specific pages.
With Internal Link Juicer, you can pre-define keywords that trigger links to particular pages, ensuring that links are consistently applied whenever relevant keywords appear across new or existing content.
This level of internal linking automation is precious for sites with extensive content. It keeps the internal linking process both efficient and thorough without demanding extensive manual effort.
A standout feature of Internal Link Juicer is its flexibility in managing link diversity and avoiding over-optimisation. You can control how frequently each target page is linked.
Moreover, you can limit the number of links per post and use varied anchor text to create a natural linking profile that avoids keyword stuffing. The plugin includes detailed reporting tools, enabling you to track link performance and adjust as needed.
Internal Link Juicer offers a highly automated, keyword-driven linking process, ideal for users seeking a hands-off approach with minimal ongoing management. It’s unsurprising, as many seek complete automation in their marketing process.
However, manual input often yields even better results. For instance, you don’t want to link to an article mentioning the word “content” if it is not about content marketing.
Therefore, you must weigh the benefits of full internal linking automation against the advantages of partially automated alternatives, such as Link Whisper.
SEOwind- the free one
17 000 searches per month and growing
Free
Rating Not sure
SEOwind, similar to SurferSEO, offers a search engine optimisation tool designed to improve your content’s visibility. While they approach SEO differently, they provide tools to boost SEO performance. Although that is a paid service. However, they offer a free internal linking tool.
Available as a Chrome extension, this tool works with any content management system (CMS), such as WordPress, Shopify, Wix, etc. It helps your internal linking strategy by analysing site content and suggesting relevant links based on keyword and topic similarities.
The tool identifies potential gaps in internal linking, which you can address through its interface. It allows you to integrate links without extensive manual effort, making it an appealing option for website owners looking to keep costs down.
The tool integrates directly into the content creation process, recommending links as you write or optimise content. It scans existing articles and pages and suggests internal links to strengthen topic clusters across your website.
SEOwind is still a relatively new company, and its internal linking tool currently has limited reviews. However, it may be worth exploring if you’re looking for a free solution.
Finding the right internal lining tool can be challenging.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of internal linking. Yet, no matter how great your content strategy is, if you don’t do the basics well, you will struggle for visibility.
However, with so many internal linking tool options available, choosing the right one can be challenging. Should you use a search optimisation tool that includes internal linking, or is it better to choose one specifically designed for this purpose?
Moreover, should you use a search optimisation tool that offers internal linking automation, or is it better to control the process to ensure the linking makes sense? The platform you used to create your website and your marketing budget are also important considerations.
However, like building backlinks with ChatGPT, the best results often come from using AI as an assistant rather than a replacement for your input. Whatever you decide, to save you time searching for yet another AI tool, we’ve simplified the process to help you find the best solution more quickly.
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