Google Recommends Outbound Links (Most SEOs Ignore This)

Mar 17, 2026

They dig into Google's long-standing advice to add relevant outbound links and why many SEOs ignore it. They review an experiment that found pages with outbound links often ranked higher. They explain different link attributes like nofollow, sponsored, and UGC and when each matters. They revisit Matt Cutts' take on PageRank sculpting and argue for citing trustworthy sources to make pages more useful.

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ADVICE

Include Relevant Outbound Links

Do include relevant outbound links to help readers and provide depth.
Edward Sturm cites Google's 2008 guidance saying thoughtful links boost credibility and show you've researched the topic.

ADVICE

Avoid Unmonitored And Paid Outbound Links

Avoid unmonitored or undisclosed paid outbound links and limit excessive links per page.
Edward quotes Google warning about comment spam, paid links, and suggesting roughly under 100 links per page to preserve credibility.

INSIGHT

Use Descriptive Anchor Text

Use descriptive anchor text for outbound links to clarify destinations for users and Google.
Edward recounts Google's point that descriptive anchors help both users and Googlebot understand linked content.

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E896: Google has been recommending outbound links for years, yet many SEOs still avoid them.

We go through Google's own documentation about linking out, an SEO experiment that tested whether outbound links help rankings, and Matt Cutts' guidance on when to use the nofollow attribute.

The core idea is simple: linking to relevant, trustworthy sources can improve the usefulness of your content. It helps readers explore related topics, shows that you've done research, and connects your work to the wider web.

We also look at why many SEOs became skeptical of outbound links in the first place. A long-standing belief in the industry is that linking out "leaks PageRank" and weakens your site. But when you compare that idea to Google's documentation and real experiments, the story looks very different.

We break down: - Google's official advice on outbound links from the Search Central blog - Why linking out can improve credibility and reader trust - The difference between normal links, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC attributes - Why Google warns against unmonitored or spammy outbound links - The experiment by Reboot that tested outbound links across multiple websites - Why the sites with outbound links ranked higher in that test - Matt Cutts' explanation of PageRank sculpting and why he avoided using nofollow internally - When it actually makes sense to use nofollow - Why trying to "hoard PageRank" is usually a mistake

We also talk about how outbound links fit into a broader philosophy of building useful pages: cite sources, connect readers to good resources, and focus on making pages genuinely helpful rather than trying to control every technical detail.

If you create content for search, this is a topic worth revisiting.

Outbound links are part of how the web works.

And according to Google, they should be used when they help readers.

⭐️ Linking out: Often it's just applying common sense - https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2008/10/linking-out-often-its-just-applying ⭐️ Outbound Link Experiment - Number 9 - https://seosherpa.com/seo-experiments/ ⭐️ PageRank sculpting - https://www.mattcutts.com/blog/pagerank-sculpting/ ⭐️ E980: Unicorn Clicks, NavBoost & Google's Real Ranking Signals - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqvAaLahNTQ

🚀 Edward's SEO Articles - https://edwardsturm.com/articles/search-engine-optimization/

💎 Compact Keywords - My SEO Course - Get paying customers through SEO - Clear step-by-step video breakdowns - SEO templates to be copied and adapted for your products and services: https://compactkeywords.com/

00:00 Why Link Out 01:08 Google's Outbound Link Advice 02:18 Linking Best Practices 03:39 Outbound Link Q&A 05:38 Do Outbound Links Help SEO 06:32 Reboot Experiment Results 07:44 Matt Cutts on Nofollow 08:34 When to Use Nofollow 09:31 Wrap Up

The Edward Show. Your daily search engine optimization podcast: https://edwardsturm.com/the-edward-show/

#searchengineoptimization #seo #backlinks #digitalmarketing