> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.get-ryze.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Internal linking

> How internal links distribute authority and enable discovery across an ecommerce site, and the linking patterns that actually move rankings.

Internal links do two jobs: they let crawlers discover pages, and they distribute authority between them. On large catalogues they are the main determinant of which pages get indexed at all.

## The rules that matter

**Every page should be reachable within about three clicks** of the homepage. Deeper pages are crawled less and rank worse.

**No orphans.** A page with no internal links pointing at it is effectively invisible, even if it is in the sitemap. Sitemaps aid discovery; links confer value.

**Link to canonical URLs.** Linking through collection paths or parameter URLs sends mixed signals even when canonicals are correct.

**Descriptive anchor text.** "Waterproof hiking boots" tells a crawler what the destination is about. "Click here" and "read more" tell it nothing.

## Patterns that work on ecommerce sites

| pattern                                | purpose                                               |
| -------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Category → subcategory → product       | The primary crawl path                                |
| Related products on product pages      | Distributes authority laterally through the catalogue |
| Articles → relevant category           | Sends editorial authority to commercial pages         |
| Breadcrumbs on every page              | A second structural path, marked up with schema       |
| Cross-links between related categories | Connects otherwise isolated branches                  |

**Articles should link to categories more often than to individual products.** Categories are the commercial pages, they persist while products come and go, and they pass authority down to products anyway.

## Where authority concentrates

The homepage holds the most authority, and it flows outward through links. Practical consequences:

* Pages linked from the homepage and main navigation receive the most
* Pages reachable only through pagination or search receive very little
* Linking to everything from everywhere dilutes the signal about what matters

Be deliberate: the navigation should point at the categories you actually want to rank.

## Common failures

* **Products only reachable through filters.** Filter URLs are usually blocked, so those products are unreachable.
* **Related-product modules rendered by JavaScript.** If links are not in the served HTML, many crawlers will not follow them.
* **Broken links to deleted products** accumulating over time.
* **Every article linking to the homepage** rather than to the relevant category.
* **Deep pagination as the only route** to most of the catalogue.

## What Ryze does

Ryze audits internal linking during the [technical audit](/ecommerce/technical-audit), identifies orphan pages, and ships internal linking adjustments with approval. Generated articles are published with internal links to your key pages rather than as isolated content.

## Related

* [Ecommerce site structure](/ecommerce/site-structure)
* [Crawl budget](/concepts/crawl-budget)