How to optimize internal linking to category pages in BigCommerce

Internal linking is one of the most powerful yet underutilized SEO tactics for BigCommerce store owners. When implemented strategically, internal links to category pages can significantly improve your site’s search visibility, user experience, and conversion rates. Let’s explore how to set up and optimize this crucial aspect of your BigCommerce store.

Why category page internal linking matters

Before diving into implementation, let’s understand why category page internal linking deserves your attention:

1. Improved crawlability - Internal links help search engines discover and index your category pages more efficiently, ensuring your entire product catalog gets proper visibility
2. Distribution of link equity - Links from high-authority pages boost the ranking potential of your category pages, creating a network of value throughout your site
3. Enhanced user navigation - A logical linking structure guides shoppers to relevant product collections, reducing friction in the shopping journey
4. Reduced bounce rates - Strategic internal links keep visitors engaged on your site longer, increasing the chance of conversion

Setting up effective internal linking in BigCommerce

Step 1: Optimize your URL structure

Before creating internal links, ensure your category URLs are optimized:

1. Navigate to Store Setup → URL Structure in your BigCommerce admin
2. Select short, clean URLs (e.g., /category-name/) rather than longer formats
3. Ensure category URLs include relevant keywords

According to BigCommerce’s technical SEO documentation, “Auto-populated SEO-friendly URLs improve crawlability and rankings.” This small configuration change creates a foundation for more effective internal linking.

Step 2: Create a strategic linking hierarchy

Implement a silo structure to organize your internal links hierarchically:

Homepage → Primary Category → Subcategory → Product

This clear hierarchy helps both search engines and users understand content relationships and navigate your store intuitively. Think of it as creating pathways through your store that mirror how customers naturally shop – moving from broad categories to specific products.

Step 3: Optimize anchor text for category links

The text you use for your links (anchor text) significantly impacts SEO performance:

Do:

• Use descriptive anchor text (e.g., “Shop our summer dress collection”)
• Vary anchor text naturally while maintaining relevance
• Include target keywords where appropriate without forcing them

Don’t:

• Use generic phrases like “click here” or “learn more”
• Overstuff with keywords, which can trigger search penalties
• Use identical anchor text for multiple different destinations

Good anchor text serves as a preview of what users will find when they click, while also signaling relevance to search engines. It’s both a usability and SEO consideration.

Strategic places to add category page links

1. Navigation menus

Your primary navigation is the most visible location for category links:

• Include major categories in your main navigation
• Consider a “mega menu” for stores with many categories
• Ensure mobile-friendly navigation with touch-friendly links

Navigation menus appear on every page, making them powerful tools for distributing link equity across your most important category pages. According to Groove Commerce’s BigCommerce SEO guide, well-structured navigation is a key factor in both user experience and search performance.

2. Homepage featured sections

Your homepage carries significant authority - leverage it:

• Create featured category blocks or carousels
• Use compelling imagery with direct category links
• Rotate seasonal or promotional categories

Your homepage typically has the highest authority of any page on your site. Links from here pass valuable “link juice” to your category pages, boosting their potential to rank well.

3. Within blog content

Blog articles provide excellent opportunities for contextual linking:

• Naturally reference relevant categories within content
• Link to categories when discussing related products or collections
• Create content hubs centered around high-value categories

For example, an article about “Summer Fashion Trends” could naturally link to your “Summer Dresses” and “Beach Accessories” categories, providing valuable context for both readers and search engines.

CrocoAI’s content hub builder helps BigCommerce stores create structured content hubs around high-value category pages, improving topical relevance and search rankings.

4. Footer links

Footer links appear on every page, making them valuable for SEO:

• Include links to your most important category pages
• Organize by product type, collection, or customer segment
• Keep the footer clean and organized for user experience

While not as prominent as main navigation, footer links help search engines understand your site structure and provide users with additional navigation options.

5. Breadcrumbs

Enable breadcrumb navigation to reinforce your category hierarchy:

1. Go to Storefront → Theme Editor
2. Ensure breadcrumbs are enabled in your theme settings
3. Verify they follow your logical category structure

Breadcrumbs not only help users track their location within your store, but they also create additional internal linking opportunities that reinforce your site’s hierarchical structure to search engines.

Technical implementation tips

Managing category page metadata

Optimize metadata for each category to strengthen internal linking effectiveness:

1. Navigate to Products → Product Categories → Edit → SEO
2. Create unique titles and descriptions for each category
3. Include relevant keywords without overstuffing

As noted in PageGenie’s BigCommerce SEO guide, properly optimized metadata helps search engines understand the content and context of your category pages, making your internal links more meaningful.

Using BigCommerce’s built-in features

Take advantage of BigCommerce’s native functionality:

• Related products - Configure automatic related product displays that link back to parent categories
• Recently viewed - Enable this feature to encourage category exploration
• Product comparison - Allow shoppers to compare products across categories

These features not only improve user experience but also create additional internal linking opportunities throughout your store.

Monitoring and maintaining links

Regularly audit your internal links to prevent issues:

• Use Google Search Console to identify crawl errors
• Check for broken links that may harm user experience and SEO
• Update links when categories change or are removed

Webyking’s BigCommerce SEO best practices emphasizes that broken links can significantly damage your SEO efforts, making regular maintenance a necessity rather than an option.

Common pitfalls to avoid

• Orphaned pages - Category pages with no internal links pointing to them become virtually invisible to both users and search engines
• Over-linking - Too many links on a single page dilute SEO value and can confuse users with too many choices
• Inconsistent navigation - Changing navigation structures that confuse users and disrupt search engine understanding
• Link depth issues - Requiring too many clicks to reach important categories buries valuable content
• Mobile neglect - Links that work on desktop but create problems on mobile devices, where most shopping occurs today

Measuring the impact of your internal linking strategy

Track these key metrics to gauge effectiveness:

• Organic traffic to category pages via Google Analytics
• Click-through rates on internal links
• Time on site and pages per session
• Conversion rates from category pages
• Crawl stats in Google Search Console

Monitoring these metrics helps you identify which linking strategies are working and which need refinement. BigCommerce’s own SEO resources suggest that regular analysis of these metrics is essential for continuous improvement.

Advanced internal linking tactics

Create topical clusters

Group related content around central category pages:

1. Identify your most valuable category pages
2. Create supporting content that links to these hub pages
3. Cross-link related content to build topical authority

This “content hub” approach mirrors how search engines understand topics and helps establish your store as an authority in specific product categories.

Prioritize high-conversion categories

Not all categories deserve equal internal linking attention:

• Analyze which categories drive the most revenue
• Increase internal links to high-margin product collections
• Create seasonal linking strategies for timely categories

By directing more internal links to your most profitable categories, you can focus your SEO efforts where they’ll have the greatest business impact.

Conclusion

Effective internal linking to category pages is a powerful SEO and user experience strategy for BigCommerce stores. By implementing a strategic linking hierarchy, optimizing anchor text, and leveraging BigCommerce’s built-in features, you can significantly improve your store’s search visibility and conversion potential.

Start by auditing your current internal linking structure, then implement these tactics methodically, measuring results as you go. With consistent effort, your category pages will gain authority, visibility, and revenue-generating power.

Consider how an automated approach could streamline your content and internal linking strategy. Tools like CrocoAI can help build structured content hubs around your high-value categories, automatically implementing many of the best practices covered in this guide.