If you are vaguely familiar with SEO & common digital marketing practices then you may have heard of the utilizing outbound links as well as the process called backlinking Even if you are not an expert in SEO think of outbound links and backlinking as connecting your website to a digital slingshot. By tethering your website to other relevant sites, whether it is an article your viewers may find useful, it can benefit your site greatly as Google will score these links between sites, and can benefit your business if the link, content, and page are all of relevance.
Everyone knows that a good number of links on your site is not going to hurt you in the search results, but did you realize that outbound links can also help improve your site by getting more recognition from the search engines?
Outbound Links
Outbound links are any links that are designed to bring you somewhere else on the web. Whether it is to another internal page on the site you are viewing, or another website entirely. Majority of all websites have outbound links, and you may have created one or two without realizing, think of it as siphoning off some of your Ranking power to another site to boost traffic.
Backlinking
In a sense, Backlinking is the same exact thing as outbound linking, but on the opposite side. For this example say Company A was to create a link to another website on their webpage that leads directly to your site. For Company A, this would be a proper Outbound Link, for Company B, this would be a Backlink!
Content is Still Key
Content, content, content. We keep talking about the Google Panda changes which are very hot on good, high-quality content. One way to enrich the content on your site is to link to other sites which have valuable supplemental or additional information that supports your subject matter. Links to other sites encourage reciprocal links to your site. That’s all good. Active sites that refer users elsewhere when they need more or other related information are also more likely to merit inclusion on other lists and blogs that cover similar or referential content.
Another benefit to providing outbound links can be return visitors. While your goal isn’t to send people away from your content, it never hurts to have people keep returning to it because it is a helpful resource for other information. Google considers this usage of quality activity in its algorithm.
Backlinking & Outbound Links In Effect
If you are still curious on what outbound links and backlinking is, you may notice text above that is highlighted in blue (hyperlinks), while most of these links redirect back to another blog or related page on our website, you would consider these backlinks as it connects and brings you to another location in a digital space, a backlink can be considered an outbound link as well but for the most part, backlinking is providing a link to a 3rd part website sort of like this: AdAge & Moz are great resources for any aspiring marketer! Notice how both “Adage” and “Moz” are in hyperlinked? if you click these links you’ll be redirected away from our site. This is a prime example of AdAge or Moz getting a backlink from BWM, you’re welcome.
So next time when you are working on your site, consider adding some outbound links as well, The benefits may surprise you!
Helping Your Business Get Found Quicker
The Boston Web Marketing team specializes in curating unique content for companies across all industries. When it comes to products, services, and growing your business it’s important to Get found quick. If you are interested in growing your business online or would like to expand and optimize the content on your website or social platforms, give Boston Web Marketing a call today at 857-526-0096