Hub and spoke internal linking, with diagrams

Why structure matters

Google finds pages by following links and uses those links to understand what pages are about (Google Search Central, Link best practices). Google's SEO Starter Guide also suggests grouping related pages, for example in folders by topic, so the site is easy to understand.

Hub and spoke is not a Google feature or a ranking rule. It is a simple way to make sure that:

• every page on a topic has at least one link from a related page,
• related pages pass readers to each other in a sensible order,
• no useful page ends up orphaned.

What a hub is (and is not)

A hub is a real page that a reader would want: an overview of one topic, with a short explanation and a link to each deeper page.

Diagram: hub and spoke

                 [ Hub: Hiking boots guide ]
                /        |         |        \
     [Boot fit]  [Waterproofing]  [Break-in]  [Product: trail boots]
          \______________/
     (spoke to spoke only where a reader goes next)

Arrows go both ways between the hub and each spoke. Spoke to spoke links are rare and on purpose.

Diagram: step pages for multi-part guides

When a task spans several pages, link them in order:

[Overview: plan a thru-hike] -> [Step 1: choose a trail] -> [Step 2: get permits] -> [Step 3: resupply plan]
          ^____________________ each step links back to the overview ____________________|

Each step links to the next ("Next: get permits") and back to the overview. The anchor names the next step, not "Next page".

The four linking rules

1. Hub to every spoke. The hub links to each page on the topic, with a sentence that says why you would read it.
2. Every spoke back to the hub. One clear link near the top or bottom, using the hub's topic as the anchor ("hiking boots guide").
3. Spoke to spoke only when it helps. The fit page links to break-in, because a reader who just bought boots needs it next. It does not link to every other spoke.
4. Spokes to money pages. Guides link to the product or service they help sell. This is where most sites lose value: great guides that never link to what you sell.

How to pick a hub topic from Search Console

You do not need a keyword tool. Use your own data:

1. Open Performance > Search results, last 3 months, Queries tab.
2. Look for a word that appears in many queries: "boots", "whitening", "invoice template".
3. Filter Query by that word, then open the Pages tab.
4. If 4 or more of your pages show up, you have a topic. If none of them is an overview, that overview is your missing hub.

Worked example (fictional site)

northwind-outdoors.com had 9 posts about hiking boots and a boots category page. None linked to each other except through the blog index. Filtering Performance by "boots" showed all 9 posts getting impressions, but most sat on page 2. The team turned the boots category into the hub: a 300-word intro on choosing boots, then a short section with a link to each of the 9 guides. Each guide got one link back to the category ("hiking boots") and one link to a related product. Three guides got a "next step" link: fit to break-in, break-in to waterproofing. They then compared impressions and clicks for each page 4 weeks later in Search Console.

Our internal linking playbook walks through this same example link by link.

Common mistakes