F10 — Chapter 6 - Internal Linking

Criterion F10 : Links in Main Content — guide + checklist

PART 1 - Fundamentals Chapter 6 - Internal Linking Keyword : liens dans contenu principal

Here we talk about a criterion that often makes the difference in an audit.

The criterion **F10 — Links in Main Content** is part of our SEO checklist (335 criteria). Here, you have a **practical** method to check and fix it — with a concrete example.

What exactly this criterion covers

Here we talk about a criterion that often makes the difference in an audit.

**F10 — Links in Main Content** (Chapter 6 - Internal Linking): Links in the body text (editorial), not just nav/footer

Why it matters (SEO + UX)

Why it matters: it is a comprehension signal for the engine. When poorly applied, we often observe: ambiguity (wrong associated query), duplication between pages, or loss of CTR performance.

On volume-generated sites, this criterion also serves as a **safeguard**: a stable rule prevents 1,000 errors at once.

How to check (step by step)

Approach: express audit (manual + 1 tool). Recommended tool: **Link Redirect Trace**.

  1. Crawl (Screaming Frog): 200/301/404 + canonicals + depth.
  2. Check the anchor and target page (intent coherence).
  3. Verify stability (no useless parameters, no redirect chains).

Tip: first isolate 10 “representative” URLs (top pages + generated pages) before scaling the fix.

How to fix properly

Strategy: fix + add a safeguard for bulk import.

  • Repair broken links (301/update targets).
  • Write **descriptive** anchors (topic + angle), not “click here”.
  • Build internal linking: pillar pages → subpages → backlinks.

Then: re-crawl 50–200 URLs, then monitor Search Console for 7–14 days (impressions/CTR/indexing).

Concrete example (illustrative)

Example (illustrative):

  • **Context**: comparison page for real estate in Nice
  • **Before**: identical anchors everywhere (“click here”) + broken links.
  • **After**: descriptive anchors + links to pillar pages (ex: real estate → comparison page).
  • **Note**: Goal: better distribute internal popularity and guide crawl.

Checklist to tick

  • [ ] 0 critical broken link
  • [ ] Respects: links in body text
  • [ ] Descriptive anchors
  • [ ] Internal linking to pillar pages
  • [ ] Reasonable depth
FAQ

Frequently asked questions — F10

What is the most common mistake on “Links in Main Content”?

Fixing an isolated page without fixing the template/import: the mistake returns with the next generation.

What tool is the fastest to check at scale?

For this type of criterion, a crawl (e.g. Screaming Frog) + targeted verification in Link Redirect Trace is generally the fastest combo.

How to prevent this from recurring on 10K generated pages?

Freeze an auto-generation rule (title/structure/schema/URLs) + add automatic control (crawl or test) before production import.

Ready to go from theory to action?

Validate this criterion with an audit, then deepen the method in the Academy.

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