outbound links

[amythepoet]

Please clarify what an outbound link is
and why I need them and how to get them :)

Thank you

[buckworks]

An outbound link is when your site links to someone else's site. If someone clicks it, they'll end up on the other site instead of yours.

Depending on what your site is about and how you promote it, you might not have any reason to include outbound links. I can think of some online stores that don't link out to anyone.

On the other hand, if you come across sites that you think are useful or interesting, and link to those from your own site, that's all you need to do to get outbound links. Ideally, that can make your own site more useful, and thereby increase the number of visitors who come back. You won't get that effect with just any old links, though. The links you collect should have some sort of logical relationship to why someone visited your site in the first place.

Well-chosen outbound links can add support for a search engine's perception of what your page/site ought to be ranked for. If your site were "three-blind-mice.com", a good collection of links to other sites about mice could help to convince the SE that, "Yep, this seems to be a good site if someone is looking for information about rodents.'" On the other hand, if your site were about nursery rhymes, it would be better to link to sites about literature, poetry, etc..

[amythepoet]

Right, I get it

Thank you

and when I do link to these outbound links, I should do it within the site, correct/ Not on the links pages, right?

[amythepoet]

Right, I get it

Thank you

and when I do link to these outbound links, I should do it within the site, correct/ Not on the links pages, right?

[buckworks]

One additional reason (a big one!) to include some outbound links in your site is that it's a way to persuade other sites to link to you. "You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." A good link trade will send real human visitors back and forth, and can also be worth brownie points in the search engine algorithms (note, it "can" ... that's not guaranteed).

Keep your main focus on links that would make good sense to human visitors. If you do that and do it well, the search engines tend to follow along okay.

[buckworks]

I should do it within the site, correct/ Not on the links pages, right

It would depend on your site. Try to do whatever would make best sense to your human visitors.

[amythepoet]

Ok, I think I get it now, it's lot of work, but it looks like this is my full time job.