Every backlink a Shopify store earns flows into the site. From there, internal links spread it around. Say your homepage earns 50 backlinks but never links to your collection or product pages. All that authority just sits at the front door. The pages that need to rank get nothing. Collection pages rank for category searches. Product pages rank for specific product searches. A good shopify internal linking strategy sends authority to those pages on purpose.

Internal links do more than spread authority. They also give Google a map of your store. Picture a product page buried three levels deep in the menu. Googlebot can barely find it. The page is too far from the start, so it gets little attention. A clear internal linking plan fixes both problems at once.

Why does internal linking matter for Shopify SEO specifically?

Shopify stores have a built-in linking problem. Products sit inside collections. Collections live in the menu. But most stores never add real text links between related products, collections, and blog posts. So authority pools at the top. It piles up on the homepage and main menu. It never reaches the pages that need to rank for sales-driven searches.

What anchor text should I use for Shopify internal links?

Anchor text is the clickable text of a link. It tells Google what the linked page is about. It also signals which keywords that page should rank for. So use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text. Skip generic phrases like "click here," "learn more," or "shop now." These tell Google nothing about the page.

Some Shopify stores link to the contact page more than any other page from the homepage. Not the top collection. Not the best seller. The contact page. Internal links are a choice, not a default. Build the map you want Google to follow.

How to use blog content as an internal linking engine

Shopify's blog is one of the most underused linking tools on the platform. A good blog post can rank for how-to searches. Think "how to care for leather goods" or "what to look for in a leather wallet." That post brings in traffic. It also passes authority to your product and collection pages through links inside the text. Every post should link to at least two or three related product or collection pages. But keep the links natural and useful for the buyer. Do not force them.

The hub-and-spoke model works well for Shopify content. First, write one deep "pillar" post on a broad topic. For example, "The Complete Guide to Leather Goods Care." Link from it to product pages, collection pages, and smaller blog posts. Then each of those spoke pages links back to the pillar. This builds a content cluster. The cluster concentrates topical authority. That is the signal AI search and Google's topic model reward most in 2026. For the collection page half of this system, read how to optimize Shopify collection pages for SEO. Keep reading: how much does SEO cost for a small business · what is technical SEO.

How to audit your current Shopify internal link structure

Run a free crawl with Screaming Frog. It covers up to 500 URLs. It maps every internal link on your store. It also shows which pages have the most inlinks. Inlinks are internal links that point to a page. Your homepage will rank first. That is normal. Now check your top commercial pages. Do your main collection pages and best sellers show up in the top 10 to 20 most-linked pages? If your contact page or about page beats them on inlinks, you have a structure problem worth fixing.

How deep should pages be in a Shopify store's link hierarchy?

Google suggests keeping important pages within three clicks of the homepage. On Shopify, homepage to collection to product is two clicks. That is ideal. Homepage to collection to sub-collection to product is three clicks. That is fine. But say a product takes four steps to reach. It is unlikely to get much crawl attention or authority. Surface deep pages by linking to them straight from collection text, blog posts, or the homepage.

Should I link between collections that are in different categories on my Shopify store?

Yes, if the link helps the buyer. Someone browsing leather wallets may also want leather card holders or leather belts. These cross-category links are natural and useful. What to avoid is linking collections with no real connection, just to spread authority. Google is sensitive to link patterns that look manipulative rather than helpful. Here is a simple test. Would a buyer actually benefit from this link? If yes, add it. If you add it only for SEO and it would confuse a buyer, skip it.

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