Outbound Links
- A hot topic in the world of search engine optimization is linking strategy. According to this, you want to get as many quality links as possible pointing to your site in order to maximize your Page Rank in search results. But what about outbound links? Outbound links, which include all URLs on your site that point to another website, are another story. It is unknown exactly how search engines deal with external links; however, there are two basic camps that represent the beneficial and detrimental aspects of outbound links.
- The Bad-
Many SEO gurus have recently been talking about something they call “Page Rank Leak,” which is a theory that claims the more outbound links you have, the more your page rank on Google "leaks" away. PR Leaking works on the idea that according to page ranking and search engine results, every outbound link your site is in essence a “vote” for the site you are linking to, leaking a percentage of your page rank to the linked site. - The Good-
On the other side of the argument, good links can add value to your website. By pointing your visitors to useful information you can help them and make your site more valuable in the process. Linking to quality sites benefits you by association. In this light, a number of quality outbound links from your site can increase your search rank because these links indicate that your site is an "authority" on your particular topic.
- In fact, from these links search engines can determine the industry or theme of your website. For example, if you are a web designer and your site links to a handful of web development-related websites it will be clear to the search engines that you are a part of the web design industry. However, if you link to all other sorts of websites like pet stores, pizza restaurants, lawyers, and other unrelated industries, it is more difficult for search engines to determine exactly what area or theme your website belongs to and may potentially hurt your ranking.
The Conclusion-
- Despite the controversy that surrounds outbound links, remember that the most important factor is your user. When using external links, you want to benefit your user by providing further information to them as they browse your site. From your users' perspectives, the best place for links is within the context of the page they are reading, not buried and decontextualized in a separate “links” page. If the linked content is significant enough, you may consider writing an article or creating a new page that covers that type of information. Finally, make sure you only link to relevant websites that are highly-related to your industry and don’t stuff your page with useless links. You want both search engines and users to think of your web site as a hub of information. If you update regularly, it gives them reason to return to your web site frequently. Keep this in mind and you can maximize your search engine results as well as the overall user experience.