Learn/Why-Outbound-Links-Matter
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Contents
Outbound Links Are Good for Search Engines
You're probably aware that you need inbound links to your site from other websites if you want to rank well in search results. You may already be taking the time to create great content and publicize it, so more people will link to your site. Perhaps you're even tracking inbound links and contacting people who link to your site to thank them.
What you may not realize is that outbound links - the links from your website to other sites - can also help you build visibility on the Web, and get more people coming to your site.
Linking to websites you think are important and relevant to the same topics you cover on your own site provides people with valuable information they won't find on your site. You're also telling search engines what your site is about, and that you are a good Web citizen who understands linking is how people discover new things.
Outbound Links Are Good for Human Visitors
Outbound links tell people that you want to provide them with good information, even if it’s not on your own site. Linking is inherently a generous and helpful act. When other website owners see you linking them, it can prompt them to visit your site and possibly link to it. That in turn boost its reputation and ranking in search results.
Linking to Other Sites Puts You in Good Standing with Search Engines
The Web is all about linking, and search engines look at links coming into a site to help determine what the site is about, and to judge how important the site is to people. Carefully chosen outbound links on your site tell search engines that you understand the value these links give to other websites, and that you are trying to help make the Web a more informative system.
Check outbound links regularly
It's possible for people to insert links on your site without your knowledge, if they're clever enough. These links could point to sites you don't endorse, like or want to be associated with. Checking your links regularly means you can stay on top of any malevolent or mischievous linking, rare though it is.
You also may have added links on your site that are no longer valuable, or no longer go where you thought they did. You may have linked to an informational site that's no longer live. It may have moved to another web address, or the owners may have allowed their domain name to expire, and an entirely different business now owns it. You don't want to link to outdated or unrelated sites.