The Benefits Of External Linking For SEO
Even though studies conducted by marketing firms show that there is a direct relationship between external links of a page and its search ranking, outbound links are still one of the most undervalued strategies in content marketing and on-page optimization. Everybody who has worked in the department of search engine optimization is quick to point out how important those links are to google that direct to your domain, yet overlook the vital role external links play in SEO.
As a matter of fact, external linking is important not just for SEO but user experience as well. But before we move on to talking about the benefits of external linking for SEO, having a basic understanding of external links is a must.
An external link or outbound link is basically a hyperlink that takes the user from the source site to another domain on the internet. And a link that might be external for you would be internal for somebody else. On the contrary, if a link takes you to another page on the same site, then it’s called an internal link.
Now that you know what external links are, we can discuss their benefits.
Increase popularity
Search engines want to show their user the results most relevant to their search queries. And the popularity of the page can be gauged by external links. Hence, the more external links a page has, the more authority it possesses. It goes without saying that the articles with the highest quality always reference their sources, and external links help you claim popularity the same way i.e. by making your content authentic for search engines.
Having more, yet genuine links boost ranking as it gives a positive signal to search engines and draws more organic traffic to your page, increasing your viewership.
Improves relevance
Search engines wish for their users to find content relevant to their search keywords, and by adding external links to your page you are making sure that they do. The anchor text used in links is at most times a good indicator of content on the target page. I mean it’s not like if you are linking to a page about traveling, your anchor text can be “travel items for sale”
The source and the target page, including the domain contained inside a link, give out clear evidence about a page’s relevance. In short, when you link out to relevant information on your page, it lets search engines get to know your niche, whilst making your website more trustworthy.
Increases Value
No matter how popular a website, it’s not possible for it to contain all the information somebody might be looking for about a particular topic. By using external links you add value to your information, making the user experience more rewarding. What we mean is that, if your audience sees that you link your information to high-quality content, they will keep coming back for more, which will boost the value of your page regardless if they find all the information they are looking for on your page or not.
External liking is one of the great ways websites contribute to the web. They make the experience of your audience more fruitful, improve SEO, and they also help initiate conversation between two businesses. The bottom line is, if you want to have a high-ranking position on search engines, outbound links can help you achieve that.
Great post & thank you for sharing,