Back to Basics: Do outbound links matter for SEO?

In Google’s debut two-minute episode of #AskGoogleWebmasters on the Google Webmasters YouTube channel, Webmaster Trends Analyst John Mueller addressed whether linking out is good for SEO.

“Does linking to other websites help or hurt SEO?” In the video, Mueller said that links help users find out more about a topic and be able to check your sources. He then cautioned about link schemes, links in advertisements and within user-generated content, recommending that they apply the rel=“nofollow” attribute in those cases.

Why we should care. Links are a critical component of SEO, and you should regard outbound link quality similarly to inbound link quality. Are your links useful to your readers? Do they point to reputable sources? These should be your goals, and achieving them will improve your users’ experience and won’t hurt your optimization efforts. In short, be careful about where and how you link.

Learn more about link building. This first #AskGoogleWebmasters episode stuck to the basics, but there’s a lot to cover when it comes to links. Here is some related reading to bolster your knowledge.

• Is link building dead? Depends on who you talk to
• How to choose the best content format for link building
• Beware of shady link schemes from black-hat SEOs
• Link-building tools you may not know about
• Building links in boring industries

About The Author

George Nguyen

George Nguyen is an editor for Search Engine Land, covering organic search, podcasting and e-commerce. His background is in journalism and content marketing. Prior to entering the industry, he worked as a radio personality, writer, podcast host and public school teacher.