A couple of days ago we talked about “Best Of” blog posts and in that post, I briefly mentioned that it is perfectly fine – and even beneficial – to link to other sites – Outbound Links. I thought that topic warranted a post of its own.

Many new bloggers (and even experienced ones) are afraid to link to other sites. They think they will lose readers and bleed out “link juice” and authority to the other site. If you’re linking to crappy, spammy sites, that is definitely the case. But if you’re linking to other quality blogs or various authority sites, these outbound links can actually be very beneficial. 

What Is An Outbound Link?

Outbound links are simply the links that go to sites other than your own. If I’m linking from one of my blog posts to an older one, that’s an internal link. If another blog links to me, that’s an incoming link. If I link to someone else’s blog or an article on a university website, for example, that’s an outbound or outgoing link.

Linking To Authority Sites

Linking to other websites is good practice; after all, that’s what makes the web the web. These links are what connect all the websites and blogs out there. You just want to make sure that the page and site you sent your readers to is a quality site. Check out their content and make sure it’s quality stuff before you link to any site.  

Linking Helps With Credibility

Linking to other helpful blog posts and articles is a nice thing to do for your readers. It helps you build credibility and trust. Readers will come to see you as a great source of information and that will keep them coming back for more.

Linking Helps With Search Engines

Last but not least, outbound links will help you gain more credibility and help you rank higher. Give it a try. Find a high authority blog to link to or even better, where it makes sense, link to articles and blog posts of university or government sites. Don’t overdo it, but don’t be afraid to link out here and there and see if that doesn’t help you rise in the search engine rankings.

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I hope you join me and follow along in this 30-Day Challenge. If you haven’t already done so, you can sign up for the daily emails where I’ll share the day’s post and some other bits and pieces with you here. And feel free to invite other bloggers who may find this information helpful. 

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