Most iGaming affiliates focus on backlinks but completely ignore internal linking — the one ranking factor they have 100% control over. A well-structured internal link architecture can double your organic traffic without building a single external link. Here's how to do it right.
Why Internal Links Matter More Than You Think
Google uses internal links to discover pages, understand site structure, and distribute PageRank. When you link from a high-authority page to a newer page, you're telling Google two things: this new page exists and it's important enough to reference from a trusted page.
For gambling affiliate sites, internal linking is especially powerful because external link building is difficult. Many sites refuse to link to gambling content, making the links you can control — internal ones — disproportionately valuable. Studies show that optimizing internal links alone can lift organic traffic by 20–40% within three months.
The problem is that most affiliate sites treat internal linking as an afterthought. Pages get published without contextual links, orphan pages accumulate, and the site structure becomes flat and disorganized. Google responds by struggling to understand which pages matter most.
The Hub & Spoke Model for Casino Sites
The most effective internal linking structure for gambling sites is the hub-and-spoke model. Your hub pages target broad, high-volume keywords like "best online casinos" or "sports betting guide." Spoke pages target long-tail variations like "best casino bonus for UK players" or "how to bet on football parlays."
Every spoke page links back to its hub, and the hub links out to all its spokes. This creates a tight topical cluster that Google recognizes as comprehensive coverage of a subject. The hub page accumulates authority from all its spokes and typically ranks for the most competitive keyword in the cluster.
A practical example for a casino affiliate site might be:
- Hub: "Online Casino Guide 2026" — targets "online casino" and related broad terms
- Spoke 1: "Best Casino Bonuses" — links to hub, links to Spoke 3
- Spoke 2: "Live Dealer Casinos Compared" — links to hub, links to Spoke 4
- Spoke 3: "Casino Bonus Wagering Requirements Explained" — links to hub, links to Spoke 1
- Spoke 4: "How Live Casino Technology Works" — links to hub, links to Spoke 2
Notice how spokes also link to each other — this creates a web of connections that reinforces the topical cluster from multiple angles.
Anchor Text Strategy
Unlike external links where over-optimized anchor text can trigger penalties, internal links benefit from descriptive, keyword-rich anchors. Google uses internal anchor text to understand what the target page is about.
Use your target keyword or close variations as anchor text for internal links. Avoid generic anchors like "click here" or "read more" — these waste an opportunity to signal relevance. However, vary your anchors naturally. If your target page is about "live dealer casinos," use anchors like "live dealer casino games," "best live casinos," and "play with live dealers" across different linking pages.
"Internal anchor text is one of the strongest on-page signals you can send. Every generic 'click here' link is a missed opportunity to tell Google what that page is about."
Optimal Link Depth
Link depth refers to how many clicks it takes to reach a page from the homepage. For gambling affiliate sites, no important page should be more than three clicks from the homepage. Pages buried four or more levels deep get crawled less frequently and receive less PageRank.
Audit your site structure regularly. Use tools like Screaming Frog to identify pages with high click depth. If a revenue-generating page requires four or more clicks to reach, add a direct link from a higher-level page — your homepage, a category page, or a high-traffic blog post.
Navigation menus, footer links, and sidebar widgets all count as internal links and reduce click depth. A blog sidebar that links to your top 5 casino review pages immediately brings those pages within two clicks of every blog post.
Automated vs Manual Linking
Some affiliates use plugins that automatically insert internal links based on keywords. While this saves time, automated linking often produces irrelevant or awkward links that hurt user experience. The best approach is a hybrid one.
Use automated tools to identify linking opportunities — pages that mention keywords matching other pages on your site. Then manually review and implement the most relevant ones. Quality beats quantity with internal links. Ten well-placed, contextually relevant links will outperform fifty auto-inserted links that interrupt the reading flow.
Internal Link Audit Checklist
Run this audit quarterly to keep your internal linking optimized. Check for orphan pages that have zero internal links pointing to them — these pages are effectively invisible to search engines. Identify your highest-authority pages using tools like Ahrefs or Moz and ensure they link to your money pages. Review anchor text distribution to ensure you're using descriptive keywords rather than generic phrases.
Also check for broken internal links, redirect chains (links that go through multiple redirects before reaching the final URL), and pages with excessive outgoing links that dilute PageRank. A clean, intentional internal link structure is one of the most underrated competitive advantages in iGaming SEO.