Linking to external websites is a crucial strategy to enhance search engine optimization (SEO) and provide added value to users. Whether you’re a seasoned content creator or just getting started with SEO, understanding how to use external links effectively can significantly improve both user engagement and your site’s search engine ranking.
In this guide, we’ll cover best practices for external linking, from ensuring high-quality links to managing attributes like nofollow and dofollow. Let’s dive into how to make external linking work for your site.
1. Link to High-Quality and Relevant Websites
The quality of your external links has a direct impact on your website’s credibility and user trust. Always link to reputable, high-quality sources that provide accurate and up-to-date information. This practice not only enhances the user experience but also helps establish your site as a reliable resource within your niche.
For instance, if you’re writing about digital marketing, linking to authoritative sites like Moz, Search Engine Journal, or HubSpot will add value to your content and support your SEO efforts.
2. Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Anchor text plays a key role in how search engines interpret your external links. Avoid generic terms like “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text that clearly indicates what the user can expect when clicking the link. This not only improves the user experience but also provides context for search engines.
For example, instead of writing:
- “To learn more about SEO, [click here].”
Write:
- “Learn more about on-page SEO best practices at Moz.”
This approach increases your content’s searchability while providing users with clear, actionable information.
3. Avoid Broken Links
Broken links—links that lead to non-existent pages or trigger 404 errors—can negatively affect both user experience and SEO. Google and other search engines may penalize sites with broken links by reducing their ranking potential.
To avoid this, make it a habit to regularly audit your website and fix or remove any broken links. Tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs Broken Link Checker can help identify problematic links quickly and efficiently.
Tools to Check for Broken Links:
| Tool Name | Description | Website |
|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | Offers a detailed analysis of broken links on your site. | Ahrefs |
| Google Search Console | Free tool to monitor and fix technical issues including broken links. | Search Console |
| Screaming Frog | Crawls websites and provides comprehensive link analysis. | Screaming Frog |
4. Avoid Paid Links
Buying or selling links for SEO purposes can lead to serious penalties from search engines. Paid links are seen as a manipulation of rankings, which goes against Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If you’re caught purchasing links, it can lead to a significant drop in rankings, or worse, your site could be de-indexed.
To stay compliant, focus on earning natural backlinks through high-quality content creation, guest blogging, and ethical SEO practices.
5. Check External Links Periodically
External links can become outdated or irrelevant over time. Websites may change their content, or the information you linked to may become obsolete. By periodically reviewing your external links, you ensure that your website continues to provide up-to-date and relevant information.
There are a few tools you can use to schedule and automate link audits, like Broken Link Checker or Screaming Frog.
6. Use Nofollow for Untrusted or Low-Quality Sites
If you ever need to link to a website that you don’t fully trust (for example, user-generated content or an affiliate link), it’s essential to use the nofollow attribute. This tells search engines not to pass any link equity to the destination site, protecting your site from potential penalties.
An example of a nofollow link is:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Example</a>
Nofollow links are especially useful when linking to:
- Sponsored content or affiliate marketing links
- Low-quality or user-generated websites
- Sites that you don’t fully trust
7. Use DoFollow for Trusted and High-Quality Sites
On the other hand, for trusted and authoritative websites, you should always use dofollow links. By default, all links are dofollow unless specified otherwise. These links pass SEO value (also called “link juice”) to the external website, signalling to search engines that you trust and endorse the content.
This approach works best when linking to well-established industry leaders, academic institutions, or government websites that provide useful, credible information to your audience.
8. Link to Relevant Industry Sites
Linking to relevant and authoritative sites in your industry not only builds credibility but also enhances the overall value of your content. Users appreciate links that provide additional context or a deeper understanding of the topic at hand.
For example, if you run a blog on health and fitness, linking to Mayo Clinic or WebMD as sources for medical information builds trust with your readers. These links also indicate to search engines that authoritative resources back your content.
9. Use Open Graph Protocol for Social Media
When sharing external links on social media, implementing the Open Graph Protocol (OGP) helps to control how your links appear. OGP allows you to customize the title, description, and thumbnail image for shared links, making them more visually appealing and improving click-through rates.
To ensure your links display correctly on platforms like Facebook or Twitter, add Open Graph tags to the HTML of your page. For example:
<meta property="og:title" content="Best SEO Practices for 2023">
<meta property="og:description" content="Discover the top SEO strategies to improve your rankings.">
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/image.jpg">10. Use UTM Parameters to Track External Links
To understand how effective your external links are, use UTM parameters to track them. UTM parameters are snippets of text added to your URL that allow you to monitor traffic generated by your links using tools like Google Analytics.
For example, a typical UTM-tagged URL might look like:
https://example.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=fall_saleThis allows you to track exactly where your visitors are coming from and which campaigns are driving traffic to your site. With this data, you can optimize future linking strategies.
Conclusion
External linking is an important part of any SEO strategy. By linking to high-quality, authoritative websites, using proper attributes like nofollow and dofollow, and tracking link performance, you can improve your site’s SEO and deliver a better user experience.
By following the best practices outlined here, you can ensure that your external links not only add value to your readers but also improve your search engine rankings over time.
FAQs
1. Why is linking to high-quality websites important?
Linking to high-quality websites improves your site’s credibility and helps boost SEO rankings. It signals to search engines that your content is trustworthy and well-researched.
2. How can I check for broken links on my site?
You can use tools like Google Search Console or Ahrefs to identify and fix broken links. Regular link audits are essential to maintaining a positive user experience.
3. What’s the difference between nofollow and dofollow links?
Nofollow links tell search engines not to pass any SEO value, while dofollow links pass link equity to the external site, boosting its SEO authority.
4. How often should I check external links on my site?
It’s a good practice to check your external links at least once every few months to ensure they’re still relevant and not broken.
5. What are UTM parameters?
UTM parameters are tags added to URLs to track the performance of external links in tools like Google Analytics. They help you understand where your traffic is coming from.
6. Should I use paid links for SEO?
No, paid links violate Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and can lead to penalties, including a drop in rankings or de-indexing of your site.
