--- description: "Use when the user asks to \"fix internal linking\" or \"find orphan pages\"; maps link architecture, authority flow, anchor text, and crawl depth, then delivers a prioritized source/target/anchor plan. Not for external backlinks — use backlink-analyzer. 内链优化/站内架构" --- # 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](../../references/skill-contract.md). ```text 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](../../references/skill-contract.md). ## Data Sources Uses ~~web crawler and ~~analytics when connected; otherwise asks user for sitemap, key page URLs, and content categories. See [CONNECTORS.md](../../CONNECTORS.md) and [SECURITY.md §Scraping Boundaries](../../SECURITY.md). **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](../../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](references/link-architecture-patterns.md); 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](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](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](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](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](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](references/link-architecture-patterns.md), 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](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](references/link-architecture-patterns.md) — Architecture models, selection thresholds, migration safeguards, and measurement targets - [Linking Templates](references/linking-templates.md) — Detailed output templates for steps 3-7 - [Linking Example](references/linking-example.md) — Full worked example for internal linking opportunities ## Next Best Skill Primary: [on-page-seo-auditor](../on-page-seo-auditor/SKILL.md) — verify that revised internal links support page-level goals.