In 2011 I wrote that recommending related posts below an article could keep people reading a blog. I called that “stickiness” then. The idea was simple: after receiving one answer, readers often have another question. A good reference can help them continue.
Choose by meaning
A link to an article in the same category is not necessarily relevant. “Marketing” can cover newsletters, search engines or customer service. A piece about writing a first newsletter might better point to signup methods or subject lines than to a random post carrying the same label.
Read the page as a visitor. What would you want to know next? Add one or a few references with a specific reason. A sentence such as “Want to know how to write the first email?” is clearer than a row of titles without context. Keep a logical way back to the site's main topics too.
Automate with review
Blog software can suggest related pieces automatically. That saves maintenance in a large archive. Test whether the choices make sense. A system that compares only title words may promote outdated, duplicated or barely related pages. Remove expired material and replace suggestions when better articles appear.
Internal links help search engines discover a site's structure and the relationships between pages. Google recommends descriptive link text that explains the destination. That same quality helps readers. Do not expect automatic ranking gains from adding links for their own sake.
The aim is not to trap visitors. Give them a useful next step and let them choose whether to read on. That makes the site easier to navigate and strengthens the relationship with readers.