What is the Best Practice for External Links?
-
We are currently in the process of reviewing our site on a number of fronts, and part of that involves adding quality content to our product category pages where necessary. Our practice so far has been to add relevant content, and in this content externally link to a couple of relevant, related sites for that category (avoiding the use of keywords we are trying to rank for). Should we be doing this (externally linking)? And, if so, should these external links be NoFollow?
So far, we have seen mixed results for our efforts.
-
Thanks for the feedback.
In this case, we're talking about a birthday supplies site, and we are placing this content at the bottom of product pages. The content is generally helpful (themed party game suggestions, unique recipes, etc) if someone reads it.
The external links are in the body of the content and may link to someone's helpful video or blog post on baking a themed birthday cake (for example), but I doubt that much traffic is leaving the site through them (obviously need to test). The point of these external links is to link to relevant sites, so that hopefully in turn, Google,etc sees that we are also relevant to that subject.
The inspiration for this practice comes from post like these: http://www.seomoz.org/blog/external-linking-good-for-seo-whiteboard-friday
It sounds like you are saying we shouldn't link out at all, but if we do, it really doesn't matter if the link is follow or no-follow. Is this correct?
-
This is always a tough question to answer. The question about linking is, will it make the customer more likely to buy, should they visit the link? Or will they leave and never come back.
I know some people argue about the value of linking to external sites to either justify your product/service, but I've always felt that by doing that, the only one getting anything out if it is the site that was linked to. Even if you apply the nofollow element, the search engines still see that you are linking out.
So, you'll have to reach your own conclusion on this. Personally, I never link out on pages where I am trying to sell something. But, if you are composing an informational type article, it might make sense to do so.
Hope this helps!
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Why Moz use mz.cm for social link ?
Do you see that ?
Content Development | | Natifs
When you click on facebook post of Moz, the URL is domain is : MZ.CM ans after 301 to moz.com/article... Why ? Thanks2 -
What if your content is getting social shares but no links?
Suppose you have a weekly blog article and sometimes your articles earn social shares (e.g. 23 +1's on Google Plus on one article but normally 3-5 social shares). One out of 10 earns an organic link from a random blog. Would you continue publishing these blog posts?
Content Development | | ProjectLabs0 -
How can I make a clickable header on Tumblr (with several links to click)
I would like to make a clickable header with several links to click, for example the possibility to click Facebook & Twitter icons to get redirected to my twitter and Facebook page. I know how to make the clickable image and get the html for it. But where in the HTML on tumblr should I insert it? Can I override the custom header with my HTML header somehow? Appreciate all the help I can get, Thanks.
Content Development | | Fisken0 -
What is the BEST way to find guest blog? Use Google under the blog tab??
I want to post articles and get backlink. What is the best practice for finding guest blog? Thank you, BigBlaze
Content Development | | BigBlaze2050 -
What is the best way to rank organically for location search?
I just read this great article about location search. I am going o read it over and over again, but I wanted to ask... When ranking organically for location searches, do you recommend posting articles (such as testimonials, etc) or build informative pages - that can link through the home page through the nav bar or through a drop down or what have you. There are so many ways to do it, what do you think is best?
Content Development | | SwanJob0 -
Best Websites to help discover Topics
Hi I know I can use Twitter and latest posts on Google & Blogs, but I was wondering what are the best tools at the moment to use if you are looking to write about up to the minute information about a certain topic. Say the topic is London, is there a website or tag cloud to understand what people are saying about London right now? Anything better than Social Mention?
Content Development | | xoffie0 -
Best places to get pictures for blog posts?
Well I'm really sick of reading people questions saying "help my sites been affected by penguin" So I thought I would ask something about blogging, where is the best place to find and buy pictures for blog posts? I already use Wikimedia commons. But I'm interested websites that have a bigger range that aren't too pricey. What do you recommend?
Content Development | | charles10 -
Adding External Blog Feed
I have a client who's a member of the Loopnet.com community. They have a place on their profile to add an external blog feed. Our question is does adding the RSS feed from an external blog have any SEO value or do we run into issues with duplicate content with the same blog posts published on two different websites?
Content Development | | John_Ellis0