In the world of SEO, internal linking often gets a lot of attention, but external linking is equally important.
External links, or outbound links, point from your website to another.
While it might seem counterintuitive to direct your visitors away from your site, strategic external linking can significantly benefit your SEO efforts.
In this detailed blog post, we’ll explore how to leverage external links for SEO, covering the benefits, best practices, and potential pitfalls.
What Are External Links?
External links are hyperlinks that point from one website to another.
These links are crucial for the web’s interconnected structure, enabling users to navigate between related content across different websites.
Types of External Links
1. DoFollow Links: These links allow search engines to follow them and pass on “link juice” or SEO value from the linking site to the linked site.
2. NoFollow Links: These links contain a “nofollow” attribute, instructing search engines not to pass any SEO value to the linked site.
The Importance of External Links in SEO
Enhancing Credibility and Trust
Linking to high-quality, authoritative websites can enhance your site’s credibility. Referencing reliable sources shows that your content is well-researched and trustworthy, which can positively impact your reputation with users and search engines.
Improving User Experience
External links can provide additional value to your readers by directing them to further relevant information. This can enhance the user experience, encouraging users to return to your site for more valuable content.
Building Relationships
Strategic external linking can help build relationships with other websites and content creators. This can lead to potential collaboration opportunities, guest posting, and backlinks to your site, further boosting your SEO efforts.
Boosting SEO
External links help search engines understand your content’s context and relevance. Linking to authoritative sites signals to search engines that your content is well-connected and valuable, improving your search engine rankings.
Best Practices for External Linking
Link to Relevant Content
Ensure that the external links you include are relevant to your content. Linking to related, high-quality sources provides additional context and value to your readers, enhancing the overall quality of your content.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text
The anchor text for your external links should be descriptive and relevant to the linked content. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” and use specific keywords that describe what the user can expect from the linked page.
Link to Authoritative Sites
Prioritize linking to authoritative and reputable websites. High-quality sources, such as academic institutions, government websites, and well-established industry leaders, lend credibility to your content.
Balance External and Internal Links
While external links are valuable, it’s essential to maintain a balance between external and internal links. Ensure you also link to relevant content within your site to keep users engaged and improve your internal linking structure.
Avoid Overloading with Links
Too many external links can overwhelm your readers and dilute the value of each link. Be selective and strategic with your external linking, focusing on quality over quantity.
Regularly Update Links
Ensure that your external links remain relevant and up-to-date. Broken links or outdated sources can harm your site’s credibility and user experience. Regularly review and update your external links to maintain their value.
How to Identify Quality External Links
Check Domain Authority
Use tools like Moz’s Domain Authority or Ahrefs’ Domain Rating to assess the authority of the sites you plan to link to. Higher authority sites are generally more credible and beneficial for your SEO.
Evaluate Content Quality
Before linking to an external site, evaluate its content. Ensure that it is well-written, accurate, and provides real value to your readers.
Look for Relevance
The external content should be directly relevant to the topic of your article. Irrelevant links can confuse readers and negatively impact your SEO.
Verify Source Credibility
Ensure that the external site is reputable and trustworthy. Check for a professional design, clear ownership, contact information, and positive reviews or endorsements from other credible sources.
Potential Drawbacks of External Linking
Linking to Low-Quality Sites
Linking to low-quality or spammy sites can harm your credibility and SEO. Always vet the sites you link to for quality and relevance.
Overlinking
Too many external links can distract your readers and lead them away from your site. Be strategic in linking and focus on providing the most valuable and relevant links.
Ignoring NoFollow Links
While DoFollow links pass SEO value, NoFollow links are also crucial for a natural link profile. Pay attention to the potential benefits of NoFollow links, especially when linking to user-generated content or sponsored links.
Neglecting to Monitor Links
Failing to monitor your external links can lead to broken links and outdated references. Regularly check and update your links to maintain their effectiveness and relevance.
Measuring the Impact of External Links
Use Analytics Tools
Tools like Google Analytics can help you track the impact of external links on your site. Monitor referral traffic, bounce rate, and average session duration metrics to understand how external links influence user behavior.
Monitor Backlinks
Track the backlinks your site receives using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Quality backlinks from reputable sites can significantly boost your SEO and indicate the effectiveness of your external linking strategy.
Evaluate User Engagement
Assess how external links impact user engagement by monitoring metrics such as time on page, pages per session, and conversion rates. High engagement rates suggest that your external links add value and enhance the user experience.
Conclusion
An effective external linking strategy can significantly enhance your SEO efforts, build credibility, and improve user experience.
By linking to relevant, high-quality, and authoritative sources, you can provide additional value to your readers and signal to search engines that your content is well-researched and trustworthy.
Remember to balance your external links with internal links, regularly update them, and monitor their impact using analytics tools.
By following these best practices, you can leverage external links to boost your SEO and achieve long-term success.
FAQs
What is the difference between DoFollow and NoFollow links?
DoFollow links pass SEO value (or “link juice”) from the linking site to the linked site, helping improve the linked site’s search engine rankings. NoFollow links contain a “nofollow” attribute instructing search engines not to pass SEO value to the linked site.
How many external links should I include in my content?
There is no fixed number of external links you should include, but it’s essential to be strategic and selective. Focus on quality over quantity, and ensure your links are relevant and valuable to your readers.
Can external links hurt my SEO?
External links can hurt your SEO if you link to low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant sites. Always vet the sites you link to for quality and relevance to avoid negatively impacting your SEO.
Should I use NoFollow links for all external links?
Not necessarily. Use NoFollow links for user-generated content, sponsored links, or any links where you don’t want to pass SEO value. For authoritative and relevant sources, use DoFollow links to enhance your content’s credibility and SEO.