Ecommerce Internal Linking Audit Checklist
Internal links shape how products are discovered and ranked. This checklist helps ecommerce sites optimise structure, crawlability, and conversions.
Pages Crawlability & Discoverability
- Are all category and subcategory pages linked from the main navigation or mega menu?
- Are product pages accessible within 3 clicks from the homepage or primary category pages?
- Do orphan product or landing pages exist, and have they been identified and addressed?
- Are filters and faceted navigation creating crawlable URLs that may lead to duplicate or thin content?
- Are internal links within JavaScript-based components (e.g., sliders, dropdowns) crawlable?
- Are internal links pointing to noindexed, expired, or out-of-stock product pages unnecessarily?
Product & Category
Link Strategy
- Are high-margin or high-converting products linked prominently across the site (e.g., via “featured”, “trending”, or “recommended” sections)?
- Do top-selling or seasonal categories receive prominent internal links from homepages and editorial content?
- Are similar or complementary products linked via “related products” or “customers also bought” sections?
- Is there an internal linking strategy for newly added products to get early visibility and indexing?
- Are low-stock, discontinued, or redirected products still receiving internal links?
Anchor Text & Link Context
- Are product and category links using keyword-rich but natural anchor text (e.g., “men’s waterproof jackets” instead of “click here”)?
- Do blog articles, buying guides, or FAQs internally link to relevant category or product pages?
- Is internal anchor text optimised differently for desktop and mobile views where necessary?
- Are breadcrumb trails implemented and crawlable to support contextual linking and hierarchy?
UX & Conversion Considerations
- Are internal links structured to support the customer journey (e.g., from category to subcategory to product to checkout)?
- Do internal links support both SEO and conversion (e.g., pointing to bestsellers, bundles, or cross-sells)?
- Are overly aggressive or cluttered internal link sections (e.g., carousels, auto-inserts) creating a poor user experience?
- Are filters and sort options implemented in a way that doesn’t flood internal link graphs with non-valuable URLs?
Link Health & Maintenance
- Are internal links pointing to live, indexable product URLs — not redirects or broken pages?
- Have discontinued or out-of-stock product URLs been updated, removed, or replaced in internal links?
- Is internal linking updated regularly when URLs change due to migration, relaunch, or re-categorisation?
- Have 404s caused by internal links been tracked and resolved promptly?
Content-Driven Internal Linking
- Do buying guides, product comparisons, and evergreen blog posts include strategic internal links to relevant commercial pages?
- Are FAQs and support content internally linked to product, category, or feature pages?
- Has content clustering been used to connect editorial content with product discovery (e.g., “Best Running Shoes 2025”)?
- Are newly published blog articles internally linked from older high-performing pages?
Faceted Navigation & Crawl Budget
- Are filter-generated URLs properly canonicalised or disallowed to prevent crawl bloat?
- Are key filter combinations (e.g., high-converting styles or price points) internally linked and indexable where relevant?
- Have crawl traps caused by faceted links been identified and managed?
A strategic internal linking setup ensures that both search engines and shoppers find the right products quickly. Audit regularly to improve visibility, UX, and sales.
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