fix-linking

SKILL.md

Fix Linking

Design and audit internal link structures using hub-and-spoke topology,
PageRank flow logic, and anchor text budgets.

Why Internal Links Matter

Internal links do two things: (1) pass PageRank between pages, and (2) signal
topical relevance via anchor text. A page with zero incoming internal links is
an orphan — invisible to authority flow regardless of content quality.

Architecture Model Selection

Before auditing links, choose the right architecture model for the site:

Model
Best For
Site Size
Key Characteristic

Hub-and-Spoke (Topic Cluster)
Content marketing, SaaS, publishers
50-500 pages
Bidirectional links between pillar and cluster articles

Silo Structure
E-commerce, directories, large enterprises
100+ categories
Vertical-only links within topic silos

Flat Architecture
Small sites, portfolios, startups
<100 pages
All pages within 2-3 clicks, cross-linked freely

Pyramid
News sites, large blogs, corporate
500+ pages
Top-down hierarchy, authority concentrates at top

Mesh/Matrix
Knowledge bases, wikis, help centers
Any
Free-form linking between any related pages

Key Metrics by Architecture

Metric
Hub-and-Spoke
Silo
Flat
Pyramid
Mesh

Target click depth
≤3
≤4
≤2
≤4
≤3

Internal links per page
5-10
3-7
8-15
3-5
8-15

Cross-section links
Many
Few
N/A
Some
Many

Authority distribution
Distributed to hubs
Top of silo
Even
Top-heavy
Even

Expected ROI from Architecture Changes

Change
Typical Impact
Timeline

Fix orphan pages
+15-30% traffic to those pages
2-4 weeks

Build first topic cluster
+10-25% traffic to cluster pages
4-8 weeks

Reduce click depth by 1 level
+5-15% crawl efficiency
2-6 weeks

Anchor text optimization
+5-10% ranking improvement
4-12 weeks

Full architecture migration
+20-50% overall organic traffic
3-6 months

Recommended for most sites: Hub-and-Spoke as the primary model, with silo-style isolation between unrelated topic areas.

Phase 1: Map the Current Structure

Before designing links, understand what exists:

Hub pages. Pages that aggregate links and distribute authority — homepage, category pages, pillar articles. List them.

Orphan pages. No incoming internal links from crawlable pages. They receive zero PageRank from the internal graph.

Link depth. How many clicks from the homepage does each important page require? Depth 4+ pages are effectively buried.

Anchor text. Repeated identical anchors are fine. Generic anchors ("click here", "read more") waste relevance signal.

Ask the user for their page list or sitemap, or work with what they describe.

Phase 2: Hub-and-Spoke Design

Hub Pages (pillar/category)

Linked from homepage or main navigation

Link out to all supporting pages in their cluster

Serve as authority redistribution nodes

Spoke Pages (supporting/cluster articles)

Receive at least 2-3 internal links from hub and sibling spokes

Always link back to their hub page

Link to 2-4 sibling spokes where contextually relevant

Never link to competing pages (same keyword intent)

Cross-Cluster Links

Only when there is genuine topical relevance

Use to signal E-E-A-T connections (e.g., case study → methodology page)

Limit to 1-2 per page to avoid diluting cluster coherence

Phase 3: Anchor Text Budget

For internal links, each page should receive anchor text in this distribution:

Anchor Type
Target Share
Example

Exact match
20-30%
"content decay detection"

Partial match
30-40%
"detecting when content decays"

Related/semantic
20-30%
"pages losing traffic"

Branded
5-10%
"our decay detection feature"

Generic
0-5%
"learn more"

Diversity improves relevance coverage for semantic search.

Phase 4: Orphan Page Resolution

For each orphan page, apply this decision tree:

Worth ranking? If no (thin, superseded), redirect to the closest relevant page. Stop.

Which cluster? Find the nearest hub page.

Which 2-3 existing pages would readers logically arrive from? These are injection points.

What anchor text fits naturally? Match the orphan page's target keyword.

Does the hub page need a content update to include a contextual reference?

Phase 5: Link Injection Plan

Produce a concrete action plan:

Source Page
Target Page
Suggested Anchor Text
Where on Source Page
Priority

/blog/seo-guide
/tools/keyword-research
"keyword research tool"
Under "Research Phase" heading
high

...
...
...
...
...

Priority = high if the target is a revenue-critical or high-intent page.

Output Format

Internal Link Audit: [domain]

Current State

Orphan pages: [count or list]

Average link depth for important pages: [value]

Hub pages identified: [list]

Anchor text diversity: [assessment]

Hub-and-Spoke Map
For each cluster: Hub → [Spoke 1, Spoke 2, Spoke 3 ...]

Link Injection Plan
[Table from Phase 5]

Anchor Text Fixes
Pages where anchor text is entirely generic and needs replacement.

Recommendations

Orphan pages that are revenue-critical — link them first

Pages at depth 4+ that should be at depth 2 — add shortcuts via hub pages

Clusters with weak internal connectivity — add sibling cross-links

Pages with 0-1 incoming links that are important for conversions

Pro Tip: Try the free Internal Link Finder
and Anchor Text Diversity tools at
seojuice.com. SEOJuice MCP users can run /seojuice:site-health for instant orphan page
detection, link depth distribution, and most-linked pages — the get_site_topology tool
maps your entire internal link graph automatically.