Cannabis Internal Linking & Site Architecture

Topic Clusters & Pillar Content

What It Is:

Topic clusters organize your content around central themes. A "pillar page" broadly covers a topic and links to related subpages or blog posts that dive deeper.

Why It Matters:

This approach signals topical authority to search engines, improves content discoverability, and helps users explore related topics naturally.

How to Do It:

• Choose a broad SEO topic (e.g., "Cannabis Dispensary Marketing")
  
• Create a comprehensive pillar page targeting a head keyword
  
• Link to and from related blog posts and guides that support specific subtopics

🔗 Read: How to Build Topic Clusters for Cannabis SEO

Breadcrumbs & Contextual Links

What It Is:

• Breadcrumbs are navigation aids that show users their location in your site hierarchy.
  
• Contextual links are hyperlinks placed within content that point to related topics or deeper information.
  

Why It Matters:

Both improve usability and allow Google to understand content relationships and hierarchy.

How to Implement:

• Use schema-enabled breadcrumb navigation at the top of subpages
• Add contextual links between related pages and blogs using natural anchor text

🔗 Explore: Using Breadcrumbs & Contextual Links Effectively

Homepage-to-Category Linking

What It Is:

Your homepage should link to core product categories, major service offerings, and top-converting content hubs.

Why It Matters:

It passes the most domain authority to your key revenue-generating pages and makes the site easier to crawl.

How to Do It:

• Place primary category links in your homepage header or main body
• Include short text blurbs or banners with keyword-optimized anchor text

🔗 Guide: Homepage SEO Strategy for Cannabis Brands

Deep Linking to PDPs & Educational Pages

What It Is:

Deep linking refers to linking to internal pages beyond the homepage—especially product detail pages (PDPs), guides, or local landing pages.

Why It Matters:

These links improve crawl depth, drive page authority to deeper URLs, and increase engagement on strategic content.

How to Do It:

• In blog posts, link to product pages or educational pages where relevant
  
• Use footers, sidebars, and related-post modules to surface deep content

🔗 Learn: Deep Linking Best Practices for Cannabis Websites

Closing Tip

When adding internal links:

• Use descriptive anchor text with relevant keywords (e.g., “CBD sleep tincture guide”)
• Avoid vague phrases like “click here” or “read more”
• Link naturally within content—don’t over-optimize

Want to Go Deeper?

Let us know if you'd like to:

• Explore advanced architecture strategies like flat vs. silo structures
• Build a custom internal linking map for your domain
• Get an audit of your current link structure