External Linking
External linking is when you link from your website to another site. It builds credibility with Google and gives visitors useful resources.
External links are links on your website that point to a different website. When you link to a source, reference a study, or point visitors to a partner's site, those are all external links. They're the opposite of internal links, which connect pages within your own site.
Some business owners worry that linking to other sites will send visitors away. That's understandable, but external links are actually a sign of a healthy, trustworthy website. The best content on the internet doesn't exist in a vacuum. It connects to other relevant, authoritative sources.
Why It Matters
Google uses external links as a trust signal. When you link to reputable sources, it shows Google that your content is well-researched and connected to the broader web. A page that cites real sources is seen as more credible than a page that makes claims with no references.
Think about it from a reader's perspective too. If you write a blog post about tax deadlines for small businesses and link to the actual IRS page with the filing dates, that's genuinely helpful. Your reader gets the information they need, and you've positioned yourself as someone who knows where to find the right answers.
External links also build relationships. When you link to another business or resource, they often notice (especially smaller sites). This can lead to them linking back to you, which creates backlinks, one of the strongest ranking factors in SEO.
The Basics
Link to authoritative sources. When you reference a statistic, a law, or any factual claim, link to the original source. Government sites, industry publications, and well-known organizations make good link targets. Linking to low-quality or spammy sites can actually hurt your credibility.
Open external links in a new tab. This is a small but important detail. When someone clicks an external link, it should open in a new browser tab so they don't leave your site entirely. Most website builders have a simple checkbox for this.
Use "nofollow" when appropriate. If you're linking to a site as part of a paid partnership or sponsorship, Google expects you to mark that link as "nofollow" or "sponsored." This tells Google the link isn't an organic endorsement. For regular editorial links to helpful resources, you don't need to add any special tags.
Don't overdo it. External links should support your content, not dominate it. If a paragraph has more links than original text, you're overdoing it. A few well-placed external links per page is plenty.
Check your links regularly. External sites change and pages get removed. Broken external links create a bad experience for your visitors and look sloppy. Run a link check every few months to catch and fix dead links.
FAQ
Will linking to other websites hurt my SEO?
No. Linking to relevant, high-quality websites is a normal and healthy part of the web. Google expects websites to link out to useful resources. The only time external links can hurt you is if you're linking to spammy, low-quality, or irrelevant sites. Be thoughtful about where you link and you'll be fine.
How many external links should I have on a page?
There's no ideal number. A blog post that references multiple sources might have 5-10 external links. A services page might have none. Let the content dictate the linking. If you mention something that a reader might want to verify or learn more about, link to a good source. If there's nothing worth linking to, don't force it.
What's the difference between external links and backlinks?
External links are links you place on your site that point to other websites. Backlinks are links on other websites that point to yours. You control your external links. Backlinks are earned when other sites decide your content is worth referencing. Both matter for SEO, but backlinks from reputable sites are one of the most powerful ranking signals.