The playbook
Internal Linking: Template and Field Guide
This internal linking template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures source URL, target URL, anchor, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
An installation guide can link to a relevant maintenance guide when the reader reaches ongoing care. A service page can link to a project example beside its proof section. Keep the destination and anchor specific enough that the visitor can predict what will appear after clicking.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| source URL | Record the source URL associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| target URL | Record the target URL associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| anchor | Record the anchor associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| placement | Record the placement associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with source URL. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then find important pages with few contextual links. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, choose relevant source pages with useful surrounding text. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as adding large unrelated link blocks to every article, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, use descriptive anchors that explain the destination. Put place a small number of contextual links where they help a decision in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Adding large unrelated link blocks to every article |
| Action | Place a small number of contextual links where they help a decision |
| First check | Find important pages with few contextual links |
| Follow-up check | Use descriptive anchors that explain the destination |
| Outcome to define | important orphan pages remaining |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If target URL changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep important orphan pages remaining connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Search results and indexing decisions are not controlled by the publisher. Record what your team changed and what was observed afterward. Avoid turning a correlation between a release and a traffic change into a claim of proven causation.
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