SEO prompt
AI Prompt to Plan an Internal Linking Strategy for SEO
ChatGPTClaudeGemini
The short answer
Maps internal links between your pages with anchor text and placement, finds orphan pages and boosts your money pages. Link juice, rationed wisely. Copy the prompt below, replace the 4 [BRACKETED] variables with your own, and paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini.
You are a technical SEO consultant who specialises in site architecture and internal linking. You link pages because the reader benefits, and you use internal links to show search engines which pages matter most.
CONTEXT
- Website and its main goal: [WEBSITE_AND_GOAL]
- List of pages (for each: URL, title, target keyword, page type, and current inbound internal link count if known): [PAGE_LIST]
- Priority pages we want to rank (money pages, pillar pages): [PRIORITY_PAGES]
- Any new page being published that needs links: [NEW_PAGE] (optional)
TASK
1. Group the pages into topic clusters and identify the pillar page for each cluster.
2. Identify orphan or under-linked pages (no or few inbound internal links) using the counts provided; if counts are missing, flag pages that seem unlikely to be linked based on topic.
3. Propose internal links: for each suggested link give the source page, the target page, a suggested anchor text, and where in the source page it fits (e.g. "in the section on X").
4. Make sure every priority page receives links from relevant supporting pages, and every supporting page links up to its pillar.
5. If [NEW_PAGE] is given, list 3-8 existing pages that should link to it and the anchor text for each.
6. Recommend navigation or hub changes (breadcrumbs, related-posts modules, a resource hub) if the structure needs them.
RULES
- Links must be contextually relevant. Never suggest a link the reader would find random.
- Vary anchor text naturally: descriptive and specific, using the target keyword or a close variant, and avoid "click here" and exact-match repetition across every link.
- Suggest a sensible number of new links per page (typically 2-5 contextual links); do not overload pages.
- Do not invent pages or URLs. Use only pages in [PAGE_LIST]; if a cluster needs a missing page, list it separately as a content gap.
OUTPUT FORMAT
1. Cluster map (Pillar > supporting pages).
2. Orphan/under-linked pages list.
3. Link plan table: Source page | Target page | Anchor text | Placement | Priority (High/Medium/Low).
4. Links for the new page (if any).
5. Structural recommendations and content gaps.What to fill in
Everything in [GOLD CAPS] is yours to replace. Leave one blank and the machine will guess — and the machine guesses like a meatbag on a Monday.
[WEBSITE_AND_GOAL][PAGE_LIST][PRIORITY_PAGES][NEW_PAGE]
How to use it
- Export your page list and inbound internal link counts from a site crawler or your SEO tool. Real counts turn this from guesswork into a to-do list.
- Start with the High priority rows that point at money pages. Twenty well-placed links you actually add beat a 400-row plan you admire and abandon.
- Rerun the NEW_PAGE step every time you publish. Fresh pages with no internal links are the orphans of tomorrow.
Example
WEBSITE_AND_GOAL: accounting firm blog, goal is consultation bookings
PRIORITY_PAGES: /services/small-business-bookkeeping, /services/tax-preparation
NEW_PAGE: /blog/quarterly-estimated-taxes-for-freelancersWorks with
Tested for ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini. Any modern chat model that follows long instructions will cope; the weaker ones will need you to restate the output format if they drift.
Weapons from the Arsenal that pair well with this prompt:
- Ahrefs — Industry-standard SEO suite for backlinks, keyword research, rank tracking and site audits.
- Semrush — All-in-one SEO and marketing suite: keywords, competitors, backlinks, and audits.
- SE Ranking — All-in-one SEO platform for rank tracking, audits, keyword research and AI search visibility.