{"id":45305,"date":"2021-05-28T12:00:54","date_gmt":"2021-05-28T19:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/resources\/why-links-matter-best-practices-for-outgoing-and-internal-links\/"},"modified":"2025-07-09T14:44:19","modified_gmt":"2025-07-09T21:44:19","slug":"why-links-matter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clearvoice.com\/resources\/why-links-matter\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Links Matter: Best Practices for Outgoing and Internal Links"},"content":{"rendered":"

One critical element to achieving your website objectives, including both findability and excellent\u00a0user experience (or UX)<\/a>, is your link strategy. Both the scope and your execution of that strategy help achieve those goals.<\/p>\n

That’s why it’s crucial to know link best practices to ensure you are providing a great user experiencing and cashing in on the power of SEO. But first, here’s a quick rundown of the different types of links and what purpose each one serves.<\/p>\n

Types of links<\/h2>\n

Your digital link-building strategy should cover three types of links:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Inbound<\/strong>: links from other domains that lead to a page of content or resource on your domain<\/li>\n
  2. Outbound<\/strong>: links you place in your domain\u2019s content that lead to content on other domains<\/li>\n
  3. Internal<\/strong>: links contained in your own content that lead to another page of content on that same domain (i.e., yours)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Most resources on link building focus on\u00a0building incoming links to your domain, which makes sense since those are the kind of links that most directly impact\u00a0SEO and search rankings<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    This guide is intended to show why and to what extent search engines consider the other two kinds of links \u2014 outgoing and internal \u2014 important parts of your digital presence strategy and to offer link best practices for building and placing those links.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    Why outgoing and internal links matter<\/h2>\n

    You might have read somewhere that linking out is bad, somehow \u2014 that it takes users off your site and they won\u2019t return, or that too many outgoing links somehow \u201cbleeds\u201d PageRank and search rankings from your site in favor of the linked-to site.<\/p>\n

    The truth is that both internal and outgoing links matter and bring a number of valuable benefits to both your site and your brand. Before we get into link best practices, let’s take a look at the biggest benefits of outgoing and internal links.<\/p>\n

    Improve user experience<\/h3>\n

    The\u00a0quality of your site\u2019s UX<\/a>\u00a0is core to your site\u2019s performance and longevity. That includes technical issues such as page load speed and cumulative layout shift, but it also includes \u201csofter\u201d features of the UX.<\/p>\n

    External and internal links help improve your site\u2019s UX by making it as simple as possible for users to get around your site and evaluate the information they find there.<\/p>\n

    Internal links help visitors navigate through your website with greater ease. External links to authoritative, relevant content help build your brand\u2019s trustworthiness and credibility with users.<\/p>\n

    \"ClearVoice<\/p>\n

    Add credibility and authority<\/h3>\n

    When you connect your users to other authoritative content, you\u2019re demonstrating your own credibility. The outbound link indicates you can be trusted to cite your sources and support your arguments, even if the best proof of your ideas comes from someone else.<\/p>\n

    That credibility extends to your content and your brand as well.\u00a0This is especially true for outbound links. By boosting the SEO signal of a truly well-written, authoritative, and in-depth piece of content on another domain, you\u2019re helping both the search engines and their users find the best possible content in response to search queries.<\/p>\n

    Think of it as performing a digital civic duty, one that reflects well on you as well as on the linked-to resource.<\/p>\n

    Build trust and loyalty<\/h3>\n

    Every interaction between a content page and a user is something of a transaction. The content represents your brand\u2019s desire to win over the user; the user must decide whether to agree to that deal, and the currency is the user\u2019s trust.<\/p>\n

    Without that trust, users do not convert into customers or clients. They simply move on, whether to your competitor, a different solution, or another issue altogether.<\/p>\n

    In one sense, your outgoing and internal links are a series of opportunities to earn that user\u2019s trust and loyalty. The link proposes a bargain: \u201cClick on me, and I\u2019ll provide additional valuable information. Trust me.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Keep your end of that bargain for each of those links by linking to great content that\u2019s highly targeted to respond to the user\u2019s questions. In turn, the user\u2019s trust in your brand increases, often translating into a completed transaction down the road.<\/p>\n

    Improve your conversion rate<\/h3>\n

    When the link in question is a call to action, it\u2019s even more crucial to perfect the anchor text, the placement of the link, and the surrounding content that gives it context. But that\u2019s not the only way outgoing and internal links can help you improve your conversion rates<\/a>.\u00a0Internal links help prime your user to respond to your request to take an action.<\/p>\n

    This phenomenon is known as\u00a0the \u201cfoot-in-the-door\u201d technique, after a 1966 study by Jonathan Freedman and Scott Fraser. In that study, the researchers proved out of four well-known persuasion techniques, the most successful was incredibly simple: Get the person to say \u201cyes\u201d to a much smaller request first. Over 50% of the time, they\u2019ll also agree to the second, larger request.\u00a0So getting your user to click one internal link effectively primes them to click the next, more important link: your call to action.<\/p>\n

    Improve search rankings<\/h3>\n

    SEO experts have debated whether outgoing links boost your own search rankings. Undoubtedly, incoming links from other reputable domains boost your SEO. But is the same true of the links you place in your own content that lead to other domains?<\/p>\n

    The answer is a confusing \u201cyes\u201d and \u201cno.\u201d\u00a0Google has repeatedly denied\u00a0that it uses external links\u00a0as an SEO ranking factor. However, there are three caveats to this general rule.<\/p>\n

    First and foremost, outgoing links to quality, relevant content on other domains do help\u00a0inform the search engine’s assessment of your content<\/a>. In much the same way, internal\u00a0linking also helps search engines\u00a0crawl and analyze your site more effectively.<\/p>\n

    Second, linking out to great content that answers your user\u2019s questions, whether that content is on your site or someone else\u2019s, helps improve your page\u2019s performance and UX. Google absolutely pays attention to UX-related factors when it calculates its search rankings.<\/p>\n

    Finally, pages citing their sources and references are indicative of that page\u2019s quality. Linking to authoritative sources that help support the page\u2019s content creates more support for the page\u2019s relevance as well. In that sense, it helps improve your user\u2019s trust in your content and thus may indirectly help boost SEO.<\/p>\n

    Link best practices<\/h2>\n

    Make the most of the links in your content by following a few simple guidelines.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    1. Focus solely on organic links<\/h3>\n

    Just as you would when building incoming links from high-quality sites, it\u2019s important to focus solely on organically occurring links that make sense in the context of the surrounding content.<\/p>\n

    In other words, never force an outgoing or internal link where it wouldn\u2019t naturally occur.\u00a0Avoid placing outgoing links in your navigational menus, where they can confuse users and indicate a business relationship where one may or may not exist.<\/p>\n

    Additionally, keep them off of landing pages where you\u2019re attempting to drive users to respond to a single call to action (sign-ups, purchases, trial periods, etc.).<\/p>\n

    2. Link to quality, unique content<\/h3>\n

    Remember your outgoing and internal links should reflect well on you and your brand. Whether it\u2019s a link to your own content or to someone else\u2019s, make sure the content is accurate, current, and trustworthy.<\/p>\n

    Only link internally to your very best pages.\u00a0Never link out to anyone else\u2019s content unless you\u2019ve vetted it yourself carefully. Avoid content that\u2019s spammy or sensationalistic. Consider carefully before you link to other sites that provide a poor UX through excessive pop-ups and other advertisements.<\/p>\n

    Likewise, avoid linking out to content that\u2019s too shallow \u2014 although you don\u2019t need to be too concerned about specific word counts since word count trends vary<\/a>\u00a0across industries and niches.\u00a0Finally, avoid linking to pages that are behind a paywall or are gated away from non-members. That can turn off your users and make them think less of your site.<\/p>\n

    3. Capitalize on popular content<\/h3>\n

    This is one of the easiest link best practices to put into action. What are your top-performing, most visited pages? Use that content to link to other pages on your site that could use a bit of a traffic or credibility boost. Don\u2019t forget you can always update your popular pages to add new content in which to place those new internal links.<\/p>\n

    Conversely, if you\u2019ve got a newer piece of content that\u2019s performing well, review older pieces of content that might be a logical spot for a crosslink. The idea is to use pages with good traffic to help keep users on your site by directing them to other related pieces of content.<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/p>\n

    4. Place links near the top of content<\/h3>\n

    Links seem to perform more effectively when they\u2019re placed near the top of your content, as opposed to the bottom. That might be because users typically scan web content and may not scroll all the way down, or it could simply be that they\u2019re more apt to take action at the start of the piece.<\/p>\n

    5. Use relevant anchor text<\/h3>\n

    This is a crucial link best practice to follow. Anchor text is that textual part of your content that comprises the clickable link. It\u2019s easy to overthink anchor text, but the main rule for both outgoing and internal links alike is to keep it relevant to the linked-to content.<\/p>\n

    Avoid phrases such as \u201cclick here.\u201d Simply give your users a clear idea of what they\u2019re going to find at the other end of that link. Use relevant keywords where possible.<\/p>\n

    You may want to consider adding a note to a link, or shortly after it if you\u2019re linking to something other than a page of content. Placing a parenthetical that tells users they\u2019re about to visit a (PDF) or a (video) is a thoughtful gesture that helps improve your site\u2019s UX.<\/p>\n

    6. Don’t overdo it<\/h3>\n

    Make sure your finished content page is readable. Including too many links can cause confusion, visual fatigue, and resistance to both the linked-to pages and to yours, as well. Try to aim for no more than one link per sentence and a few links per paragraph. Avoid a sea of blue underlining.<\/p>\n

    7. Prioritize outgoing links but don\u2019t neglect internal ones<\/h3>\n

    It makes sense to focus more on outgoing links. They tend to serve your site more directly by attracting the attention of industry leaders and influencers and perhaps even making them more inclined to reciprocate with a valuable link back to your content in return.<\/p>\n

    However, internal links can have a bigger impact on your UX. They help users navigate your site more effectively while also building a framework of authority around your content and your brand.<\/p>\n

    Providing links to in-depth, quality content on your own domain presents a rich picture of your brand\u2019s expertise and experience in your niche. Follow the link best practices outlined here to help improve your results.<\/p>\n

    Create a link strategy for your business<\/h2>\n

    The links you craft in your own content may not be as important for your search rankings as the quality of your content or its value to your users. However, in the calculus of optimization, those links will improve your site\u2019s UX, enhance navigability, and help users trust your site as an authority in your field.<\/p>\n

    Put these link best practices to work to develop and implement your link-building strategy. Track your results as you implement these tactics, and then optimize your strategy based on those results for even better search performance as you continue to build your brand\u2019s audience.<\/p>\n

    Want more backlinks to your website? Talk to a content specialist<\/a> at ClearVoice about creating a content marketing strategy for your brand.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    This guide will show why and to what extent search engines consider outbound and inbound links and offer best practices for link building your content.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":174,"featured_media":56404,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[137,139,148,138,150],"ppma_author":[195],"class_list":["post-45305","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog","tag-branding","tag-content-creation","tag-content-distribution","tag-content-marketing-strategy","tag-social-media"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLink Best Practices for Outgoing and Internal Links<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This guide will show why and to what extent search engines consider outbound and inbound links and offer best practices for link building your content.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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