When talking about e-commerce SEO, Category Pages are the most important. They bring in the most focused traffic to your store, guide customers further along the purchase funnel, and contribute to overall store success drives overall success. However, most overlook an important ranking technique with links.
Internal links provide more opportunities for search engines to understand your site’s hierarchy, document authority, improve indexing, and assist with navigation. In short, internal links are what allow e-commerce category pages to rank.
In this blog, we will take an in-depth look at the most effective internal linking strategies for e-commerce category pages, how to execute those strategies, and what to avoid going forward.
Why are Internal Links Crucial for E-Commerce Category Pages?
Before we get to the strategies, let’s first look at why internal links are important for category pages, especially.
✔Assists with Optimal Page Structure
Search engines, for the most part, are blind to your site. They will trickle through your internal links in a random order. While we use external links to guide Google to specific pages, we use internal links to show Google and visitors to your category pages in a particular order and to document hierarchy between categories, subcategories, and individual products.
✔Distributes Page Authority
Internal links sustain PageRank. They will trickle links downstream. Linking from high authority pages such as your home page, popular categories, and relevant posts, along with categories, will bolster the ranking potential of those category pages.
✔ Improves User Experience & Navigation
When visitors know that there are more options available, they don’t quickly leave a webpage as fast as they would without any suggested products. Instead, they will spend more time on that webpage, helping your rankings on search engines.
✔ Boosts Indexation for Large E-Commerce Sites
Also, on larger sites that have thousands or hundreds of products, suggested products can help your customers find what products they need quicker without having to navigate away from the page and search for products elsewhere.
Best Internal Linking Strategies for E-Commerce Category Pages
Here are the most effective ways to strengthen internal linking and improve category page visibility.
Link from the Homepage to Your Top Categories (Primary Authority Flow)
Your homepage usually has the strongest domain authority.
Linking your top categories directly from the homepage boosts:
- Crawl depth
- Importance signals
- Ranking potential
Where to add these links:
- Main navigation menu
- Mega menu
- Homepage featured categories
- Seasonal / trending product sections
Make sure your most profitable categories are always linked from the homepage.
2. Use Breadcrumb Navigation Across All Product & Category Pages
Breadcrumbs create:
- A clear hierarchical linking structure
- Context for search engines
- Easy navigation for users
Example:
Home → Electronics → Smartphones → Samsung Galaxy
Every step in the breadcrumb chain receives an internal link, boosting category-level authority.
Breadcrumbs are one of the simplest but most powerful internal linking strategies for e-commerce category pages.
3. Add “Related Categories” or “Shop More” Sections
At the bottom of each category page, include a:
- “Related Categories”
- “Shop Similar Collections”
- “Customers Also Viewed”
This creates cross-category linking, which:
- Helps users explore more
- Increases product discovery
- Passes link juice horizontally
This is especially helpful for stores with many similar product groups.
4. Link From Product Pages Back to Their Parent Category (Reverse Linking)
Often ignored but extremely important.
Every product page should link back to:
- Its main parent category
- Subcategory
- Related category groups
These reverse links strengthen the entire category section, signaling Google that the parent page is the most relevant “hub.”
5. Add Internal Links Within Category Descriptions (Keyword-Contextual Linking)
Most category pages include 150–300 words of SEO content.
Use this section to naturally link to:
- Subcategories
- Similar categories
- Buying guides
- Blog articles
This supports semantic relevance and provides extra ranking signals.
Example:
“As you explore our men’s running shoes, you may also like our collection of trail running shoes and lightweight marathon shoes.”
6. Link From Blog Posts to Relevant Category Pages (Content-to-Commerce Linking)
You should use your blog as a link-building asset.
Every relevant blog post should link to its matching category page.
Examples:
- “Best Smartphones in Nepal 2025” → links to /smartphones
- “How to Choose a Gaming Laptop” → links to /laptops/gaming
- “Top Winter Jackets” → links to /winter-wear
This anchors commercial categories with informational content—great for authority and rankings.
7. Create Topic Clusters for Category SEO
Treat each category like a content hub and build supporting blog posts around it.
For example, your “Smartphones” category can have cluster pages like:
- Best budget phones
- Best camera phones
- iPhone price guide
- Android vs iPhone
- Smartphone buying checklist
Each cluster page links back to the smartphone category page.
This forms a powerful “topic cluster” that improves topical authority.
8. Link Parent Categories to Subcategories Strategically
Make sure parent categories link to relevant subcategories to form a pyramid structure.
Example:
Electronics → Mobiles → Smartphones → Samsung
This improves:
- Crawl depth
- Indexation
- User journey consistency
Google loves a logical hierarchy.
9. Use Pagination Smartly With Proper Internal Linking
If your category has multiple pages (Page 1, Page 2, Page 3), ensure:
- Pagination links are crawlable
- Page 1 links to Page 2
- Page 2 links to Page 1 & Page 3
This prevents orphaned product pages and helps crawl bots navigate deeper.
10. Avoid Orphaned Category Pages
Any category without internal links will not rank.
Audit your site regularly to ensure:
- Every category receives links from at least 3 places
- No category is buried deeper than 3–4 clicks
- Category pages are included in sitemaps
Tools to help:
- Screaming Frog
- Ahrefs Site Audit
- Google Search Console (Coverage report)
Internal Linking Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Linking only through menus
Menus are good for navigation, but they are not enough for SEO.
❌ Using generic anchor text
Avoid “click here” or “view more.”
Use descriptive anchors like:
- “best budget Android phones”
- “men’s sports shoes”
❌ Creating too many links
Too many links dilute authority. Keep it clean and relevant.
❌ Ignoring mobile layout
Ensure internal links are visible and clickable on mobile UI.
Final Thoughts
Mastering internal linking strategies for e-commerce category pages helps your site rank faster, improves user experience, and strengthens your entire site’s architecture.
Category pages are your commercial powerhouses—give them the internal links they need to perform.
If you implement even half of these strategies, you’ll notice improvements in:
- Rankings
- Crawl efficiency
- Conversion paths
- Organic traffic
Also, don’t forget to check our case study on Ecommerce Brand Growth.
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