What is an External Link | 8 External Links Best Practices for SEO
External links play an important role in the user experience and SEO.
In this article, we will discuss the meaning of external links. You will learn why external links are important and the best ways to use external links to get benefits.
What is an external link?
An External link is a hyperlink, also called an outbound link, that takes the user outside of your website to another website or resource.
It provides a good user experience.
Link to external resources also supports Google search engine to understand what is about your content and niche.
Example of an external link:
Here is an article about <a href="https://it10x.com/what-is-an-external/" >external links </a>, which you can read.The code for an external link and its appearance on the webpage can be seen in the picture below.
Internal Links, External Links, and Backlinks
Internal links connect pages within your website. The user is taken to another page within the website after clicking an internal link. The purpose of this is to navigate between website pages.
An external link redirects the visitor to a different domain. These links could be either resources for references or affiliate links.
Back links are the links that direct people to your website from a different website.
What is the purpose of using external links?
Using an external link is a good idea for several reasons.
External Links to Enhance Credibility.
External links provide references to points in your writing. When readers find a credible link to another website, they automatically develop a picture in their minds about your content’s credibility. It makes sense in their minds that you have done research before creating content.
Target links make the reader understand that the point discussed by you is enough support from another resource. It is human psychology.
He doesn’t need to visit the link, but it may give a credible impression without visiting the link.
So visitors spend more time because they feel satisfied with your website.
Reference for Readers
It’s not always feasible to explain all the terms in your article, but they are crucial for understanding the concept.
Providing a link to that information would be helpful to the reader. Your article will be easy for them to read and they will stay longer on your website because it will increase their satisfaction. The engagement of readers will be improved and they will return to your website.
Positive Impact of External Links on SEO.
Google’s objective is to display the most relevant results for every query. External links are regarded as good by Google.
Linking to a high-quality page will result in Google considering your page. By linking to a high-quality page that supports your point and adds further value to your page, Google gives you some preferences because you are providing value.
The anchor text of the external link aids Google in identifying your website’s content. The Google search algorithm is complex and takes into account all these factors.
Your content can be better understood by both Google and users if you link to websites with deep information.
When Google sends visitors to your website, your content provides a comprehensive chain of knowledge. Your website is considered a starting point in the chain.
External Linking Best Practices
While external links are essential for SEO, they also lead your reader to another website. Hence, it’s essential to follow the external linking best practices.
Without knowledge, using them will result in a decrease in your ranking rather than a rise.
Before using external links, it’s important to consider some points. Our discussion will focus on each of them individually, and you will gain a deeper understanding of how to utilize them to achieve more benefits.
Ensure That the Links are Relevant
SEO is only helped by adding external links that are relevant to your content and add value to it.
Include links that support your point or add more details to your content.
Your point may be backed up by facts, statistics, or research, or it could be a link leading to a video that provides clarification.
Include an external link that is related to your niche. You have the option to link to services that are beneficial for users.
Link to Trustworthy Websites.
It’s important to choose an authoritative and professional website for your external link. Linking to websites that are clickbait content is not recommended, as it will negatively impact user experience.
It has a negative effect on SEO and lowers your search engine rank.
To add links to websites that you don’t trust, you must add the nofollow attribute.
The Importance of Using Anchor Text Correctly.
Correct use of anchor text is crucial for SEO and the user’s perspective.
To understand, let’s consider an example:
We want to share a link to an article about how to start a blog.
Bad practice: to know how to start a blog, click here.
Good practice: to know how to start a blog, make full line anchor text — “How to Start a Blog.”
You can see the anchor text in the sentences “Here” and “How to start a blog”
The second approach helps to understand that this link is to “How to Start a Blog,” which makes sense. So the Google search engine will better understand related content for anchor text.
So use meaningful keywords in the text; otherwise, the Google search engine may not consider it.
It is not good to shoehorn text into sentences because it may look like spam.
Number of External links per Page.
There is not a definite answer. Include as many links as is necessary for your content. Adding more links solely for SEO purposes is not a good idea, as it could have a negative impact on your SEO.
Your primary aim should be to enhance the user experience by providing references. If necessary, you have the option to add several links.
Add links naturally; don’t add them if they’re not needed or just sprinkle them throughout the page without any need.
This will annoy readers, and they will leave your page.
Open the External Links in a New Tab.
It’s best to open the external link in a new tab. By doing this, you can access the target website without closing your page.
Readers can easily return to your page. It will improve your engagement time, and you will not lose your reader.
Add the target=”_blank” attribute to open up a new browser tab.
This will open the website in a new tab. example
Avoid Linking to Competitors’ Websites.
Competitor website does not mean that someone is directly competing with you. If a website has the same keyword as your article, it is considered a competitor. It means that you are adding a link to a website that has already published the same content.
If you add an external link to such a website, you are directing your reader to a website with old content but a higher ranking in Google.
Adding links to credible sources is something we always do. Your readers won’t come to your website because you’re directing them to a more credible source with similar content.
Add an external link to Source that is not identical to your content, but only explains your specific point.
Perform Regular Link Audits.
Occasionally, the pages you link to are removed or their URLs are modified. Such links are called broken links. Users are directed to a 404 page when they click on these links.
The user’s time is wasted and the user experience is negatively impacted. Your content is perceived as outdated by them. External broken links have a negative impact on your credibility.
Broken links are detected by the Google search engine during your website’s crawl and are considered a poor user experience, which negatively impacts your website’s SEO.
So it is good practice to regularly audit your external links and remove or correct any broken links.
Never Add a Bad External Link.
Link exchange schemes are not good for SEO, so it’s best to avoid them. Such links are easily noticed because they are irrelevant.
Avoid selling or purchasing links for SEO, link exchanges for SEO, links to illegal websites and programs, or backlinks from low-quality content or directories.
Google’s algorithms are smart enough to detect these scams. If you engage in such activity, Google penalizes your website and lowers your ranking, resulting in the loss of all your hard work.
Conclusion
The user experience is greatly impacted by the quality of external links. The inclusion of references to explain the points mentioned in your content is a valuable aspect of good content.
Include an external link in your content to ensure the authenticity of your content in the reader’s mind. when the reader finds an appropriate reference, it enhances user experience.