Internal Linking Optimizer

Internal Linking Optimizer

Analyzes internal link structure, authority flow, orphan pages, anchor text, and topic clusters, then delivers a prioritized linking plan with source/target/anchor recommendations.

Quick Start

Start with one of these prompts, then finish with the standard handoff summary from Skill Contract.

Analyze internal linking structure for [domain/sitemap]
Find internal linking opportunities for [URL]
Create internal linking plan for topic cluster about [topic]
Suggest internal links for this new article: [content/URL]
Find orphan pages on [domain]
Optimize anchor text across the site

Skill Contract

Expected output: a scored diagnosis, prioritized repair plan, and a short handoff summary ready for memory/audits/.

• Reads: sitemap or page list, key page URLs, content categories, and article/URL to link from.
• Writes: a user-facing linking plan plus a reusable summary that can be stored under memory/audits/.
• Promotes: blocking defects, repeated weaknesses, fix priorities, and pending decisions to memory/open-loops.md.
• Done when: orphan pages are listed with a disposition; anchor distribution is checked against thresholds; a prioritized source/target/anchor plan and handoff summary are produced.
• Primary next skill: use the Next Best Skill below when the repair path is clear.

Handoff Summary

Emit the standard shape from skill-contract.md §Handoff Summary Format.

Data Sources

Uses ~~web crawler and ~~analytics when connected; otherwise asks user for sitemap, key page URLs, and content categories. See CONNECTORS.md and SECURITY.md §Scraping Boundaries.

Zero-dependency local helper (no tool needed): python3 "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/connectors/crawl.py" <url> | python3 "${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/connectors/linkgraph.py" - computes orphans, click-depth, and internal PageRank from a live crawl. See scripts/connectors/README.md.

Instructions

Label every metric Measured (tool/export), User-provided, or Estimated (model inference); never present an estimate as measured; if a required metric is unavailable, mark it N/A — do not invent it.

When a user requests internal linking optimization:

1. Analyze Current Structure — Capture domain, pages analyzed, total internal links, average links/page, link distribution, top linked pages, under-linked important pages, and a structure score /100 (start at 100; −10 per orphan page, −5 per important page deeper than 3 clicks, −5 per page with 0 inbound contextual links, −10 if avg links/page is outside the architecture model's target range in Link Architecture Patterns; floor 0). Flag crawl-depth and authority-flow problems.
2. Identify Orphan Pages — List pages with no inbound internal links. Prioritize high-value orphans with traffic/rankings, medium-potential pages that need category/tag links, and low-value pages to delete, noindex, or redirect.
3. Analyze Anchor Text Distribution — Check current anchor patterns, distribution by page, over-optimization, generic anchors, and CORE-EEAT R08 alignment. Anchor Score /10 and thresholds are defined in the Step 3 template.

   Reference: references/linking-templates.md contains the Step 3 output template.

4. Create Topic Cluster Link Strategy — Map pillar/cluster links, recommend structure, and list specific links to add.

   Reference: references/linking-templates.md contains the Step 4 template.

5. Find Contextual Link Opportunities — For each page, identify topic-relevant source/target/anchor opportunities and prioritize high-impact additions.

   Reference: references/linking-templates.md contains the Step 5 template.

6. Optimize Navigation and Footer Links — Review main/footer/sidebar/breadcrumb navigation; recommend pages to add, demote, or remove.

   Reference: references/linking-templates.md contains the Step 6 template.

7. Generate Implementation Plan — Include executive summary, current-state metrics, phased priority actions, implementation guide, and tracking plan.

   Reference: references/linking-templates.md contains the Step 7 template.

Decision Gates

Stop and ask the user when:

• A high-value orphan must be deleted, noindexed, or redirected and its traffic/ranking value is unknown — state what you see and ask: (1) keep and add links, (2) noindex, (3) 301-redirect to the nearest relevant page.

Continue silently (never stop for):

• Which architecture model to apply — infer it from site type and page count using Link Architecture Patterns, state the choice, and proceed.
• No crawler/analytics data — work from the provided sitemap or page list, label inferred metrics Estimated, and proceed.
• A low-value orphan with no traffic — recommend the default disposition (noindex or redirect) without stopping.

Example

User: "Find internal linking opportunities for my blog post on 'email marketing best practices'"

Output: 5 high-value links with source paragraph, destination URL, recommended anchor text, and priority. Example targets might include list-building, subject-line, segmentation, automation, and tools pages.

Reference: See references/linking-example.md for the full worked example.

Save Results

Ask to save results; if yes, write a dated summary to memory/audits/internal-linking-optimizer/YYYY-MM-DD-<topic>.md. Hand off veto-level risks to the auditor gate before any hot-cache marker.

Reference Materials

• Link Architecture Patterns — Architecture models, selection thresholds, migration safeguards, and measurement targets
• Linking Templates — Detailed output templates for steps 3-7
• Linking Example — Full worked example for internal linking opportunities

Next Best Skill

Primary: on-page-seo-auditor — verify that revised internal links support page-level goals.