Outgoing link on home page?

[surenot]

Hi I am using open source forum script and I have a link back to their website right!

My question is does this link have a negative effect on my SEO and prevents me from getting higher rankings on google?

[keyplyr]

Unless the target site has a bad rep, probably not but if you're worried you can add a rel="nofollow" to the link code.

However, if the target site is considered an authority in your niche, the link could actually be benneficial.

[surenot]

OK thanks gonna remove the link and check the rankings for a few months should give me an idea.

[robzilla]

If the link is built into the script (usually the footer), make sure you are, in fact, allowed to remove that link. Many open source scripts are distributed with a license that requires attribution.