How to Audit and Improve Internal Linking Structure: Seeking Efficient Methods

Help

I’m working on a tool/sheet/methodology to assist with internal linking.

Imagine getting a client with minimal internal linking: products aren’t linked to informational content, content isn’t interlinked, and pages are only partially linked. How do you approach interlinking these pages to create a clearer structure, improve navigation, and distribute link equity without doing it 100% manually?

The two processes I’m currently using are:

  1. Ahrefs Interlinking Suggestions: While there are some decent suggestions, many are not usable or don’t offer enough great opportunities.
  2. Manual Process: I go page by page, target specific keywords, search for them on the website using "site: URL/ “keyword”, and interlink the pages.

These methods work fine for a small website, but manually auditing larger websites isn’t practical.