An outbound link is a link on your website that takes a visitor to a different website. It is sometimes called an external link.
For example, a blog article about Australian business regulations might link to an Australian Government website for official information. When a visitor clicks that link, they leave the original website and open a page on another domain.
Outbound links are different from internal links, which connect pages within the same website.
Why Are Outbound Links Used?
Websites use outbound links when another source provides information that is useful to the reader. This might include research, statistics, government information, original reports, industry resources or further reading.
They can also be used when mentioning another business, organisation, product or online tool. The link gives readers direct access to the source without requiring the website to repeat all of the information itself.
An outbound link should have a clear purpose. Adding external links simply because a page is expected to have them does not make the content more useful.
Outbound Links and SEO
Outbound links can help provide context around a subject and show readers where information has come from. They can be particularly useful when a page discusses facts or data that should be supported by an original source.
However, linking to another website does not automatically improve Google rankings. The quality and usefulness of the page itself remain more important.
Website owners should check outbound links occasionally because external pages can be moved, deleted or changed. A link that once led to a useful resource may eventually become broken or point to information that is no longer current.
For paid, sponsored or certain user-generated links, appropriate link attributes may also be needed so search engines understand the nature of the link.