Podcast Summary: Voices of Search

Episode: Will internal linking continue to be a core pillar in building topical authority?

Host: Tyson Stockton
Guest: Daniel Hurwitz, Informatica
Date: September 16, 2025

Brief Overview

This episode dives into the critical role of internal linking in SEO, with a focus on whether it will remain a core pillar for building topical authority in the next 6-12 months. The discussion also addresses the future of automating internal linking, particularly in the age of AI and advanced content management systems.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Is Internal Linking Still a Core SEO Pillar?

[00:43 - 02:06]

• Buy or Sell: Tyson Stockton asks Daniel Hurwitz if he's "buying" (supporting) or "selling" the idea that internal linking will remain crucial for topical authority.
  • Daniel Hurwitz:
    • Strongly affirms his support ("I am definitely buying it. I think it's super important. I think it's only going to become more important.").
    • Internal linking is not only essential, it's one of the strategies he recommends most.
    • Emphasizes the tactical advantage:

      "As an SEO, it's, you know, assuming you have access to the website, it's something you can just go do, which is great."

    • Highlights the significant impact on semantic relationships, noting that both Google and AI crawlers rely on these connections to understand context:

      "How else is Google or AI crawlers going to create semantic relationships between, you know, pages on your website?"

    • Gives a practical example: connecting e-commerce pages and relevant blog posts or articles.

      "If you have an e-commerce page and there's... a blog post you have that's relevant, of course you would link the product in. Right."

    • Concludes that building such logical, semantic relationships is crucial, especially between product and content pages.

2. Automation and the Future of Internal Linking

[02:06 - 03:23]

• Automation Trends:
  • Tyson Stockton follows up, asking whether internal linking will become increasingly automated and driven by frameworks SEOs set, with systems handling the details.
  • Daniel Hurwitz:
    • Recognizes the potential, mentioning that we're in the “infancy” of the AI/agent era.
    • Points out existing tools (e.g., Link Whisperer) work to some extent but often lack full contextual understanding:

      "There are tools I've used like Link Whisperer... they're okay, I would say, like they don't always get the full context of what you're doing."

    • Notes that automation works better with common CMS platforms like WordPress versus more bespoke enterprise systems.

      "...a lot of these tools work better with like WordPress... versus like much more customized CMSs."

    • Envisions a future where autonomous AI agents can make these changes seamlessly—inputting pages, rewriting content, and integrating directly with CMSs.

      "Once I think we truly have some level of AI agents that are like easy to use... I don't see why [automation] wouldn’t be possible."

Notable Quotes

• Daniel Hurwitz [01:14]:

  "I am definitely buying it. I think it's super important. I think it's only going to become more important."

• Daniel Hurwitz [01:41]:

  "How else is Google or AI crawlers going to create semantic relationships between pages on your website?"

• Daniel Hurwitz [02:28]:

  "They're okay, I would say, like they don’t always get the full context of what you're doing."

• Daniel Hurwitz [02:54]:

  "Once I think we truly have some level of AI agents that are like easy to use... I don't see why [automation] wouldn’t be possible."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:43] – Tyson introduces the core question: Is internal linking still a crucial pillar?
• [01:12-02:06] – Daniel discusses the ongoing and growing importance of internal linking for topical authority.
• [02:06-03:23] – The conversation shifts towards automation of internal linking, limitations of current tools, and future possibilities with AI agents.

Overall Tone & Takeaways

The episode maintains a conversational but technically insightful tone. Daniel Hurwitz strongly advocates for internal linking as an evergreen and expanding SEO strategy, while also pragmatically assessing the current capabilities and future potential for automating this practice through AI.

For SEOs and content marketers:

• Internal linking isn’t going anywhere—it remains foundational.
• Automation is coming, but current solutions are only partial; true AI-driven integration is on the horizon but not yet commonplace.
• Maintaining logical, semantic relationships across your site is both common sense and good SEO.