What Is an External Link?
An external link is a hyperlink from one web page to another web page on a separate domain.
External links are used to send website visitors to other content on the Internet that is related to the subject matter and beneficial for the users. External links are good for search engine optimization (SEO) because they increase the credibility and authoritativeness of the content while also transferring Google PageRank (i.e., link equity) to other domains for organic ranking purposes.
Google’s PageRank algorithm analyzes the number and quality of external links pointing to a web page to determine the popularity and importance of the URL. Google’s systems also use a TrustRank algorithm to evaluate the trustworthiness of the origin site that sends the external link. Additionally, Google representatives have stated that good websites link to other good websites and spammy sites typically link to other spammy sites.
Therefore, creating external links on your website to other trustworthy and authoritative sites can help increase the quality factors of your site. Also, external links that your site receives in the form of backlinks can also improve the off-site search engine optimization factors that impact search engine rankings.
Visit the SEO Glossary
Go to the SEO Glossary to find more terms and definitions that relate to the field of search engine optimization.
The Editorial Staff at SEO Chatter is a team of search engine optimization and digital marketing experts led by Stephen Hockman with more than 15 years of experience in search engine marketing. We publish guides on the fundamentals of SEO for beginner marketers.
