What Are Outbound Links? Exploring Their SEO Effects and Differences from Inbound Links

While backlinks often get the spotlight in SEO, did you know that outbound links are also important?

Outbound links refer to links from your site to other sites.

By effectively utilizing outbound links, you can significantly enhance your chances of ranking higher in SEO.

However, many people might not know how to properly use outbound links.

In this article, we will explain the basics of outbound links, their SEO effects, and the correct way to implement them.

If you’re aiming to rank higher in SEO, make sure to understand the correct use of outbound links and refer to this article.

What are Outbound Links?

Outbound links are links from your site to other sites or from one page to another page.

In SEO, backlinks refer to links from other sites to your site, so you can think of outbound links as the opposite of backlinks.

While backlinks are often discussed in SEO, outbound links are also important.

Especially in content SEO aiming for high rankings with article content, we believe it is important to actively utilize them.

So what exactly are the effects of outbound links?

We will explain this in detail in the next section.

SEO Effects of Outbound Links

Outbound links are elements that affect the quality of content and thus influence search engine evaluations.

SEO places importance on E-A-T, and outbound links are very effective when used to correctly convey E-A-T.

E-A-T stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.

By enhancing E-A-T, you can make it easier for search engines to evaluate your site, which in turn makes it easier to achieve higher rankings.

Moreover, outbound links are important not only for SEO but also from the user’s perspective.

In content SEO aiming for high rankings with article content, there are cases where you handle evidence such as survey results or statistical data.

By explicitly stating the source of this evidence with outbound links, you can increase the reliability of the information.

We will explain the correct way to implement outbound links later.

Google’s View on the Number of Outbound Links

In 2016, Google stated that “outbound links are not a ranking factor, but links may bring value.”
Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

While this is an ambiguous answer, in the same year, Google warned websites that had unnatural links to external sites, suggesting that outbound links are also a factor in ranking evaluation.

The Relationship Between Outbound Links and Nofollow

The nofollow tag is a meta tag used to set “do not follow the links” for crawlers.

There are two settings for nofollow tags: “do not follow all links on this page” and “do not follow specific links.”

SEO has an algorithm called PageRank that strengthens your site’s SEO power by linking to other sites, so the method of adding nofollow tags to prevent crawlers from following the links to other sites is often used (to avoid passing on SEO power).

However, Google has stated that “the presence of nofollow tags does not affect page evaluation.”
Source: English Google Webmaster Central office-hours hangout

Judging by this statement, even if an outbound link has a nofollow tag, it does not affect SEO evaluation, so you do not need to worry about the presence of nofollow tags when setting up links.

However, SEO also includes evaluations of external measures called citations.

Citations refer to reviews or comments without links.

Since nofollow tags prevent crawlers from following links, they are not evaluated as links but may be evaluated as citations.

While links and citations are similar but different, remember that there are two types of external measures.

Points to Note About Outbound Links

Next, let’s discuss two important points regarding outbound links.

If you don’t keep these points in mind, you may receive warnings from Google.

Make sure to review your own website to ensure it complies with these guidelines.

Point 1: The Quality of Outbound Links is Also Important

The most crucial aspect is that the quality of outbound links is just as important.

While the quality of inbound links is commonly discussed in SEO, the same applies to outbound links.

So, what constitutes the quality of outbound links?

Although the quality of outbound links is difficult to define clearly, it’s generally evaluated based on whether the outbound link is justified.

For instance, the following cases are considered justified for outbound links:

On the other hand, cases where outbound links are not justified include linking solely to boost the SEO effect of a specific website.

As previously mentioned, Google has issued warnings for outbound links to external sites.

In such cases, Google recommends using nofollow tags, so consider the necessity of nofollow tags when adding links.

Point 2: Having Too Many Outbound Links on a Single Page is Not Good

While the quality of outbound links is important, having a large number of quality links does not mean it’s good.

Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines state, “Keep the number of links on a page to a reasonable number (up to a few thousand at most).”
Source: “Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines“

Although no specific number is mentioned, and assuming that having 1,000 outbound links on a single page is not acceptable, it is highly unlikely that regular website operation will result in such a scenario.

Nonetheless, it’s important to remember that operating within these guidelines is necessary.

How to Correctly Add Outbound Links

While there are no general rules for adding outbound links, it is crucial to follow citation rules when referencing information from other companies’ works.

Additionally, there are recommended practices for adding outbound links from an SEO perspective, which we will also cover.

When adding outbound links correctly for citations, adhere to the above seven rules.

Here is an example of a properly cited outbound link following these rules.

Google’s “10 Things We Know to be True” suggests a user-first approach.

When you focus on the user, other things will follow.
Citation: About Google – Google

Since Google operates its search engine with this user-first mindset, we too should adopt a user-first approach when attempting to rank higher in search engines.

If outbound links on your website do not comply with copyright or SEO rules, please consider revising them using these methods.

Summary: Outbound Links are Important Too, Not Just Inbound Links

While inbound links often receive more attention in SEO, outbound links are also crucial.

Particularly in article content, outbound links are frequently used, so it’s essential to know how to use them correctly.

Start by reviewing your website’s outbound links to ensure they are correctly placed, justified, and not missing any opportunities.

However, if you find it challenging to manage SEO internally, consulting with an agency might be a good option.

With the increasing complexity of SEO due to frequent updates, it is often more effective to leave SEO efforts to professionals who can achieve success with less effort.

If you are currently facing issues such as “difficulty achieving high rankings,” “not understanding the reasons for ranking issues,” or “struggling to consistently create high-quality content,” consulting with an agency may help you find solutions.

At Xscore, we offer internal and external SEO support, content strategy services, and consulting. Feel free to reach out to us.