What are Outbound links in SEO?
Outbound links are also referred to as “external links”. They are links that direct your readers from your site to other sites. However, if another website links to you, it is known as an inbound link or backlink.
Typically, external links add more value than internal links. Since search engines strongly believe in what other people say about your site than what your site projects. In other words, the more websites linked to yours, the more credible your site will appear. In addition, outbound links are not easy to manipulate. Therefore, these links are the best ways search engines can determine the popularity and relevance of a particular website or page.
Outbound Links types
There are normally two types of outbound links known as:
- nofollow: tells search engines not to follow links [hyperlinks with a rel=“nofollow” tag.]
- dofollow: conveys ranking power from your website to the targeted page.
Differences between External Links and Internal Links
As mentioned above, external links are mainly links that direct a visitor from your website to another website. On the other hand, internal links are simply links between two pages on the same website. These links assist in the:
- Building topical authority
- Distribution of pageRank
- Improvement of rankings
- Enhancement of organic visibility
Outbound Links SEO value
Search engines view external links as a third-party endorsement, as these links are considered to be one of the most important and versatile sources of ranking power. Please see below how outbound links can affect SEO:
Augments popularity
Search engines, like Google, will prioritize sites with the most relevant topics according to the searcher’s requests. Outbound links are a great metric determining popularity of a particular web page. Thus, a page with the most links from other sources will appear to be more popular. It sends search engines positive signals and can therefore boost page ranking in search results and can receive more clicks.
Improves the site’s reputation
You can boost your site’s reputation by including outbound links to relevant and high authority sources. Sometimes, readers will not visit more different high authority websites for the information they need. Therefore, providing shortcuts to where they can find relevant information helps your site to be seen as an authority and an expert.
Boosts Value
As your site provides relevant content and additional resources through external links. This will definitely work in boosting your credibility to readers, and they will keep the traffic coming.
Encourages Backlinks
By linking to reputable sites frequently, your site will more likely be perceived in a positive way. Hence, they can link back to your site’s valuable content, which will therefore increase backlinks.
