The Dos and Don’ts of External Links You Should Know!

External links are clickable links on your page that lead to a whole other website. These links are usually embedded in texts or images. 

These are there for guiding users to authoritative or supporting materials on other websites. They are an absolute necessity to maintain a useful web environment. When you link to trustworthy sites, Google takes notice and bumps up your rankings.

SEO depends on so many different factors and the link structure on your page happens to be one of the more critical ones. There are many types of links that build up a website.

However, if we had to talk about the big three, they would be:

1. Inbound links
2. Internal links
3. Outbound links

This is, of course, a hierarchical order. Inbound links are the most critical when it comes to boosting your website. Internal links are also equally important. Then there’s outbound linking. Well, it won’t move mountains but it can be really helpful.

External links offer value in subtle but impactful ways. You can really benefit from a strategic use of external links. But there’s a right way to do it and a wrong way to do it.

Let’s talk about the dos and don’ts of external linking.

The Do’s

Now that you have a rough idea about why external links are important, we’ll dive into what you should be doing.

a. Link to Reputable Sources

Reputable sources just don’t fall out of the sky, you know. You need to first identify high quality websites. Meaning the focus should be on those sites that have a consistent record of meeting their user’s expectations.

One way to do this is to look into their backlink profile and domain authority. A backlink specialist can help identify high-quality websites that consistently meet their users’ expectations.

Bear in mind that a hi-fi website will always provide better link juice than a mid-range website. More link juice means better reach for your website.

Besides backlinks and domains, you should also check their audience and traffic volume. This will help you identify if the website’s content is in line with your niche. This niche alignment is a really good SEO strategy.

b. Point to Relevant Sources

Backlinks are like bridges built by other websites. They guide their visitors straight to your digital doorstep. These are also known as inbound links.

However, Pointing to irrelevant sites is a clear indication that this site doesn’t know much about link building. Links from irrelevant places can and will harm your website’s ranking.

Imagine you were reading a blog about late-night pasta recipes, but a link directs you to a gambling website. Google absolutely hates this stuff and if it gets detected, your page will not rank well.

On the other side of the equation, search engines prioritize websites that use relevant keywords. Build links for sites that make sense for your content. If you’re talking about software, link to other trustworthy tech sites. This relevance shows Google you’re providing real content to your audience, and it boosts your search engine ranking for that.

c. Descriptive Anchor Text

Let’s say you’re reading a post about baking, and there’s a blue text that just says, “Click here.” Does it tell you anything about what you’re about to click? Not really.

Anchor text is like a preview. It doesn’t do its job when it’s vague. For example, instead of linking to a website with the words “click here,” use something like “Make a chocolate cake from scratch.”

That way, both your readers and Google know exactly what they’re clicking on. It makes a big difference in how your links are understood.

d. Open Links in New Tabs

Did you know that 3 out of 4 people are likely to leave your site if it sends them elsewhere?

A good bounce rate is 40% or lower. 

To keep your audience engaged, set your external links to open in a new tab. This makes the readers stay on your site while going through other resources.

Imagine someone reading your blog about the latest tech trends. If they click on a link to a related research paper, they now have two tabs open. One for your blog and one for the research. They’re more likely to return to your page instead of getting lost in the rabbit hole of the internet.

This strategy not only enhances user experience but also helps reduce bounce rate, as visitors stay longer on your site. 

e. Use No-Follow Tags if Needed

Not all links are created equal. Sometimes, you don’t want to pass SEO value to the linked site, like when you’re linking to a sponsored post or an untrusted resource. That’s where no-follow tags come in.

They signal to search engines that a link is there for a reason but you don’t want to pass any link juice. Basically, you want to reap the benefits without giving anything back.

By using a no-follow tag, you protect your site from being penalized for linking to potentially low-quality sources. It’s a simple way to control how links impact your site’s authority.

f. Balance with Internal Links

Even though this blog mostly focuses on external links, don’t forget about the power of internal links. Let’s say you’re reading a blog about SEO basics, and on the same site, there’s a link that leads to another post on content marketing. Suddenly, you, as a reader, are exploring more content this site has to offer.

Internal links help readers discover more of your content. This keeps them on your site longer. For example, if you’re writing a post about the best smartphone cameras, link to your other tech-related articles like “How to Choose the Right Smartphone for Your Needs.” This not only helps SEO but also improves user experience.

g. Audit Links Regularly

Broken links damage your credibility, especially your user experience. It’s important to regularly audit the links on your site to make sure they’re still active. You wouldn’t want readers clicking on links that don’t work now, would you? Tools like Screaming Frog or Google Search Console can easily help you find and fix broken links.

The Don’ts

There are some common mistakes related to link building. Avoiding them makes sure external links are helping you instead of downgrading your SEO.

a. Avoid Link Farms

Link farms are what their name suggests. Their sole purpose is to generate links with no relevance whatsoever. Many beginner business owners fall into this trap.

Bombarding your website with inorganic and irrelevant links can severely damage your SEO. First of all, it ruins the user experience because navigation is a disaster. Secondly, google instantly recognizes this and ranks your page lower. So, don’t be greedy and stick to linking to relevant sites. It’s not worth the risk.

b. Don’t Use Paid Links

It may seem tempting to link to a website in exchange for money, especially when you have a lot of traffic. But Google doesn’t like it when you try to game the system.

Paid links are a sneaky shortcut that doesn’t benefit users. Imagine you’re writing a review about a product, and you get paid to link to the company’s website. That’s a paid link.

While Google doesn’t mind paid ads, it does penalize sites that use paid links for SEO purposes without proper no-follow tags. Which is why it’s best to let links happen organically.

c. Avoid Spamming

Spamming links is like throwing a bunch of flyers in random places in the hope someone will pick them up. It’s a turn-off for readers and search engines. Don’t overstuff your content with links just for the sake of having them. To have a better understanding, you can check Google’s spam policies.

If every other sentence has a link, it can distract or annoy your audience, making them feel like they’re being sold to. Links should be used sparingly and only when they truly add value to the content.

d. Don’t Overuse the Same Anchor Text

Using the same anchor text for every external link is like parroting the same line over and over. And it gets boring. For instance, always linking the word “best smartphones” every time you talk about smartphones can look like spam to Google.

It also doesn’t give readers a sense of variety or context. Instead, mix it up. Use anchor text that follows Google’s webmaster guide and fits the content of a link. If you’re linking to a guide on how to choose a smartphone, try using anchor text like “learn how to pick the right phone for you” or “smartphone buying guide.”

End Note

Think of links as an appetizer, not the main dish. If your content is full of links but doesn’t hold much water on its own, your readers might feel like they’ve been baited.

Your content should stand on its own, with links serving as an enhancement to the information you’re already providing. Links should be used to support your message, not replace it.