External Link: What It Is & Why It Matters

External links are a powerful yet often overlooked SEO element. Understanding external links is crucial if you want your website to rank higher, gain credibility, and offer valuable content.

These links help search engines assess your site’s relevance and authority while improving the user experience.

But how do they work?

Are all external links beneficial?

And what are the best practices for using them?

In this guide, you’ll learn everything about an external link—their types, SEO impact, how to build them, and how to audit them for optimal results.

What Are External Links?

An external link is a hyperlink that points from one website to a different website (a different domain). Essentially, it’s a bridge that takes a user from one site to another.

For example, if a blog post on “website.com” includes a link that directs users to an article on “newswebsite.org,” that’s an external link.

These links are essential for:

• Building credibility: Linking to high-authority sources improves trustworthiness.

• Enhancing user experience: Providing additional resources helps readers get more information.

• Boosting SEO: Search engines analyze external links to understand content relevance and quality.

Internal Links vs. External Links

Both internal and external links are crucial for SEO, but they serve different purposes.

Use both link types strategically to maximize your SEO impact.

Are External Links Good for SEO?

Yes, external links play a crucial role in SEO when used strategically.

They benefit your website in two key ways:

1. Enhancing User Experience (UX)

External links add value by directing users to authoritative, relevant sources that complement your content.

A well-placed link can answer additional questions, provide supporting data, or offer expert insights—keeping users engaged and improving user experience.

And since Google prioritizes user experience, a well-structured page with valuable outbound links can indirectly contribute to higher rankings.

2. Boosting Credibility and Authority

When you link to trustworthy sources, it signals to search engines that your content is well-researched and reliable.

Similarly, when high-authority websites link back to your pages (known as backlinks), search engines see it as a vote of confidence.

Pages with multiple high-quality backlinks from authoritative sites tend to rank higher in search results, as they are perceived as more credible and valuable.

Types of External Links in SEO

External links come in different forms, each with its impact on SEO. Understanding these types helps you create a strategic linking approach that boosts credibility, authority, and rankings.

Below are the key types of external links:

1. Dofollow Links

Dofollow links are the default type of hyperlink and play a critical role in SEO. These links pass link equity (also called “link juice”) from one site to another, signaling to search engines that the linked page is valuable and trustworthy.

Since search engines consider dofollow links as votes of confidence, acquiring them from high-authority websites can significantly improve rankings.

These links are especially beneficial for backlink building, as they enhance a website’s domain authority and help it rank higher in search results.

However, overusing dofollow links—especially from low-quality or spammy sites—can lead to penalties from search engines. It’s essential to focus on earning dofollow links organically from reputable sources.

2. Nofollow Links

Nofollow links include a special HTML tag (rel="nofollow") that instructs search engines not to pass link equity to the destination site. This means the linked page does not directly benefit from ranking improvements.

Websites commonly use nofollow links for:

• Paid links (to comply with Google’s guidelines)

• User-generated content (UGC) (such as blog comments or forum posts)

• Untrusted sources (to avoid linking to low-quality websites)

Even though nofollow links do not contribute directly to rankings, they can still drive valuable referral traffic and improve brand visibility.

Search engines may also consider them in their ranking algorithms, especially when combined with high-quality content.

3. Sponsored Links

Sponsored links are used in paid advertisements, sponsored articles, or affiliate marketing. Google requires these links to be tagged with rel="sponsored" to distinguish them from organic editorial links.

Since sponsored links are essentially purchased endorsements, search engines do not allow them to pass link equity.

If a website fails to label a paid link correctly, it risks penalties for violating Google’s link-building policies.

While they do not directly boost rankings, sponsored links can still be valuable for brand awareness, referral traffic, and conversions. They should be used strategically as part of a broader marketing campaign rather than an SEO tactic.

4. UGC (User-Generated Content) Links

UGC links are found in content created by users, such as:

• Blog comments

• Forum posts

• Social media discussions

• Community-driven websites

To prevent spam and ensure quality control, Google introduced the rel="ugc" attribute, which signals that the link was not manually placed by the website owner.

These links help maintain transparency in link-building while still allowing engagement. However, if a UGC link comes from a high-authority site (such as a popular forum or Q&A platform), it can still drive significant referral traffic and brand exposure.

5. Contextual vs. Non-Contextual Links

Non-Contextual Links

Non-contextual links appear outside the main content area, such as:

• Sidebar links

• Footer links

• Blogrolls

While these links still serve navigational purposes, they are less influential in SEO because they lack direct relevance to the page’s content.

Search engines prioritize contextual links over non-contextual ones when evaluating a site’s credibility.

Contextual Links

Contextual links are placed within the body of content, surrounded by relevant text. These links carry higher SEO value than other types because they are naturally integrated into informative content.

Search engines consider contextual links more valuable since they enhance user experience by providing additional resources.

For instance, a link embedded in a well-researched blog post has more authority than one placed in a sidebar or footer.

Search engines prioritize contextual links over non-contextual ones when evaluating a site’s credibility.

6. Guest Post Links

Guest post links are backlinks placed in articles written for other websites as part of a guest blogging strategy. They are often used to:

• Gain exposure and build authority

• Earn backlinks from relevant industry websites

• Drive referral traffic to a target website

For SEO purposes, guest post links should be relevant, natural, and from authoritative sites. Search engines favor editorial links earned through valuable content rather than those placed purely for link-building.

Best Practices for External Links

External links work by creating a connection between two distinct web pages, residing on different domains. Here’s a breakdown of the process:   

1. Hyperlinks and HTML

At their core, external links are created using HTML (HyperText Markup Language). Specifically, the <a> (anchor) A tag is used to define a hyperlink.   

This tag includes the “href” attribute, which specifies the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of the destination web page.   

• For example: <a href="https://www.example.com">Example Website</a>

2. User Interaction

When a user clicks on the text (or image) associated with the hyperlink (“Example Website” in the example above), their web browser sends a request to the server hosting the destination URL.

The server then responds by sending the web page content to the user’s browser, which displays it. 

3. Search Engine Crawling

Search engine crawlers (like Googlebot) also follow external links.  These crawlers traverse the web, discovering new pages and indexing their content. 

• Discover new content.
• Understand the relationships between different websites.
• Assess the authority and relevance of web pages. 

When a crawler encounters an external link, it follows the link to the destination page, allowing search engines to:

4. Link Equity (Link Juice)

Search engines use external links as a signal of trust and authority. When a website links to another, it can pass on a portion of its “link equity” (also known as “link juice”). 

This link equity can influence the ranking of the destination page in search results. 

However, the amount of link equity passed depends on factors such as:

• The linking website’s authority.
• The relevance of the link.
• The “nofollow” attribute. 

5. Anchor Text

Anchor text—the clickable, visible text of a hyperlink—plays a crucial role in guiding both users and search engines.

For users, it provides context about what to expect when they click the link, improving navigation and experience.

For search engines, well-optimized anchor text helps them understand the topic of the linked page, aiding in indexing and ranking.

Using descriptive and relevant anchor text instead of vague terms like “click here” ensures that both users and search engines grasp the meaning and intent of the linked content, boosting SEO effectiveness.

6. Nofollow attribute

The rel=“nofollow” attribute, when added to the a tag, tells search engines not to follow the link, and therefore, not pass link equity. This is used for ads or untrusted content.

The rel=“sponsored” and rel=“ugc” attributes also tell search engines not to pass link equity, and that the link is either sponsored or user-generated content, respectively.

Auditing Your Site’s External Links

Regularly auditing external links ensures your site maintains quality, relevance, and SEO health.

Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Why Audit External Links?

• Fix Broken Links (404 errors hurt UX & SEO).
• Remove Toxic/Spammy Links (avoid Google penalties).
• Optimize Anchor Text (prevent over-optimization).
• Update Old Links (replace outdated sources).
• Ensure Compliance (check sponsored/affiliate disclosures).

2. Tools for Auditing External Links

Tool	Best For	Free?
Google Search Console	Basic external link tracking	Yes
Screaming Frog	Crawl & export all external links	(Free up to 500  URLs)
Ahrefs / SEMrush	Advanced backlink & toxicity analysis	Paid
Check My Links (Chrome Extension)	Quick page-level link checks	Yes
Broken Link Checker (WordPress Plugin)	Automatic monitoring	Yes

3. Step-by-Step Audit Process

Step 1: Crawl Your Site for External Links

Screaming Frog:

• Set mode to “List” (for specific pages) or “Spider” (full site).
• Go to External → Outlinks to export all external URLs.

Google Search Console:

• Navigate to Links → External Links for a high-level report.

Step 2: Check for Broken Links (404s)

• Use Screaming Frog or Broken Link Checker to find dead links.

Fix by:

• Updating to a working URL.
• Removing the link if irrelevant.
• Redirecting (if you control the linked page).

Step 3: Assess Link Quality & Relevance

Remove or nofollow links to:

• Spammy/low-authority sites.
• Irrelevant or off-topic pages.
• Competitors (unless for comparisons).

Prioritize links to:

• Trusted sources (.gov, .edu, Wikipedia).
• Industry-leading blogs/research.

Step 4: Review Anchor Text Distribution

Avoid:

• Too many exact-match anchors (e.g., “best running shoes”).
• Generic anchors like “click here.”

Ideal: Natural, varied anchors (e.g., “according to Runner’s World”).

Wrapping Up: What Is An External Link

External links are a vital component of SEO, enhancing search rankings, user experience, and credibility.

By linking to authoritative sources, earning backlinks, and auditing your external links, you can optimize your website for better visibility and trustworthiness.

Want to improve your external linking strategy?

Start implementing these best practices today and watch your SEO grow!