> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.synscribe.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Internal Linking and Site Authority

> Internal linking is the authority-distribution mechanism that makes a programmatic pillar rank, and the subtle failure is hiding link lists in JS so they leave the DOM and stop counting.

Internal linking is the authority-distribution mechanism that makes a programmatic pillar rank.
The rule is concrete and easy to get wrong: pillar pages have to be reachable by clicking from the
homepage, funneled through a **hub**, and the hub's links have to be present in the DOM even when
they're visually collapsed.

## Why links are the load-bearing part

Crawlers and LLMs discover and weight pages through links they can actually parse, so nothing
beats a genuinely navigable site. A pillar of 120 pages with no path from the homepage is
effectively invisible. A hub page hands the crawler one high-value page that fans out to every
spoke. It's the same hub from [1.6](/theory/landing-page-pillars), now doing double duty as the
authority distributor.

The most reliable thing a hub does is amplify crawling. The crawler discovers the hub once and
follows every link out to every child, and because hubs accumulate authority they get crawled
often. So when you publish a new child page you don't wait for the crawler to stumble on it: you
add it to the hub, and the next crawl picks it up automatically. That only works if the links sit
in the rendered DOM, which is the failure mode below.

The subtle failure mode is a design decision that looks harmless. To keep a long link list
readable, a designer hides it behind an accordion or renders it with JS. That removes the links
from the DOM, so they stop counting. The rule is blunt:

> **"If you collapse the list to make it more readable, make sure links are still 'visible' in the
> DOM even if they are collapsed."**

There's even a ready-made fix prompt: *"The links in my header nav bar are hidden in the DOM, can
you make it visible in DOM even though it's hidden from sight…"*

## Treat wiring as a shippable SEO task

The landing-page technical rules are explicit: *"Must be added to sitemap · Must be discoverable
by clicking from home page · Use a 'hub' page to filter traffic into pSEO landing pages,"* and
link the hub from the header or footer. **Wonderchat** carried this as real work on the board,
with focus items to *"Ship header and footer"* and route the *"'Enterprise' link to uses."*
Carry header and footer wiring the same way on every account: tickets on the board.

> ❓ \[needs Raymond: the equity-flow mechanics aren't documented yet: how much authority a hub
> passes, spoke-to-spoke, and cross-pillar linking].

## Operationalize it

* Wire the hub + header/footer when you export a pillar: [2.3.4 — Export a pillar & wire to the site](/platform/export-pillar-wire-to-site).
* Catch DOM-visibility and discoverability issues: [2.5.2 — Technical SEO audit](/platform/technical-seo-audit).
* The internal-links SOP: [3.9 — Link-building SOP](/sops/link-building).