Can tracking outgoing links hurt?

(since the urls are changed)

[Reno]

I am considering adding an outgoing links tracking script to the listings on my artists directory site, but I'm wondering if that will negatively impact search engine ranking.

From what I can see, most of these types of scripts require a format such as:

[domainname.com...]
or
[domainname.com...]

I am concerned that it will appear to the search engine ranking algorithm that we no longer have a healthy number of targeted reciprocal links, as the URL's for these sites would now be modified (we would still however have a considerable number of sites with links pointing TO us -- it is only the outgoing links that will be changed).

Is there anything to this concern? Or, is the first method above preferrable since it at least does identify the linked site's url in the <a href>?

Thanks....

[Wilma]

We were using AXS to track outgoing links from a site I run. I don't know what effect it had on Google, but from a usability standpoint, it stank.

Because the outgoing URL and the destination page URL didn't match, tracked links didn't show up as visited on our site. That meant a visitor could visit the same outbound link several times, not realizing they had hit it before.

Much as I like to track visitors, my #1 priority is giving them a good experience of my site. So, we stopped link tracking. <sigh>

[Reno]

Thanks Wilma for the feedback. I find AXS to be an outstanding script for gathering statistics for incoming visitors, but have never used it for outgoing (my plan is to use one of the scripts specially written only for the tracking of outgoing links).

Prior to making a selection I will definitely take note of your experience regarding the link not showing up as having been clicked -- whether that's an AXS problem or one which is connected to all outgoing trackers is something I'll need to research.

If any SEO expert knows whether outgoing tracking (with the necessary changing of URL's associated with the various script formats) is adverse to good page rank, please advise...