Linking Out For SEO

Ok, first I know, the quality of my sound/video really SUCKS! This is my first video, and I am shopping for a new webcam to use, so if you can get beyond the quality (I hope you can :-) ) then you should find the actual message is thought provoking. So many content creators are scared to link out from their site, and do not fully understand the reasons you should be linking out.

Linking Out:

If you really think about it, linking out to more resources can help your site and help the reader find more information. Don’t make your site a dead end, make your site useful to the reader, and that usually means linking to more information, inside your site, and outside your site. I am not talking about list posts with 100 articles you read this week, I am talking about linking to others within the content of your site, or even providing a “More Resources” at the bottom of an article with links to other articles on the same topic.

Discussion:

Try not to rag on my video production too much, but what are your thoughts on linking out, do you? If you don’t why?

Related posts:

  1. Does Your Blog Stand Out?
  2. Thinking Outside The Box: Linkbuilding
  3. Linking Header Image To index Page
  4. Community VS SEO
  5. A-List Bloggers

Keith Bloemendaal

Keith is a passionate blogger and writes Blog Tips. Feel free to contact him with any questions. Follow Keith on Twitter, subscribe to his YouTube channel and don't forget to download the free e-book: Hot Blog Tips 101.

19 Responses to “Linking Out For SEO”

  1. I haven’t tried linking out on my blog yet but it does make sense. As a blogger our goal is to help the reader as much as possible even if that means they have to leave your site. All in all they will come back if you provide good information!

  2. Keith,

    Great video! One of these days I’ll start making some for my site….just too damn busy! Great advice BTW….I recently read in some SEO articles that a post should have a link every 120 words so obviously we all need to link out more!
    .-= Todd – Home Construction & Improvement´s last blog ..Risk of Asbestos in Home Remodels =-.

  3. Keith

    Welcome to the world of vlogs. When people struggle with what to write, finding articles that others wrote and including them in what you are writing not only gives your readers insight into what you are reading it also supports your blog. Also, linking to an article that someone else has done is telling them a job well done as you wrote something similar and give your readers a different point of view.

    Linking to others does not hurt you. If it did then no-one would ever be able to guest blog as in the bio part there is a link out.

    @SuzanneVara

  4. I can;’t say that I do it enough yet. I think the idea is a solid one because not only do you give your readers additional resources but if you are linking to other blogs then you could also get track backs etc for addition promotion! So out linking is definitely something I will be working on doing more!
    .-= Tom@Free Squeeze Pages´s last blog ..The Aweber Code….And Why You Need To Promote It! =-.

  5. Jenny says:

    I won’t rag on your vid Keith, I am impressed you did one!! I have done them before but not for NEWRU. I agree completely with you about linking out, we are trying to make our blog a resource and the more value you can give to your reader the better! I better start getting back into the vids to keep up with you LOL. BTW what happened to BL?
    .-= Jenny´s last blog ..Eyetracking And Your Blog =-.

  6. timethief says:

    I agree with your approach and I do link out to the most authoritative blog posts in posts of my own in order to provide my reader’s with high quality content. I believe links to your resources and sources are important to your readers for at least four reasons: verifiability, acknowledgment, examples, and context.

    Granted reciprocity does play a role in the blogosphere just as it does elsewhere in our lives and yes, one has to give to receive. But more to the point, as you said in the video, none of us can be an expert on everything we write about. So if we are focused on providing the highest quality possible to our readers in our posts then backlinking out to authoritative sources and resources comes with that territory. I agree with what Suzanne said above: “Also, linking to an article that someone else has done is telling them a job well done as you wrote something similar and give your readers a different point of view.”

    As my blog is focused on providing free resources and reviews of them to my readers, and as some of my resources lists are miles long I made a decision regarding linking. I link to all the resources sites in the posts I review them in. However, when they go onto my static Resources Page I choose not to use live links. The URLs are there for my readers’ use. They simply have to place them in their upper browser bar and click. This seems to be working quite well.

    Perhaps the fact that my blogs are not monetized allows me to be free of the pressure that those who do earn an income from blogging may be under. I don’t know if that’s true are not because I haven’t set out on that path. But deep down I’m relieved that money making is not a distracting factor for me. I am free to write for my readers’ appreciation and when they express appreciation for what I provide I feel validated and it’s a good feeling.

    Thanks for providing the opportunity to enter this valuable discussion.
    .-= timethief´s last blog ..Share Your Blogroll Linking Strategy =-.

  7. ileane says:

    Hi Keith, how brave of you to start making videos! They get better with time, trust me. I still have a long way to go but I can see progress from when I first started 3 months ago.

    I started using the Zemanta Chrome extension and I love it. It’s a great way to link out and it’s also a great discovery tool to find resources. I also like the fact that I don’t have to install a plugin and I can use it on every blogging platform.

    Thanks for the video and keep up the good work!
    @Ileane
    .-= ileane´s last blog ..Build an Online Profile for Your Blog with Retaggr =-.

    • @ileane, Thanks for the comment, I am hoping the videos get better ’cause that one was horrible! LOL I am shopping for a new webcam and I think I will get the Microsoft Cinema (720p) have watched a few reviews on youtube for it and it is less than $60.

      I am checking into that Zemanta addon for chrome, I am just starting to try using Chrome again, I really like my firefox though….
      .-= Keith Bloemendaal´s last blog ..4 Tips To Get More Blog Exposure Via Twitter =-.

  8. Ahh nice to see you start doing some videos bro. Now on to the topic at hand, Keith is on point here people, linking out is just another peice of the 200 slice pie that you need to put together if you want to be a complete blogger. Try it, it won’t hurt :)
    .-= Extreme John @Blogging CEOS´s last blog ..A Day in the Life of.. Episode 5 [video] =-.

  9. Olusegun says:

    Hey,

    Nice layout? Did you use css for your sidebar?

    i can’t watch your video due to poor internet access but I know liking to others’ posts on your site is cook and the pingbacks help with rankings

  10. [...] a friend’s blog, Keith from HotBlogTips.com, and he has a YouTube video on one of his posts, Linking Out For SEO. Cool, another connection. I went to YouTube and subscribed and added Keith as a friend. Yesterday [...]

  11. Nice video Keith. In fact, it gave me an idea for a blog post so I linked out back to you. Thanks ;)
    .-= Brian D. Hawkins´s last blog ..Connect With Me – Leave Your Links =-.

  12. [...] Linking Out for SEO – Hot Blog Tips [...]

  13. [...] checking details and researching facts. We also need to decide which posts are relevant enough to link out to. Once we have the outline in order it’s time to check sentence structure, spelling and [...]

  14. James King says:

    Hi Keith,

    Great blog, I am pleased that you’ve dispelled the myth of out linking. This is an excellent example. I am also pleased you are using video, it is nice to see the real you.

    I am following you on Twitter as well.

    James King

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