The Outgoing Links Dilemma: Busting the Myth That They Drive Traffic Away
Most of the time, businesses don’t understand how they can benefit by redirecting traffic to another website – after all, isn’t the goal to keep people on your page? Short answer, yes, you want to keep people there BUT outgoing links aren’t going to cause people to forget about your site.
In fact, outgoing links are just at the core of any SEO strategy. Outgoing links have a positive impact on your site. If you have yet to start using them, you’re missing out on an opportunity to provide value to your audience and increase your domain authority with search engines.
So, What are Outgoing Links?
Outgoing links are links that take visitors on your site to other websites. They help provide references for your audience and acknowledge materials created by others. You use outgoing links to give sources for your statistics or the facts you mentioned in your piece. They’re essentially a digital nod, saying, “Hey, there’s more information on this topic over here.” Moreover, outgoing links help with search engine optimization (SEO). Linking to authoritative sites helps crawlers to go through your site and rank it.
Why Marketers and SEO Experts Fear Using Outgoing Links
The myth that outgoing links drive traffic away is rooted in the fear that they act as an escape route for visitors, redirecting them away from the host website and leading to reduced traffic.
However, this assumption overlooks the broader dynamic of how search engines interpret and rank content – and how valuable the content is on the original site. Google and other search engines assess websites based on various factors such as authority and relevance.
The most important thing to remember about using outgoing links is that you need to avoid making Google mad. If you aren’t using black hat techniques on your site, Google will leave you alone. However, Google can penalize websites for linking out when there’s a good reason. A couple of these reasons include:
- Link schemes: Engaging in manipulative practices like buying or selling links
- Low-quality links: Linking to spammy or irrelevant websites
- Over-optimized anchor text: Excessively using keyword-rich anchor text
- Unnatural link patterns: Exhibiting artificial or rapid increases in outgoing links
- Links to penalized websites: Linking sites that have been penalized
- Hidden links: Implementing techniques to obscure links
- Broken links: Having links that lead to non-existent or moved pages
Best Practices for Using Outgoing Links
To optimize the use of external links and prevent potential traffic loss and Google penalties, you’ll need to follow these best practices:
- Use nofollow tags when linking to sites that you think may violate Google’s rules
- Ensure external links open in new tabs to keep your site accessible
- Periodically check for broken links since outdated links can harm user experience and SEO
- Don’t link to competing websites
- Link to reputable sources
- Use anchor text correctly
Busting the Myth: Do Outcoming Links Drive Traffic Away?
While people ARE leaving your site when they click on an external link, it doesn’t necessarily mean that external linking is a bad thing. Here’s why.
Trust-building
Offering additional resources shows your audience that you care about the content that you’re putting out, improving your reputation. Think of it like citing your sources in high school or college papers. It gives your content credibility and authority.
Modern Browsing Habits
Many users open links in new tabs. Instead of replacing your content, the external site often coexists side by side with your page. In addition, with the ubiquity of tabbed browsing, returning to your site is just a click away.
Quality over Quantity
It’s better to have genuinely engaged visitors than many who bounce quickly. If a user leaves to check out a reference and doesn’t return, they might have found what they needed, and they’ll remember your site as the source that pointed them in the right direction.
Learn More About How Outgoing Links Drive Traffic to Your Website at Pink Dog Digital
Take the first step towards optimizing your website for success with Pink Dog Digital. We stay at the forefront of the curve by studying algorithm changes that may influence your business. SEO algorithms change constantly as Google and other indexing sites change methods.
Don’t let the outgoing links dilemma hold you back; we will guide you and ensure you use the links correctly.
Contact us at 410-696-3305 or complete our online Contact form to learn more about our services.