Tools & Analytics

Link Graph Visualization

Map internal links as an interactive graph: see topic clusters, isolate orphans, and filter by post type or category. Use the canvas for discovery, then jump into the editor to add the exact in-content links your site still needs — in sync with Link Reports and Auto-Link Rules.

Guide #28 ~11 min read tab=graph

Before you start

The Link Graph visualizes internal links between WordPress URLs (nodes) and the directional edges created by links in your content. It lives under SEO Rank Genius → Tools & Analytics on the Link Graph tab (tab=graph in the admin URL).

What you need A user role that can access plugin tools, a recent link index or scan (so edges reflect saved post content), and a modern browser for smooth pan/zoom. Very large sites may show caps or sampling — plan to work in filtered slices instead of one all-pages canvas.

Nodes — posts, pages, or custom post types that appear in the graph.
Edges — internal links detected in body content (not necessarily every menu/widget link).
Clusters — visually tight groups of mutual links; often align with categories, tags, or hub-and-spoke structures.

Graph screen

The screen centers on a canvas you can pan and zoom. A toolbar typically exposes zoom controls, fit-to-screen, and layout helpers. Below the canvas, a cluster legend explains node colors (community detection, post type tints, or highlight modes — depending on release).

/wp-admin/admin.php?page=seo-link-genius_tools&tab=graph

SEO Rank Genius › Tools & Analytics › Link Graph

🕸️

Link Graph

Internal link map · 72 nodes · 138 edges · cluster colors on

Export PNG Fit to screen

Cluster A — guides Cluster B — products Hub / high inbound Orphan highlight

Cluster A · 28 Cluster B · 21 Unclustered · 23

Mock: graph canvas, toolbar (zoom strip + hint), and cluster legend under the viewport.

Link Graph — KPI strip (above canvas)

Nodes (visible)

Edges

138

Orphans

Hubs (top decile)

Node chips · same selection as canvas

/pillar/seo-strategy /blog/clustering-basics /product/suite /blog/new-post

Mock: KPI stats plus a srg-mock-card deck of node chips as a lightweight graph placeholder.

Fit to screenResets zoom after deep inspection — ideal before exporting a screenshot.

Pan & zoomUse geographic cues: spokes around a pillar often reveal silo health.

Filters & clustering

Filters trim the graph to a subset of URLs so the layout stays readable. Typical dimensions include post type (post, page, product), taxonomy (category or tag), URL prefix, and text search. Clustering groups nodes that densely interlink so you can see topical neighborhoods at a glance.

Tools & Analytics — tab strip + graph filters

Tools · Analytics rail

Reports Anchor text Link Graph Bulk scans

Scope

Narrow which URLs are eligible before layout runs.

Post type Posts + Pages ▾ Category SEO & Content ▾

/blog/ Internal only Exclude attachments

Layout & clustering

Community detection highlights dense groups; turn it off for a neutral force layout.

Color by cluster

Edge bundling

Show 301-only edges

Mock: filter tabs across tools, plus post type / category scope and clustering toggles.

Workflow pattern Filter to one category, enable clustering, fit the canvas — you should see whether that topic is an island or well bridged to the rest of the site.

Orphan highlight

An orphan (for internal linking) is a URL with no inbound links from other eligible content in the graph. Menus and footers may still surface the URL to users, but you often want at least one contextual in-body link for discovery and topical reinforcement.

Orphan mode · sparse canvas

Highlight: orphans only

Non-orphan nodes fade; remaining chips show pages that still need inbound internal links.

Sparse graph — 9 orphan nodes

Zoom in and click a highlighted node to open the detail panel, then edit in WordPress.

Orphan (no inbound) Hidden (filtered out) Suggested donor hub

Mock: srg-mock-empty-style placeholder + legend for orphan mode.

Don’t chase zero orphans blindly Low-value archives or legal pages may remain lightly linked by design. Prioritize money pages, fresh posts, and URLs you expect to rank.

Link editor workflow

The graph is for discovery; editing still happens in WordPress. A solid click-to-edit loop looks like this: select a node on the graph, review inbound/outbound context in the detail panel, then open the post (or in-plugin link tools) to insert a precise anchor.

Node detail panel — selected URL

/blog/internal-linking-checklist/

Post · Category: SEO & Content · Orphan risk: High

Edit in WP

Top inbound (internal)

From /pillar/seo-strategy

Anchor: “internal linking framework”

Top outbound

→ /blog/anchor-text-guide/

2 contextual links in body

Open Link Editor Copy URL Suggest donors

Mock: node detail panel with metrics, inbound/outbound snippets, and edit/open actions.

Select on the graph

Click the target node. Confirm the URL, post type, and whether orphan highlighting is active.

Pick a donor page

Choose a hub in the same cluster (or a high-traffic parent page) so the new link reads naturally.

Edit & verify

Use Edit in WP or the Link Editor, save the post, then refresh the graph or run the next scan so the new edge appears.

Auto-Link Rules guide → Anchor text analysis →

Troubleshooting

Graph looks empty after a big import

Wait for the plugin’s link index to finish processing, then open a filtered view (single post type). Verify links exist in post content, not only in theme templates.

Too many overlapping nodes

Zoom in, tighten filters (category + post type), or temporarily hide low-value CPTs. Use Fit to screen after changing scope.

Orphan count disagrees with menus

Navigation links may not count as in-content internal links in this view. Add at least one editorial link from a relevant page if discovery matters for SEO.

New link missing from the graph

Save the post, allow the indexer to catch up, and clear object cache on hosts that cache admin AJAX responses.