Internal linking for UK schools
Internal Linking Strategies for UK Schools: Step-by-Step Silo Building, Anchors & Measurement
Published by SEO for Schools • Author: Paul Delaney
This is a complete how-to for non-specialist editors, web managers and MAT leaders. You’ll build topic silos and task hubs, standardise anchor text, install related-links modules, fix orphan pages, and prove impact in Google Search Console. The examples focus on high-intent parent tasks: Term Dates, Admissions, Absence, Safeguarding, Uniform and Contact.
Targets at a glance
Clicks to any key task
Canonical hub per task
High-quality internal links to each hub
Orphan pages in a silo
Foundation: what makes a link “SEO-useful”
- Crawlable (
<a href="…">, not a click-only script). Google explicitly asks for crawlable links. Reference: Google — Make your links crawlable - Descriptive anchor (“Report a pupil absence”) so the destination’s purpose is clear to users and search engines. Reference: GOV. UK — Links guidance • MDN — Link accessibility
- Contextually placed near relevant copy (not just a giant footer list). Context adds meaning.
- Connected to a canonical hub so signals consolidate rather than fragment across duplicates.
Blueprint: silos vs hub-and-spoke (and when to use each)
Hub-and-spoke is perfect for tasks: one evergreen hub (e.g., “Term Dates 2025/26 & INSET Days”) with spokes (e.g., downloadable calendar, events, FAQs). Spokes link back to the hub in the first paragraph.
Silos are structured topic clusters with a one-way emphasis: links primarily flow up to the hub and across within the topic, not randomly to other topics. They are ideal when a subject has depth (Admissions → How to Apply, Key Dates, In-Year, Appeals, Sixth Form).
| Use case | Choose | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Task with limited depth (Term Dates) | Hub-and-spoke | Clear single destination; avoid page sprawl |
| Complex subject (Admissions) | Silo | Multiple subtopics; needs structured internal links |
| Trust-wide policies | Dual: Trust hub + school spokes | Canonical trust versions with school-specific summaries |
Build a silo in 90 minutes (step-by-step)
This example builds an Admissions silo. Repeat the same process for Absence, Uniform, or Safeguarding.
- Choose the canonical hub page. URL like
/admissions/. Title: “Admissions: How to Apply for [YEAR] | [School]”. Ensure it answers the main tasks in plain English. Reference: Google — Helpful content - List spokes (4–8). Example set:
- Admissions Key Dates & Timetable
- In-Year Admissions
- Admissions Appeals & Outcomes
- Open Evenings & Visits
- Sixth Form Entry Requirements
- Catchment & Oversubscription
- Wire the core links.
- From the hub, link to every spoke in the body copy (not just a button grid). Use short, descriptive anchors.
- From each spoke, link to the hub in the first paragraph with consistent anchor text: “Admissions at [School]”.
- Cross-link relevant spokes (e.g., Open Evenings ↔ Sixth Form ↔ Key Dates).
- Add entry points. Place text links to Admissions in: homepage intro, Parents hub, footer, and any news about open events.
- Breadcrumbs. Implement on all spokes and mark up with
BreadcrumbListschema. Reference: Google — Breadcrumb structured data - Replace PDF-only guidance. Keep statutory PDFs but add an HTML summary page that links back to the hub. Reference: GOV. UK — Avoid PDFs
- Check crawl depth. Make sure no spoke is more than three clicks from the homepage.
- Measure baseline. In Search Console, record hub + spoke impressions, clicks, CTR and top queries for the last comparable period. Reference: GSC — Performance report
- Publish & re-crawl. Submit the hub and spokes in Search Console (URL inspection → Request indexing). Reference: Google — Ask Google to recrawl
- Re-measure after 4–8 weeks during a matched season (e.g., Sept vs Sept). Keep changes that raise CTR and impressions.
Anchor text taxonomy (governance & examples)
Create a small, shared anchor taxonomy so editors use consistent wording across pages and schools. Consistency strengthens understanding for users and search engines.
| Intent | Preferred anchor | Where to use | Alternatives (safe) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Absence | Report a pupil absence | Homepage, Parents hub, Contact, Attendance policy | Report absence |
| Term dates | Term Dates [YEAR/YEAR+1] & INSET Days | Homepage, Parents hub, footer | School term dates |
| Admissions | Admissions: how to apply | Homepage, Parents hub, Open Evening news | Apply for a place |
| Uniform | School uniform & PE kit | Parents hub, footer, new starter page | Uniform guidance |
| Safeguarding | Safeguarding at [School] | Footer, About, Staff pages | How to raise a concern |
| Sixth Form | Sixth Form entry requirements | Prospectus pages, subject listings | Sixth Form admissions |
Avoid anchor spam. If five links to the same hub appear on a page, vary phrasing naturally (“Admissions”, “Apply for a place”). Keep meaning clear.
Navigation, breadcrumbs & related-links modules
Primary navigation
- Expose core tasks in the main menu (Parents → Term Dates, Absence, Uniform, Payments, Safeguarding).
- Use simple words; GOV. UK style. Reference: GOV. UK — Content design
Breadcrumbs
- Show a clear path (Home → Parents → Absence), mark up with
BreadcrumbList. - Don’t hide breadcrumbs on mobile; they’re valuable entry links.
Related-links module
- Add a Related block near the end of each hub and spoke with 3–5 hand-picked links from the same silo.
- Keep it manual for accuracy; algorithmic lists often mix unrelated items.
Footer
- Reserve for task shortcuts and contact details; avoid dumping every page link.
- Ensure there is one plain-text link to Term Dates and Absence.
Find and fix orphan & deep pages
An orphan is an indexable page with no internal links to it. A deep page is more than three clicks from the homepage. Both underperform.
- Export a list of URLs from your CMS or sitemap.
- Find pages with zero inlinks using your crawler or a manual scan of key hubs.
- Decide: add a link from the relevant hub, merge into another page, or
noindexif it shouldn’t be in Google. - Check depth: add a homepage or Parents-hub link to deep but important pages.
Reference: Google — Crawling & indexing overview (discovery relies on links).
Scaling across a MAT (governance & consistency)
| Area | Policy | Owner | Cadence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Silo list | Every school maintains the same core silos: Term Dates, Admissions, Absence, Safeguarding, Uniform, Contact | Central SEO/Comms | Annual review |
| Anchors | Shared anchor taxonomy; plain English; no emojis; sentence case | Editors | Pre-publish |
| Hub placement | Homepage intro + Parents hub + footer link for each silo hub | Web team | Launch & quarterly check |
| News protocol | Every news/event links to its silo hub; hub features current items | Editors | Ongoing |
| Quality gates | No orphan pages in silos; ≤3 clicks from homepage | SEO/Web | Quarterly crawl |
Measuring uplift with Search Console
- Baseline: For each silo, capture hub + spokes metrics (impressions, clicks, CTR, top queries) for a comparable historic period.
- Implement: Add links per this guide; update hub copy to reflect linked spokes.
- Compare matched periods: e.g., September this year vs September last year (seasonal control).
- Analyse by query families: “term dates [town]”, “report absence”, “how to apply”. Look for CTR increases and new queries.
- Decide: Keep link placements that drive engagement; remove clutter.
References: Google Search Console — Performance report • Google — Get started with Search Console.
Advanced: link budgets, seasonal swaps, cross-school signals
Link budget & prominence
- Treat on-page links like a budget: prioritise high-intent links near the top of the page (hero or first paragraph).
- Remove duplicate links that don’t add context (e.g., two identical “Admissions” buttons and a nav link).
Seasonal swaps
- During peak admissions season, place a temporary homepage module linking to Admissions hub and “Open Evenings”.
- Swap to Term Dates just before the new academic year.
Cross-school authority
- From the trust site, link to each school’s canonical hubs (Admissions, Term Dates). Keep wording consistent across schools.
- Where a sixth form is shared, add reciprocal links between schools’ sixth-form hubs; ensure one canonical “home” exists.
Structured data assists
- Add BreadcrumbList site-wide and FAQPage on hubs like Admissions and Absence where you genuinely have questions.
- Use Organization/School markup on the homepage so brand and contact details are unambiguous. Reference: Google — Structured data docs
Print-screen checklists & templates
Build a Silo (Admissions) — 10 Steps
Screenshot or print this card- Create/confirm
/admissions/hub. - List 4–8 spokes; publish or refresh.
- Hub → links to every spoke in body copy.
- Each spoke → links to hub in first paragraph.
- Cross-link related spokes.
- Homepage, Parents hub, footer → link to hub.
- Add breadcrumbs (Home → Parents → Admissions → Spoke).
- Replace PDF-only guidance with HTML summary.
- Check ≤3 clicks from homepage; no orphans.
- Record baseline and re-measure after 4–8 weeks.
Anchor Taxonomy (copy & adapt)
Screenshot or print this card| Intent | Preferred anchor | Alt (OK) |
|---|---|---|
| Absence | Report a pupil absence | Report absence |
| Term dates | Term Dates [YEAR/YEAR+1] & INSET Days | School term dates |
| Admissions | Admissions: how to apply | Apply for a place |
| Uniform | School uniform & PE kit | Uniform guidance |
| Safeguarding | Safeguarding at [School] | How to raise a concern |
| Sixth Form | Sixth Form entry requirements | Sixth Form admissions |
Internal Link QA — 16 Checks
Screenshot or print this card- One canonical hub per task.
- Hubs linked from homepage, Parents hub and footer.
- Spokes link to hub in first paragraph.
- News/events link to hubs.
- No orphan pages inside silos.
- ≤3 clicks from homepage to any spoke.
- Breadcrumbs present and valid.
- Anchor text descriptive; no “click here”.
- Links near relevant content (not just mega-menu).
- Icons have visible text labels.
- PDFs supported by HTML summaries.
- Duplicate hubs merged; 301s in place.
- Related-links modules show 3–5 in-silo links.
- Change log recorded (source → target → anchor → placement).
- Baseline noted in GSC; re-check after 4–8 weeks.
- Accessibility scan passes (links keyboard-navigable).
FAQs
What’s the difference between a hub and a silo?
A hub is a single evergreen page answering a task. A silo is a whole group: the hub plus multiple related spokes and cross-links, designed so signals concentrate on that topic and users can move logically within it.
Should we nofollow internal links?
No. Use normal followed links. nofollow is for untrusted external links or user-generated content. Reference: Google — Nofollow guidance
Do more links always help?
Not necessarily. Unfocused link lists dilute attention. Prioritise links that directly help users complete tasks and that reinforce your chosen silo.
Will changing internal links affect rankings immediately?
You’ll often see faster discovery and improved CTR within weeks, but the scale depends on crawl frequency and competition. Measure using matched-period comparisons in Search Console.
Need practical SEO support?
Speak With Paul Delaney
Paul Delaney helps schools turn complex SEO into simple, effective actions. As a guest writer for SEO for Schools, Paul shares step-by-step playbooks and evidence-based guidance that busy teams can apply immediately. With three decades’ experience working with UK and international institutions, he understands the challenges school teams face and is well positioned to offer support and guidance.
For our readers, Paul offers free 30-minute sessions for institutions exploring how to raise visibility, strengthen brand trust and streamline admissions. Sessions are practical, jargon-free and free from sales pressure. You can contact him using the buttons below—please mention SEOforSchools.co.uk.
