How to Add Internal Links in WordPress

To add an internal link in WordPress, select the words in the block editor, press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac), type part of the post's title, and pick it from the search results. Typing [[ in a paragraph does the same in one step. Leave nofollow and "open in new tab" off for your own pages.

You just finished a new post, and you know three older articles should point to it. You open the first one, select a phrase, and then go hunting in another tab for the new post's URL to paste in. There's a faster way built into the editor, and a couple of habits that make the links worth more.

How do I link to another post in the block editor?

Use the link search in the editor's toolbar; you never need to copy a URL. WordPress's link editing documentation says the link dialog lets you "search for pages, posts, attachments, or images on your own website or type a URL."

Step 1: Select the anchor text

Highlight the words that describe the page you're linking to. Pick a phrase a reader would understand on its own, such as "how to check internal links", rather than "here". What is anchor text explains why the words matter.

Step 2: Open the link dialog

Click the link icon in the block toolbar or press Ctrl+K (⌘+K on a Mac).

Step 3: Search for the post

"Start typing a keyword, page title, or post title to search for content on your site," as the documentation puts it. Choose the right result and press Enter. The link is created with the post's current permalink.

Step 4: Check the settings

Leave "Open in new tab" off for internal links; readers expect to stay on your site. Leave "Mark as nofollow" off too. Nofollowing your own pages only makes them harder for Google to discover.

Is there a faster shortcut?

Yes: type [[ inside a paragraph. WordPress's keyboard shortcuts page describes it as a trigger for the "autocompleter for internal links". Keep typing the post title, pick it from the list, and WordPress inserts the link with the post's title as the anchor. Edit the anchor afterwards if the full title is too long for the sentence.

Two more shortcuts from the same page help when editing links: Ctrl+Shift+K (⇧+⌘+K) removes a link, and pasting a URL over selected text turns that text into a link.

How do I link to a section of a page?

Give the heading an anchor, then link to it with a #. In the block editor, select the heading block, open Advanced in the block settings sidebar and fill in HTML anchor (for example fix-broken-links). Then link to /your-post/#fix-broken-links from another post, or just #fix-broken-links from the same post. The link editing documentation lists #contact-style links among the supported formats.

Section links are useful for long guides: they send the reader straight to the answer and give Google a clearer signal of what that part of the page covers.

Why won't the link search find my posts?

Usually because the post isn't published yet or the post type isn't exposed to the editor. Three causes cover most cases.

The post is a draft or scheduled

The search only returns content that exists at a URL. Publish the target first, or paste its future URL and check it once it goes live.

The post type is hidden from the editor

Custom post types built by a theme or plugin must be registered with show_in_rest enabled to appear in block editor searches. If you see pages and posts but not, say, your "Guides" type, ask the developer to enable it.

You typed a URL with an error

WordPress checks the format but, per its documentation, "does not confirm that the destination page exists". A typo in a pasted URL creates a broken link without any warning, which is the main reason to prefer the search over pasting.

How many internal links should a WordPress post have?

As many as genuinely help the reader; there is no fixed number. Google's link guidelines say there is no "magical ideal number" of links per page, and that "every page you care about should have a link from at least one other page on your site." As a working example, a 1,000-word post might link to related posts 3 or 4 times in the body text.

Two habits matter more than the count:

Link back from older posts. Every time you publish, add a link to the new post from two or three strong, related older posts. New posts are the ones most likely to be orphaned.
Check links after changing slugs. WordPress usually redirects an old slug after you change it, but a direct link to the new URL is cleaner. A crawler or the tools in best internal linking tools will list the ones to update.

Plugins such as Yoast SEO Premium, Rank Math and Link Whisper can suggest links as you write, but the built-in search is enough for most sites. Internal links share the authority your site already has; links from other sites add to it, and Backlinkster is one way to trade those with related sites.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add an internal link in WordPress?

Select the text, press Ctrl+K (Cmd+K on a Mac), start typing the title of the post or page you want, and choose it from the results. You can also type [[ in a paragraph to search for a post and insert the link in one step.

Should internal links open in a new tab?

No, as a rule. Readers expect internal links to open in the same tab, and the back button gets them where they were. Keep "Open in new tab" for links to other sites, if you use it at all.

Should I nofollow internal links in WordPress?

No. Nofollow tells Google not to follow the link, which makes your own pages harder to find. Leave "Mark as nofollow" off for links to your own content.

How do I add internal links in the classic editor?

The classic editor has its own insert-link button in the toolbar, with a search for existing content. The steps are the same: select text, open the link box, search for the post and apply. If your site still uses it, the block editor's [[ shortcut won't be available.

Do I need a plugin to add internal links in WordPress?

No. The built-in link search finds any published post or page. Plugins add suggestions and reports, which help on large sites, but they don't create a better link than one you place yourself.