What are external links? SEO benefits and best practices

External links are easily one of the most overlooked SEO elements. They’re also one of the most misunderstood. 

Some add too many links to content without considering quality, relevance, or long-term maintenance. Others avoid them entirely, worried about “leaking” ranking authority or losing visitors.

When used strategically, outbound links can build authority, deepen topical relevance, and enhance the user experience. 

They signal trust to both search engines and readers, especially when you’re citing original research, expert opinions, or authoritative sources.

In this guide, we’ll break down what external links are, why they matter, how to choose them wisely, and how to maintain them as part of a scalable, trustworthy SEO strategy.

What is an external link?

An external link (also known as an outbound link) is a hyperlink on your site that points to a page on a different domain. If you’ve ever cited a source, linked to a research study, or directed readers to a helpful tool you don’t own, you’ve created an external link.

From a user’s perspective, an external link is a pathway to more information. 

For search engines, they help map your content into the web’s interconnected knowledge graph (more below), signaling how your page relates to and supports the destination topic. 

Just as importantly, links to authoritative sources also build trust with your readers. When you cite well-regarded research, news, or expert commentary, it shows you’ve done your homework and makes your content feel more credible and reliable.

In other words, external links don’t just connect information, they also reinforce your authority as a publisher who is worth paying attention to, both by people and crawlers.

How external links differ from internal links

Internal links connect pages within the same domain. 

Their purpose is to guide users deeper into your content, help search engines understand your site structure, and distribute link equity between your pages.

External links, by contrast, take readers to credible information outside your site. 

They provide supporting context, enhance trust and authority, and position your content alongside other reputable sources—sometimes even direct competitors, if they offer complementary information that enhances your content.

Why external links matter in SEO

When it comes to the importance of links for SEO, most attention goes to internal links and backlinks—links that point to your content from other sites. 

Backlinko’s study on first-page ranking factors found that pages with more backlinks tend to rank higher in SERPs. 

Internal linking, for its part, has seen a bit of a renaissance in recent years. Thanks in large part to well-respected SEO professionals, like Kevin Indig, bringing renewed attention to what was once an underutilized tactic.

Done well, internal links improve crawlability, help search engines discover and index deeper pages, and signal which parts of your site carry the most weight. 

And outbound links deserve a place in the conversation too. 

Their impact may not be as immediately measurable, but linking out can complement and compound the benefits of your internal linking and backlinking efforts.

Here’s why.

Enhance credibility with readers by referencing authoritative sources

Outbound links signal what your content is about and who you trust in your field. 

If you’re writing about SEO trends and link to established sources like Ahrefs, Moz, or Google Search Central, you’re sending clear semantic cues that your content is grounded in recognized expertise.

By consistently linking to sources with equal or greater perceived authority, you position your brand in the same “weight class.” Over time, readers begin to associate your name with the same level of credibility and reliability as the sources you cite.

Take Wikipedia as an example. Linking directly to an individual wiki page itself may not carry much weight, but seeking out and linking to one of the primary sources listed at the bottom of the page? That’s where the real value lies.

Linking directly to those authoritative sources gives your content the same lift in perceived credibility.

Help Google understand your content’s context and credibility

Search engines view the web as a network of interconnected pages and entities—a structure Google calls the Knowledge Graph. 

This system is designed to understand facts about people, places, and things, and how those entities relate to one another. 

By linking to authoritative, topically relevant sources, you help Google place your content within that network, advancing its understanding of the relationships between topics, organizations, and concepts.

The easier you make it for search engines to establish that context, the more trusted and credible your content becomes. That trust can influence how your pages are indexed, how confidently they’re ranked, and how likely they are to appear for entity-based queries.

Example: The CDC’s Climate and Health Program links to NOAA’s climate data resources. This gives users direct access to authoritative weather datasets and also signals to search engines that their page is connected to recognized experts in climate science.

Improve user experience

Well-placed external links make your content more helpful. 

They show readers you’re willing to share resources that serve their needs, even if those resources live off your site.

Sometimes that means filling informational gaps you don’t currently cover. Other times, it’s about pointing to original datasets, expert analysis, or niche guidance that would be difficult for you to replicate in full.

By linking to those resources, you give readers immediate access to deeper information without forcing them to search for it themselves. 

That kind of value builds trust and keeps your content from feeling insular or self-serving. It also positions you as a curator of the best information available on a topic, not just a single source of truth.

Example: Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO regularly links out to Google Search Central’s documentation on crawling, indexing, and ranking. While Moz’s guidance is more approachable, they don’t shy away from providing access to the source of truth.

Can lead to reciprocal links

While your main reason for linking out should be to add value for your readers, there’s a secondary benefit: Outbound links can open doors with other brands and publishers.

When you send meaningful traffic to another site—or reference their work in a way that reinforces their authority—you put your brand on their radar. That kind of goodwill can lead to relationship-building opportunities, including collaborations or reciprocal mentions.

It’s not a guaranteed or instant payoff, and it shouldn’t drive your outbound linking strategy. 

But links to relevant, high-quality resources inherently make your content more shareable. If another site sees that you’ve helped elevate their work, they’re more likely to return the favor with a backlink, a social mention, or even a partnership.

Build semantic associations with trusted entities and concepts

Semantic SEO is an advanced strategy focused on making content understandable to search engines. Rather than focusing on keywords, you build semantic relationships by emphasizing the actual meaning, context, and user intent of a topic. 

This shift in interpretation is what allows modern content to still rank without relying on keyword stuffing and inserting exact-match terms. Outbound linking plays a critical part in building these semantic relationships. 

Linking to authoritative, research-driven sources provides both readers (as we mentioned before) and search engines with clearer signals about where your content fits within a topic’s ecosystem.

Consistently connecting your work to recognized entities—whether that’s a government agency, an academic institution, or an industry leader—strengthens the associations between your brand and the subjects you want to be known for. Over time, these relationships contribute to how Google models your site’s authority and relevance within a domain.

For example, a SaaS company writing about web accessibility might reference the W3C’s accessibility guidelines. 

Now, that single link won’t make your page rank on its own. But it does reinforce the connection between the company’s content and the leading authority on web standards, adding to the broader semantic signals that support credibility.

Influence how content is interpreted by AI systems and LLMs

To be clear, there’s no current evidence that outbound links act as a direct ranking factor for AI results. The benefit may be indirect. 

AI systems—including Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT’s Browse, Perplexity, and other AI-driven search experiences—consider the quality and relevance of outbound links when deciding what to cite. 

Our research on LLM linking patterns shows they often favor articles with reputable third-party sources over branded sources. 

By citing credible, authoritative sources, you make your content more trustworthy, and, in turn, more likely to be referenced in AI-driven summaries.

Google’s perspective on external linking

There is no shortage of myths about how Google treats outbound links. Many wonder if they actually help rankings, drain authority from your site, or are they simply ignored.

Of course, Google’s position is more nuanced. So, let’s break down what Google has actually said and what that means for your site.

Good external links reinforce E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T—short for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness—is part of Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines. 

While not a direct ranking factor, E-E-A-T is the framework Google uses to evaluate content quality and relevance. 

At its core, the framework is about showing subject-matter expertise and building trust through reliable, well-sourced information. And that’s where external links play a critical role. 

Referencing credible, authoritative sources—like peer-reviewed research, respected industry publications, or official organizations—signals that your content is grounded in facts. 

This helps readers validate your claims and demonstrates to search engines that you’re meeting the editorial standards E-E-A-T is designed to reward.

Linking to low-quality or spammy sites can hurt trust

The flip side of linking to authoritative sources is that outbound links to low-quality or spammy sites can actively damage your credibility. 

These links aren’t just “less than ideal.” They can create a poor experience for users, and in some cases, send strong negative quality signals to search engines. And in the process, unintentionally harm your rankings, traffic, etc.

Examples of problematic destinations include:

• Thin or duplicate content farms with little to no original value.
• Malware-infected or phishing sites that can install harmful software or steal data.
• Sites overloaded with intrusive ads or pop-ups that frustrate visitors.
• Link networks or obvious SEO spam pages created solely to manipulate rankings.
• Outdated or factually incorrect resources that mislead readers.

Sending users to these kinds of sites can erode trust instantly. This can also contribute to the devaluation of your page in search results, or result in deindexing in extreme cases.

Linking out doesn’t equal less link equity (debunking the “link juice” myth)

The myth that outbound links “leak” your SEO power goes back to Google’s original ranking system, PageRank. This founding algorithm was designed to measure a page’s authority based largely on the quality and quantity of incoming links. 

For simplicity’s sake, SEOs began calling the transferable value from links “link juice.” But today, most professionals use the term link equity to describe how authority flows from one page to another via links.

Early on, some SEOs believed that any link—especially a followed link to an external site—drained authority. So, whenever you linked out, you would give up some of your own authority and end up losing PageRank, the thinking went. (Not that we should care about that anyway.) 

But Google representatives, including former head of the web spam team Matt Cutts, have repeatedly clarified that this isn’t the case (starting all the way back in 2009). Link equity isn’t “lost” when you point to other sites; it’s simply shared across all the links on a page.

And outbound links that add value can enhance your page’s usefulness without diminishing your authority in Google’s eyes.

That’s why structure and intent matter more than sheer quantity. 

When you link out thoughtfully—keeping links relevant, prioritizing authoritative destinations, and avoiding overload—you strengthen your content rather than weaken it.

External links aren’t a direct ranking factor

Google has explicitly stated that outbound links don’t provide SEO and ranking benefits.

John Mueller, a well-known and long-time search advocate at Google, addressed this way back in 2016 during a Google Webmaster Hangout, when he clearly stated that external links “aren’t specifically a ranking factor.” 

He doubled down on Google’s perspective during a 2023 Reddit exchange, stating: 

---

“Nothing happens. Why should it? … Here’s my affiliate site about handbags—and here’s a link to CNN & Wikipedia, please take me seriously now, k?”

---

He went on to emphasize that links should be treated like any other content: If they add unique value for users, include them. If not, don’t. As he put it: “Name-dropping a dictionary doesn’t fix your spelling mistakes.”

The takeaway: Including external links may not provide the same link equity benefit as receiving a backlink. But they still provide real value by strengthening user trust and improving how your content is perceived. 

Just remember they are still not a direct ranking factor.

Be wary of what Google claims

Google liaisons like John Mueller, and, at one point, Danny Sullivan, have provided helpful guidance on how the search engine actually works. 

But that doesn’t mean you should take every statement as absolute truth. The safer approach is to use Google’s guidance as a baseline, then test for yourself. 

In the case of outbound links, the consensus is strong enough that you can be confident in the principles outlined here. 

SEO is a moving target. What matters most is whether the practices you adopt improve your rankings, user trust, and business outcomes. 

More on external links and E-E-A-T

We’ve already looked at how Google leverages external links as part of its E-E-A-T assessment.

Let’s go a step further, and break down how authoritative sources strengthen credibility, when higher standards apply, and why outbound links matter even more in sensitive YMYL contexts.

Linking to authoritative sources demonstrates your credibility

Google’s quality systems reward content that shows strong editorial judgment. Outbound links are one way to do that: they demonstrate you’ve vetted your sources and chosen references that add weight to your arguments. 

Specifically for readers, it’s proof you’re not just offering opinions in a vacuum but anchoring your content to information they can verify.

Showcase editorial standards by using trustworthy outbound links

Linking to credible sources is one of the simplest ways to prove you’ve done your homework. 

Think of it like citations in a research paper—except your readers can click straight through to check your work. Over time, this habit builds a reputation for accuracy. Users see you as a source they can trust, and Google’s quality systems take note.

And if you’re struggling to determine how good a source is, you don’t have to do it manually. You can use tools like Semrush to review a site’s domain authority before linking. It’s not a perfect metric, but it can help you spot questionable or toxic sites fast, so your references stay clean and credible.

In YMYL content, external links are part of the trust signal

“Your Money or Your Life” (YMYL) is Google’s label for topics with real-world consequences. It includes subjects like medical treatment advice, tax or investment strategies, or guidance on legal rights. 

Because inaccurate information in these areas can cause real harm to an individual, Google applies stricter quality standards to content about it. 

Here are a few examples of YMYL being done right: 

• A medical article cites the Mayo Clinic.
• A financial guide links directly to the IRS for tax info.
• A legal explainer points to a state court website when referencing the results of a case.

All are signals that your content is backed by trustworthy authorities. In YMYL content, these trust signals aren’t just helpful—they’re required.

Citing medical, legal, or financial sources? Use .gov, .edu, or expert-reviewed content

Not all sources carry the same weight. We’ve mentioned that ad nauseam at this point.

But it’s especially true when covering sensitive or technical subjects. Specifically in fields like health, law, or finance, Google expects higher editorial standards. 

So, whenever possible, cite peer-reviewed journals, official .gov or .edu sites, and recognized industry organizations. 

This makes it clear that you’re prioritizing accuracy and leveraging sources that Google will identify as trustworthy.

Factors that determine the value of an external link

Search engines assess several signals to determine an external link’s value and relevance. Here are the ones that matter most.

Topical relevance

Linking to a highly authoritative site isn’t always the right choice if it’s off-topic. 

Search engines look at how closely the subject matter of the destination page matches your own content.

If your article is on ecommerce SEO and you link to a reputable case study on conversion rate optimization, that’s topically relevant. Linking to an equally reputable but unrelated site (like a cooking blog) sends mixed signals and may dilute the perceived focus of your page.

Trustworthiness and authority of the destination

Search engines give more weight to links that point to established, reputable sources because they’re seen as less likely to mislead users and more likely to provide accurate, verifiable information. 

Authority can come from multiple signals, such as:

• Site’s history of publishing accurate information
• Recognition from other trusted sites in the same niche
• Overall reputation with users

When you point to a destination with proven credibility, you’re reinforcing your own reliability in the eyes of both search engines and readers.

Anchor text quality

Anchor text is the text of a link and acts as a label. It gives both users and search engines a preview of what to expect on the destination page. 

Clear anchor text improves usability by setting accurate expectations for readers. For search engines, it provides additional context about how the linked page fits into the broader topic of the origin page. 

When it’s descriptive, relevant, and naturally incorporates keywords, anchor text strengthens the topical connection between your content and the linked resource.

For example, “2025 SEO industry report” is far more informative and useful than a generic “click here” for a link.

Placement within the content

Where a link appears on the page influences how it’s interpreted. 

Links placed naturally within the main body of your content—surrounded by relevant, related text—tend to carry more weight than those tucked into footers, sidebars, or navigation menus.

These links are usually added with editorial intent and directly support the points being made. That context signals to search engines that the link is meaningful and relevant, rather than simply structural or boilerplate. 

Number of outbound links on a page

The quantity of outbound links matters. Not because there’s a strict limit, but because too many can dilute focus and overwhelm readers. A handful of high-value, contextually relevant links is far more effective than dozens of loosely related ones.

Each external link should have a clear purpose and be placed where it adds context or supports the point being made. Overlinking, especially to marginally relevant resources, can make a page feel cluttered and less valuable to both users and search engines.

An outbound link is an editorial choice—if a link doesn’t meaningfully contribute to the topic at hand, it’s better left out.

Number of links to the same target

Repeatedly linking to the same external page within a single article rarely adds value for search engines and can feel redundant for readers. 

One well-placed, contextually relevant link is usually enough. Additional links to the same target should only appear if they serve a clear user purpose. For example, a “Further reading” section at the end of the page.

Number of linking root domains

The authority of a destination site can be influenced by the number of unique domains that link to it across the web. 

From your perspective as the linking site, citing a source with many independent endorsements may carry more credibility than linking to one with few. 

While this isn’t a direct ranking factor for your page, it does affect the trust and value search engines may associate with the destination page—and, by extension, your own link.

Domain relationship to your site

Search engines also consider the relationship between the sites involved. 

Linking to a closely related or affiliated domain can carry different implications than linking to an entirely independent, third-party source.

From a strategy standpoint, the perceived independence of a source can influence how users, search engines, and LLMs view its credibility. 

A reference that comes from a neutral, third-party entity—like an academic institution, research group, or government agency—often carries more weight than one produced by a brand with a clear stake in the topic. 

That independence signals objectivity, which again reinforces trust.

Links to complementary, authoritative brands can enhance trust and topical relevance, while links to direct competitors should be used sparingly and only when they’re the most authoritative option available. 

In those cases, the value to your reader outweighs the competitive risk.

How many external links is too many?

There’s no magic number for outbound links (or internal links for that matter). 

The right number ultimately depends on the amount of content you have, the page’s intended purpose, and how those links serve the reader. Instead of chasing a ratio, focus on how and why a link improves the experience. 

It depends on length, context, and user intent

There isn’t a fixed number of outbound links that works for every page. 

A 300-word news update may only need one or two references, while a 5,000-word industry guide might include dozens. 

What matters is whether each link fits the context of the topic and the intent behind why someone is reading your page in the first place.

Add links that improve clarity, credibility, or usefulness

Think of links as enhancements, not obligations. 

If an external source helps explain a complex concept, validate a claim with data, or direct readers to a credible authority, it earns its place. Links that don’t add clarity or value risk distracting your audience instead of supporting them.

Prioritize depth and relevance over sheer quantity

Having more links doesn’t automatically make content stronger. What readers—and search engines—care about is whether the links you include deepen understanding of the topic. 

A handful of highly relevant, trustworthy references can carry more weight than a long list of loosely related sources.

Set editorial standards for link placement

One way to maintain balance is by defining internal rules for how links are added. 

For example, you might set a guideline that an external link should only appear after at least 150–200 words on a page. Or limit the available outbound sources to only be websites that meet a certain level of quality (you can use a website authority tool for a quick gut check).

This prevents over-linking and encourages writers to use links only when the content warrants it, and only when a viable resource exists.

Audit your linking patterns with SEO tools

Even with the best intentions (and manual tracking), it’s easy for external linking to get out of hand across a large site. 

Tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb can surface pages with excessive outbound links or highlight patterns that might overwhelm readers. 

Best practices for outbound linking

As with internal linking, which works best when it follows an intentional strategy, your approach to outbound links should be equally deliberate. 

Use these guidelines to build outbound linking into your SEO strategy and publishing process, starting with what to do and what to avoid.

Do: Link to the original source

Whenever you reference data or quotes, link back to the original source whenever possible. This ensures readers can verify the information in its full context and helps establish your content as credible.

Avoid relying on aggregators—sites that summarize or republish data from elsewhere—because they may omit important context, introduce errors, or fail to update outdated stats. 

For example, an SEO blog might cite a survey from 2019 but not mention that it has been updated in 2023. If you pull from an aggregator, you risk passing along stale or inaccurate information.

---

Pro tip: Before citing, take a moment to search for and then read the original study. Confirm that the actual data or quote exists and cite it directly.

---

Do: Use descriptive, contextual anchor text

Make anchor text specific and relevant so readers and search engines know exactly what’s on the other side of the link. This improves usability, reinforces topical relevance, and provides a clearer signal to search engines about the content you’re referencing.

Do: Ensure links open in a new tab (when appropriate)

Give users access to external resources while keeping your site open in their browser. This small UX choice reduces bounce risk and makes it easier for readers to return to and continue engaging with your content.

Do: Audit regularly for link health, especially link rot and 404s

Link rot happens when previously valid links break over time. This may occur because a page was removed, moved without a redirect, or the destination site shut down. 

The result is a 404 error or an irrelevant redirect, which hurts user trust and can weaken your content’s credibility.

An easy way to stay ahead of broken links, outdated references, or unnecessary redirects is by scheduling a quarterly link audit. Some months may not produce errors, but you’ll know your content is up-to-date, accurate, user-friendly, and aligned with SEO best practices.

Do: Add schema or source attribution where appropriate

Structured data, like schema markup, helps search engines better understand and surface your content.

For example, adding “Article,” “FAQ,” or “HowTo” schema can make your references clearer to crawlers and improve how your page appears in search results.

Additionally, leveraging source attribution like “author,” “datePublished,” or “citation” shows both users and Google where your information comes from. 

This reinforces transparency, boosts credibility, and can help your content qualify for enhanced search features.

Don’t: Link to low-authority or untrustworthy sites

Avoid destinations with poor reputations, thin content, or misleading information. They can harm both user trust and the perception of search engines. 

Always review a source yourself for accuracy and relevance. If you need a quick read on its credibility, use a tool like Semrush’s Website Authority Checker.

Don’t: Use generic anchors like “click here”

Vague anchor text wastes an opportunity to reinforce topical relevance and can frustrate users. It also gives search engines little to work with when assessing the connection between your page and the destination.

Don’t: Overload a page with outbound links

Too many links—even good ones—can overwhelm users and dilute page focus. Focus on quality over quantity, and ensure each link serves a clear editorial or informational purpose.

Here are some good rules of thumb to follow:

• Add a link only when it improves clarity, credibility, or usefulness
• Prioritize depth and relevance over sheer quantity
• Set an editorial standard for word length required before adding another link
• Audit your pages with tools like Screaming Frog or Sitebulb to track external link volume and spot excess

Don’t: Automatically “nofollow” all external links

Use a “nofollow” HTML attribute only when you don’t want to pass authority (e.g., paid links, unverified sources), not as a blanket policy. Blanket nofollows can undermine your content’s perceived trust and miss opportunities to strengthen relevant topical connections.

When to use nofollow, sponsored, and UGC attributes

Attributes—like “nofollow”—are short bits of code you can add to a hyperlink to tell search engines more about the relationship (rel) between your page and the one you’re linking to. 

Attributes basically act like labels. 

By applying the right attribute in the right context, you maintain transparency for users and send clear signals to search engines about how a link should be treated. 

Here are the most common attributes and their corresponding uses.

rel=”nofollow”

The nofollow attribute tells search engines not to pass authority through a link. It’s commonly used when you want to link out but don’t necessarily want to “vouch” for the destination.

When to use it:

• Linking to a resource you don’t fully endorse
• Adding a reference for completeness, but not credibility
• Forum posts or guest contributions where moderation is light

Example: Linking to a third-party tool in a forum post you haven’t vetted.

rel=”sponsored”

The sponsored attribute is required for any paid link. Whether it’s an affiliate placement, a banner ad, or part of a partnership campaign, it should be there. This signals to Google that the link is promotional and shouldn’t pass authority.

When to use it:

• Affiliate links in reviews or product roundups
• Paid guest posts or advertorials
• Sponsored banners or placements within content

Example: Linking to a partner’s product page as part of a paid campaign.

rel=”ugc”

The ugc attribute stands for “user-generated content.” It tells Google that the link wasn’t created by you, but by your site’s users. 

This is especially important in areas where spammers try to drop their own links to gain SEO value.

When to use it:

• Blog comments
• Forum posts
• User-submitted reviews or profiles

Example: A link shared by a reader in the comments section of your blog.

External linking and AI visibility (LLMO / AIO)

External links now play a growing role in how AI-driven platforms interpret, trust, and surface your content. 

As generative AI search tools like Google’s AI Overviews, ChatGPT Browse, and Perplexity reshape discovery, the way you link out can influence whether your site is cited, summarized, or ignored.

Proper linking structure enhances AI discovery

Clear, well-organized content plays a direct role in AI visibility. 

Benu Aggarwal, founder of Milestone Inc., and a long-time authority on search and AI strategy, has explained that systems like Google’s AI Overviews and Perplexity favor content that can be chunked, cited, and understood in isolation.

When each section is built as a self-contained unit—with headings, structured formatting, and explicit citations—AI models can more easily extract, verify, and surface your insights. 

Aggarwal pointed out that content should remain intelligible if quoted on its own, which depends heavily on consistent structure and linking.

This “chunk-and-cite” approach also strengthens the knowledge graph connections that help AI determine topical relevance and authority. Without that structure, even strong content may be skipped over when AI assembles results.

LLMs use outbound links to assess context and citation-worthiness

Research shows that AI systems often include citations to external sources as a means of verifying claims and establishing trust. 

For example, a report by the Columbia Journalism Review found that AI chatbots regularly cite external web pages to appear credible—only that sometimes the “assets” being cited don’t actually exist. 

The LLMs, while incredibly confident, make them up. It’s a common issue called hallucinating that reared its ugly head at the start of the modern AI boom and persists today.

However, even the attempt to reference trusted content and pull from resources tells us a lot: These tools are trying to generate a response that feels more authoritative to users.

Building on that same push for credibility, researchers are now working on ways to make AI citations more reliable. For instance, the ContextCite project at MIT is designed to help LLMs track and attribute sources accurately, reinforcing the role of citations in improving transparency and trust.

Outbound links define your niche and build trust

​​We’ve already touched on how external links can strengthen your credibility. A piece of that connection is that the sites you choose to reference also help define your topical niche. 

Google’s quality guidelines recognize that linking to authoritative sources signals trustworthiness, and outbound links to reputable sites—even competitors—show that your content belongs within a trusted information ecosystem.

Search engines and AI models apply this same logic when gathering context. And to deliver a complete answer, systems like Google’s Gemini use a method called query fan-out. 

Basically, this is the process of breaking one question down into several related questions or searches to identify necessary supporting information.

For example, a query like “What are the health impacts of climate change?” might fan out into related searches such as: 

• “Rising temperatures and respiratory illness”
• “Vector-borne diseases and warming climates” 
• “Mental health effects of extreme weather”

By pulling answers from across all of those angles, the model can assemble a more complete response.

Content that covers deeper ideas, and is clearly connected to authoritative entities that do the same, is more likely to be included in expanded results.

Linking to recognized entities supports semantic depth

LLMs increasingly rely on entity-based mapping to decide how relevant your content is and whether to surface it in AI-generated responses. 

As a quick refresher, an entity refers to a clearly defined person, place, thing, or concept: for example, “Eiffel Tower,” “World Health Organization,” or “carbon emissions.” Semantic context is the relationship between those entities. 

Basically, search engines and AI models connect multiple concepts to divulge meaning. By grounding your content in well-known entities, you make it easier for AI to align your material with the knowledge graph connections it uses to organize topics. 

And as we covered, they tend to lean on recognizable sources when assessing the value of resources.

So, linking to recognized entities—such as Wikipedia entries, official organizations, or authoritative knowledge bases—gives AI systems clear signals about what your content is referring to. 

This helps prevent ambiguity (e.g., distinguishing Mercury the planet from Mercury the element) and increases the likelihood of associating your content with a subject.

Strengthen your linking strategy for SEO

Thoughtful external linking isn’t about following a fixed rule. It’s about using links to make your content more valuable, trustworthy, and relevant. 

While outbound links may not have the same direct impact as backlinks, they still play an important role in SEO. When done well, outbound links can strengthen topical authority, enhance user experience, and even improve your visibility in AI-driven results.

To learn more about linking, read our link equity guide and internal linking best practices to understand how outbound and internal linking work together to improve your site’s authority. 

With that, you’ll be ready to unite external, internal, and backlink strategies into one cohesive plan, ensuring your linking efforts work together to drive long-term SEO success.