Outbound Authority Links in SEO

Outbound authority links are links from your website to other high-quality, authoritative sites. Used correctly, these links can provide SEO benefits for your site.

How Outbound Authority Links Help with Rankings

  • Outbound links to authoritative sites build trust and convey expertise. They show you are trying to be helpful, not just self-promotional.
  • Search engines see them as votes of confidence, so having relevant outbound links can improve your site's authority and search rankings.
  • The links allow some PageRank and authority to pass to the sites you link to. But this tradeoff is worth the trust and credibility signals they provide.

Best Practices for Outbound Linking

  • Keep authority outbound links "dofollow" so link equity can flow through them. Don't block it with nofollow.
  • Link out to truly authoritative, relevant resources that add value for your audience. Don't just link out aimlessly.
  • Use descriptive, natural anchor text - not overly optimized or commercial anchors.
  • Avoid having too many outbound links on a single page, as this can dilute your internal equity. Moderation is key.

The Bottom Line

When used judiciously, outbound links to authority sites can boost a page's trust and search ranking. Just be selective with links and anchor text. Outbound authority links demonstrate confidence and expertise!