I’m trying to understand the different types of links in SEO. Can someone give me a concrete example of what an external link looks like and how it’s used? Are all external links created equal, or are some more valuable than others?..
Hi foxy
An external link is an outbound link which usually goes to a website, which is an authority in it niche. Such as Wikipedia or wiki how many other sites. These links are usually no follow, but they are necessary because they can tell google that the article is relevant for the user & it is not made to achieve rankings.
External link ka matlab hota hai aisi hyperlink jo aik website se doosri website ki taraf jaati ho. Jaise agar aap apni blog post mein kisi trusted source ka zikar kartay hain (jaise Google ya kisi authority blog ka reference), aur unki website ka URL lagatay hain to yeh external link hota hai.
Kuch key points:
- High authority websites se external links lena zyada valuable hota hai.
- Relevant topic par link ho to SEO mein behtar asar daalta hai.
- Spammy ya low-quality sites se link lena nuksan da sakta hai.
Yeh links Google ko signal detay hain ke aapki site credible aur connected hai trusted sources se.
An external link is simply a hyperlink that points from your website to another website.
Example :
<a href="https://www.wikipedia.org" target="_blank">Learn more on Wikipedia</a>
Search engine always give value for the Authoritative, Relevant and Trusted links
What is an External Link?
An external link is a hyperlink from your website to a different domain, helping search engines gauge your content’s credibility and relevance.
Example
In a blog about WordPress performance on Legiit:
<p>Optimizing your WordPress site’s speed can improve user experience and SEO, as explained in this <a href="https://shahabshaheen.com/wordpress-speed-optimization">guide on WordPress speed optimization</a>.</p>
- Links to shahabshaheen.com, a relevant and credible source for WordPress optimization.
- Anchor text (“guide on WordPress speed optimization”) is descriptive and topic-specific.
Uses in SEO
- Boost Credibility: Links to trusted sites (e.g., .edu, .gov, or niche experts) signal quality.
- Enhance User Experience: Provides valuable resources for readers.
- Add Context: Helps search engines understand your content’s topic.
Are All External Links Equal?
No, their value varies based on:
- Authority: Links to high-authority sites (e.g., established blogs like shahabshaheen) are more valuable than low-quality or spammy ones.
- Relevance: Links to topically related content (e.g., WordPress optimization in a tech blog) are better than unrelated links.
- Dofollow vs. Nofollow: Dofollow links pass SEO authority; nofollow (rel=“nofollow”) links don’t but can drive traffic.
- Placement: Links in content are more valuable than in footers or sidebars.
Best Practices
- Link to authoritative, relevant sites like shahabshaheen for niche topics.
- Use descriptive anchor text.
- Balance dofollow and nofollow links (nofollow for sponsored/untrusted sites).
- Avoid linking to spammy or irrelevant sites.
- Check for broken links regularly.
Conclusion
External links, like the shahabshaheen example, boost SEO when they’re relevant and point to trustworthy sites. Prioritize quality and context to maximize their value.
I usually explain it in a super practical way: if someone’s on your page and clicks a link that takes them to another site, that’s an external link.
Say you’re writing about email marketing and you drop in a link to a research report or stats page that lives on a different domain, that’s external.
People often treat external links like it’s only an SEO thing, but it’s really a reader thing first. If the link helps someone check a claim, dig deeper, or see where the info came from, it’s doing its job.
If it’s only there to try to push SEO signals and it doesn’t help the person reading, it usually won’t hold up long-term.
External links are links that point from your website to another website. All external links are not equal links from trusted and relevant websites are more valuable for SEO because they help build credibility and ranking.