Many people argue about the bad impacts of using external links in blog posts, even though many SEO experts argue that external links are an SEO technique that can reduce the SEO value of a blog page except under certain conditions and some ordinary users are afraid to include external links on their website. they.
Providing external links to your content is normal. The internet is likened to a big spider web, several websites connect to each other, for example website A connects to website B, then website C connects to websites A and B, and so on.
With the concept of connecting each other, all websites on the system network will be easier to find. If providing external links is considered bad then the concept of the website will die, no website owner will want to provide outbound links to other sites because it results in reduced rankings in searches.
Still confused about what an external link is? Let's read more deeply about the meaning of the following external link.
What is an External Link?
External links are links placed on website pages, which lead to blog sites or other websites. External links can also be called outbound links. External links are different from internal links. Internal links are links that are placed on website pages but lead to pages that are still on the same website or blog.
An example of an external link is when you are discussing the increase in people shopping via online platforms. You can provide external links to refer to the data you discuss. Readers can also visit the external link if they wish.
There are many benefits you can get by using external links. External links can show the credibility of your content to readers. With evidence from trusted sources, you don't need to write down all the information, just provide external links to authority sites in the field and your credibility will increase.
Apart from that, every time a visitor clicks on an external link, they will land on another website. The source of traffic originating from your website will be tracked by other website owners that you use as external links. That way, your website will also get attention from other website owners.
Another advantage is that external links have a positive impact on SEO. Various studies have shown a correlation between the presence of external links and better SERP results. Authors who provide external links tend to win the competition.
By linking external links, you can also make your content better. If you have difficulty creating long content because of the limited information you have, then you can really quote the opinions or opinions of experts in the field to write quality content according to Google standards.
Why do you need external links?
From the explanation regarding what an external link is above, then as a reader or as a writer of an article, you must know what functions an external link has that can maximize the content of the article. Here are 5 functions of external links that you should know!
1. Become an External Source
As explained in the purpose of external links above, external links can function as external sources. With this external link, information from an article can be more trusted because it has supporting references from external parties who can ensure that the information is indeed correct. Usually, external links are used for theories or data that must include the source when quoting.
2. As a Liaison for Related Content
The second function of external links is that they can be a link for related content. What is the meaning of related content? Related content here, namely external links, can add information that is different from the website content that we have written with the aim of broadening the reader's insight or providing another point of view.
With similar topics, usually one website and another website have different information that can complement each other.
3. As a Digital Marketing Strategy
The third function of external links is as a strategy in digital marketing. One website can work together with another website by adding backlinks or outbound links in order to increase traffic to both websites. With a carefully planned strategy, the placement of external links as a digital marketing strategy can be an advantage for both websites, readers no longer need to look for other websites that support it manually, but the website link can be opened while you are reading a website.
Sometimes this strategy is not effective without proper planning, so the placement of an external link in digital marketing must be placed in a strategic location for website content.
4. Become a reference for information
The third function of an external link is that it can be a reference for information. Apart from being an external source, external links can also be a reference for similar information. With articles that are still relevant, you can add reference information as additional information while still respecting the author of the website by adding a link to the website via an external link that you will link to.
5. Helps with SEO Strategy
The fifth function of external links is that they can help websites optimize their SEO strategy. An SEO Specialist will always try to make a website easier to find and be at the top of search engines. By using external links, search engines can more easily detect what topics are on the website because they will detect the external links used which are considered to still have information that is relevant to each other.
That's why if you want to add external links to your website, make sure the strategy you use can improve SEO by using websites that are relevant and still related to each other.
How to do external linking?
After explaining what external links are and the function of external links above, the next question is, how do you know the correct application of external links? Meanwhile, each website definitely has its own style or manner in conveying information.
First, make sure the external link used still has the relevance of the information needed. Because when adding an external link, you have to find a connection between the two websites that can become a bridge between the websites.
After finding relevant information, the placement of external links must also be considered. Don't place too many external links to avoid spam, if there are too many, the reader will definitely be tired of opening the information they need one by one, which will make the reader leave the website more quickly and choose another website.
The use of external links should be moderate with strategic placement at the point where readers start to become interested and curious about what is being discussed on the website, such as when expressing data, unique theories, or different points of view.
Next, after you apply the steps above, you can carry out an evaluation over a certain period of time. This aims to see the reader's response to the external link you use, whether it suits the reader's style or how effective this external link can be in helping readers get additional information.
This evaluation can also improve digital marketing collaboration from one website to another website so that it is more optimal. For those of you who want to implement external links, it would be a good idea if you pay attention to the following tips so that you can make your external links useful for your website's SEO.
1. External Links that Google Trusts
First, you must use external links that are trusted by Google. Why? Because if you recommend other sites that are trusted by Google, it will indicate that your site also has good and trustworthy content.
External links that have high authority can also influence your content. Therefore, use trusted sources, not sites full of advertisements and lots of outbound links, or gambling websites.
2. Must be Relevant
When applying external links to your content, make sure the external links are relevant to the topic being discussed. External links must still have discussions that are related or have the same niche as the topic you are discussing.
3. Reasonable Amount
If you use many of the same keywords as the topic of the external link you are going to install, you should only use one of them. If you place more than one external link on one topic, of course it will annoy readers later.
So you should use external links appropriately in your content, not too much but also not too little.
4. Use Anchor Text
To create an external link, you should use anchor text. You can adjust the anchor text to the topic of the external link and contain keywords. By adding these two things, apart from making readers comfortable because it doesn't include a direct URL, anchor text can definitely help your content get traffic too because there are keywords that readers can search for.
5. Insert Naturally and Evenly
External links must be inserted into the content naturally. You can add sentences that don't bother the reader, and can contain an invitation to click on the external link too.
Apart from being inserted naturally, external links must also be distributed evenly. Avoid only spreading external links to only one section. This is useful so that readers don't get bored reading your content with external links collected in one place.
6. Pay attention to Nofollow and Dofollow Links
This is because it will make it easier for users to carry out spam actions, whether in community forums or blog comments. By applying nofollow to paid advertising links, Google will prevent you from considering the link as irrelevant. Implementing nofollow on less trusted websites can also harm the health of your blog.
Apply dofollow only on trusted websites. This can add additional points to your ranking in search engines because you have provided relevant external links.
How to Increase Traffic with External Links?
After understanding what external links are and how to implement external links correctly, in the end these external links can help your website increase traffic.
How to? From now on, you can consider collaborating between websites in referencing information, of course not with competitors from your field, but with websites that need information from your website, such as news portals that need previous data and information that you have written about before.
Look for a target market that suits your website and carry out regular evaluations to find out whether the use of external links or backlinks has a significant impact on your website traffic.
How? Do you understand what external links are, the function of external links, and their application? Then you can start implementing these things on your website to gain trust from readers and increase traffic significantly!
Conclusion
External links are links placed on website pages, which lead to blog sites or other websites. Tips that you can follow to make your external links better are to use references that are trusted by Google and are relevant to the topic you are discussing.
Use a reasonable number of external links and it is better to use anchor text for your external links. Insert external links naturally and evenly in the topic you are discussing.
Don't forget to pay attention to nofollow and dofollow when you place external links on your website content. Mistakes when applying nofollow and dofollow to the external links you install can affect the health of your blog, and can even affect the ranking value in search search engines.
The benefits you can get when using external links include increasing the credibility of your content, making your content better, getting attention from other website owners, and having a positive impact on SEO.