Outgoing links: Are they beneficial for your site or not? - November 10th, 2022
(Search Engine Land)

By Tadeusz Szewczyk

Google dismisses the idea that outgoing links are considered a direct ranking signal – but tests have proven otherwise.

Who should SEOs believe? Why should we link out at all?

When asked about the impact of outgoing links on “link juice,” Google’s John Mueller flatly ignored the question stating again that any advice containing the term “link juice” should not be taken seriously.

Thus, we have to research a little deeper and go back a few years to find out.

Incoming vs. outgoing links: Do they both matter?

So what’s the difference between outgoing (outbound) and. incoming (inbound) links?

This infographic by Morningscore explains it pretty well.

Most people in the SEO industry and beyond agree that links to your site alias incoming links, also called inbound links or backlinks, matter.

Inbound links are still an important ranking factor on Google.

While the search engine continuously adds other signals to refine results, the original Google algorithm is based on counting and assessing the value of incoming links.

More complex additions like the RankBrain algorithm or the concept of expertise, authoritativeness and trustworthiness (E-A-T) ensure that only usable, credible and content-rich sites get ranked on top.

Yet the ranking itself still heavily relies on good old editorial links – those leading “back” to your site.

But what about outgoing links (i.e., links from your site to others)?

That has been an evergreen debate among SEO practitioners and marketers alike.

Let’s recap what we know about (outgoing) links first.

Mueller repeatedly said that they are not a direct ranking signal. Yet he and many SEOs still advocate linking out.

One approach could be called the egoistic one. It assumes that you have to hoard the authority you get from other sites by way of links. Thus, linking out as rarely as possible in order not to lose that authority, link value or “equity”.

The other approach (I abide by) is the rather altruistic one. It assumes that the web is built on links (hence hypertext as in hyperlinks) and the more you are interconnected with other sites – both ways – the better.

Why are SEO experts scared to link out?

Not only beginner-level SEOs are often literally scared to link out. Some experienced SEO experts are also not keen on risking their site authority on outgoing links. Why is that?

There are actually instances when Google penalizes sites for linking out or simply algorithmically reduces their ranking.

Here are a few examples.

Bad neighborhoods

Bad neighborhoods are often websites that are dealing either with adult subjects or gray areas like prescription-free drugs and gambling. They are also referred to as 3P (porn, pills and poker).

Other obvious examples are so-called “warez” or copyright infringement sites in general.

That said, even legit but low-quality sites you link to may have some detrimental impact.

Link schemes (i.e., reciprocal links, link farms)

“Link schemes” is a Google term describing all kinds of “unnatural” links meant to increase the chances of ranking on Google organically.

Reciprocal links (I link to you so that you link to me) or link farms (interlinked sites just created, acquired or paid for the links) are common examples.

Such links may get demoted by Google or lead to an “unnatural links” penalty.

Text link ads

Text link ads or in Google’s words “paid links” are links to other sites you have been paid for one way or another.

These payments can be sponsorships, donations or free products as well.

When in doubt, Google may penalize you for outbound links you have received some kind of remuneration for.

Google wants you to add the “sponsored” attribute to such links. The same procedure also applies to paid reviews you have been asked to place on your site.

User-generated content (UGC)

UGC are comments, forum entries or any type of submitted content without editorial oversight linking out to third-party sites – which are also risky.

Google advises you to use the “UGC” link attribute on such links. Check all contributions prior to publication ideally.

Guest posts, widgets, infographics, etc.

Over the years, Google has added a lot of common SEO techniques to the list of unnatural link practices. Some widely used link building techniques like guest posts, widgets and infographics were among them.

Thus, when you have some of those on your site, you are required to use the “nofollow” link attribute on outbound links associated with them.

Broken links

Broken, or dead links that have been linked out to reputable resources, may overnight become hazardous to your site’s health.

It’s not just the SEO issues. You also risk your reputation when visitors end up on defunct sites, error pages or parked domains.

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(Search Engine Land)

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Greg Tingle

SEL guest writer Taduesz with a tremendously in-depth feature article on outgoing text links. I believe I'm as good an authority to comment on this as anyone. There's no doubt that the online publishing landscape has changed dramatically over the past few decades - as long as I've worked in and around the online publishing, media and e-commerce sector. The Google algorithm updates happen so frequently that it's hard to keep up. Some outboard linking has indeed served us and associates well from time to time over the decades, however it's been done selectively and strategically on well established and ranked sites, containing unique and helpful content. Out of 20 plus sites of ours only 5 infiltrated legit top 10 status in their fields of endeavor, and yes - all had outbound links (but done very selectivity). Wikipedia can be gold, same for IMDb, YouTube clips/channels, major sporting leagues and codes and established newspaper sites. Our own Media Man sites perform well also. Keep it relevant and do tests aka spot-fires. Some will turn bushfire and others may ignite the jungle, only to fizzle out later. If you have a network of sites you can link to others, ideally best when hosted on differing ISP servers. It's hit and miss!