Hyperlinks are they foundation that the internet was built upon. Links are the juice that blogs live on as well. Inbound links are the highest sign of respect another blogger can send you because they truly believe your content is worth reading.
Linking to someone requires trust. If you’re sending your readers to another person’s site, your credibility as a source of valuable information is on the line. Maybe that is why it is so rare that bloggers link out unsolicited.
The more blogs I read, big and small, I’ve noticed that very few blogs regularly use outbound links, and I’m not sure why. There are 2 main reasons I can think of, but both neither make sense when you really consider it.
The First Reason Bloggers Don’t Link Out Is They Don’t Want People To Leave Their Site
This seems like a logical reason not to link out. If someone clicks on your link they have to leave your site to go to another site. Why on earth would you sending someone to another blog help you?
The facts are, if someone is reading your article long enough find the links and follow them, they are going to be interested enough to stay on your site and finish your article. As a blogger, sharing quality content is what makes you valuable, so if you share valuable content at another blogger’s site, you’re providing quality.
The Second Reason Bloggers Don’t Link Out Is SEO and Page Rank Sculpting
Whether we like it or not, the majority of SEO comes from inbound links. That means linking to other pages within your site can help your SERP and Page Rank. Some people call it page rank sculpting (Daniel Scocco calls it making your own PR).
When talking about “PR Sculpting” each link is considered “link juice.” The more outbound links you have, the less juice each one is worth. This means many bloggers try to use minimal outbound links to increase their internal link juice.
Using the “nofollow” tag prevents link juice from being passed to the link target and was once used for additional sculpting. Last summer, Google announced the nofollow tag still split the link juice, but didn’t pass it. This is effectively throwing away the SEO/PR value of nofollow links.
This matters because all the comments that get left on your site are outbound links and consume juice even if they are nofollow. If you have a highly interactive audience, you’re going to have more outbound links from comments that you could ever stuff into your articles.
When it’s all said and done, if people are enjoying your blog, linking out isn’t going to hurt your following and will make you look like a great source for information. Adding a couple of outbound links isn’t going to hurt your SEO or PR and will get you a couple of trackback links in return.
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Image Credit: Skittzitilby
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February 18th, 2010 at 6:12 PM
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by arierich: Are You Guilty? :) RT @propsblog Two Bad Excuses Bloggers Use For Not Linking Out http://bit.ly/aNLpVO...
February 18th, 2010 at 7:10 PM
I do link out, increasingly so the longer I blog.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:11 PM
I rethink my link out only because Google say that they will penalize the site that have so many link out and link to bad neighborhood so i choose other in pool.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:23 AM
Linking to other blogs is good for readers, especially if you link to quality posts that reinforce your ideas. It’s even better to link to web authors who’ve taken the contrary point of view.
February 19th, 2010 at 5:29 AM
I haven’t visited your blog before Blake, but I think we’re thinking on the same wave length as I posted an article about backlinks yesterday that you might be interested in: http://dannycooper.org/backlinks
February 20th, 2010 at 12:43 AM
I always link out more then nessary.
As it helps traffic…and comments plus it just helps the stucture of the blog community.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:29 PM
I totally agree Brad. Links are what build the community. I think generously linking out definitely helps traffic more than it hurts it.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:31 PM
Danny, It looks like we are the same page for sure. I really like you idea of linking out once every article. If every blogger took up the practice, I think the community would build faster.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:33 PM
That’s a great point about linking to a conflicting view. When you’re trying to make a point ignoring the opposing view makes you seem close minded or possibly unaware. I’m all about it!
February 21st, 2010 at 2:36 PM
I’ve heard that Google doesn’t like links to “bad neighborhoods” as you mentioned. That’s one area where spam filters on comments are very helpful.
I didn’t know Google said it was bad for having too many links. I guess if your site is nothing but links that might be bad.
February 21st, 2010 at 2:36 PM
I’m glad to hear that. Hopefully others follow your example :)
February 25th, 2010 at 8:44 PM
Good to see you back in the saddle, Blake. Looking forward to reading more.
Don’t forget about linking to comments too. I wrote a couple of articles about that, Practical WordPress Tips IIRC. Really helpful for keeping discussion going.
February 28th, 2010 at 12:50 PM
Thanks Dave. Sorry I haven’t made it by more. I’ve been trying to get one post a week up near the end of the week just to keep new stuff coming. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back to a 3-4 article a week schedule again. Guys like you that can pump it out week in and week out impress me.