Do Relevant Outbound Links Help Rankings?

[Tonearm]

I have a retail store online and I've read that relevant outbound links can help with Google rankings. I've considered linking out to the appropriate Wikipedia page for some of my pages. I don't like the idea of potentially losing a visitor by sending them off-site, but could it be a good boost to rankings?

[tedster]

I have a couple thoughts on this:

1. Yes, outbound links can support or even improve good rankings.

2. People clicking on an outbound link and not returning did not find what they were looking for on your page anyway.

3. If rankings go up, then total traffic goes up. "Losing" a certain percentage of visitors to the outbound link is not really a problem because it's a percentage of a higher number. So you still get higher sales.

4. Just because people click out doesn't mean they don't come back. Linking out to a valuable resource can be much appreciated by the end user.

[StickyNote]

I have also found that linking out can, make you an 'authority' in the eyes of your visitors. They might bookmark your site as a portal to other sites they wish to visit later.

[Stefan]

Agreed with everything Tedster said. Of course, don't load the pages down with outbound links just for the sake of it - only include them when it's appropriate.

Also agreed with StickyNote - if your visitors see the page as a true resource, they're more inclined to link to it - that's good for your site, as well as being good for people seeking real information on the particular subject.

[Tonearm]

Thanks guys, good points.