Glossary
What is an outbound link?
An outbound link is a link from your site to a page on another site. Linking out to good sources helps readers and shows search engines what your page relates to. Outbound links to paid partners should carry sponsored or nofollow; editorial links to sources don't need anything.
Does linking out hurt?
No meaningful amount. The old fear of "leaking PageRank" by linking out is mostly a myth. Citing primary sources is good for readers and for trust. Every statistic on our statistics pages links to its source for that reason.
When to qualify them
| Outbound link | rel |
|---|---|
| Source you cite | none |
| Paid or affiliate | sponsored |
| User comment | ugc |
| Something you don't vouch for | nofollow |
Directories and outbound links
A directory is, from its own side, a page of outbound links. Each one decides how to qualify them, which is why some listings are dofollow and others nofollow. Directories that follow every link without review risk looking like link farms; those that review listings can follow links with confidence.
Example
A founder's blog post cites four studies and links each one. It ranks better than an earlier, unsourced version, and two of the studies' authors share it.
FAQ
Should outbound links open in a new tab?
It's a design choice. If you use target="_blank", add rel="noopener".
Do outbound links help SEO?
Indirectly, by making pages more useful and credible.
Should I nofollow all outbound links?
No. Only paid, user-generated or untrusted ones.