What is inbound and outbound links in SEO?

Those who work with optimization will all have the same question at some point. What is inbound and outbound links in SEO? Are there different type of links? How do they impact SEO? Simply put, inbound and outbound links are two types of hyperlinks that have different roles in SEO.

Let’s take it apart. Inbound means incoming, so that means any link that points to a page on your website are inbound links. If the pointing link is from a page, then it is an external inbound link. Whereas, if the pointing link comes from another page on your own website, it is an internal inbound link. Outbound means outgoing, so any link you included in your text on your site that leads to a page on your own (internal), or different (external)website are outbound links.

External vs internal

External inbound links, or backlinks, are crucial for SEO as they act like endorsements from other sites. A higher number of incoming links from reputable and high ranking sites can improve your website’s authority and ranking on search engines. External outbound links are also important for SEO as they help search engines understand your site’s niche and can provide additional value to your website’s visitors by directing them to relevant and quality content.

Internal Inbound and outbound links are useful because they help search engines to understand the relationship of different pages on your site, and get a clearer picture of your site’s structure during the indexing process.

Backlinks, when done correctly, can potentially enhance a website’s SEO performance and search engine ranking. However, they should be used as part of a broader SEO strategy to avoid penalties and ensure long-term success.

Incoming link types

1. Backlinks

A backlink, also known as an inbound link or incoming link, is a link from one website to another. These links are important for SEO because search engines use them to assess the credibility of a website. However, it’s not the only way search engines determine the authority of a website.

When a high-quality (high ranking) and reputable website links to your site, it can positively impact your ranking and SEO. On the other hand, low-quality or spammy backlinks can harm your site’s SEO. Backlinks are like “votes of confidence” from other websites, indicating that your website’s content is valuable and worth referencing.

Here’s how backlinking typically works:

Website A and Website B agree to link to each other’s website or web page.
Both websites place links on their web pages, directing visitors to the other site.
The hope is that this will benefit both sites by increasing their online visibility and traffic.

2. Link exchange

Link exchange, also known as reciprocal linking or crosslinking, involves two websites agreeing to link to each other’s content. This practice aims to improve both websites’ search engine rankings and SEO.

However, it’s important to approach link exchange with care, as excessive, artificial, or inappropriate link exchanges can be flagged by search engines like Google as link schemes, which violates the guidelines and can potentially result in penalties. So, don’t try to manipulate search engine rankings through link exchange.

Types of link exchange

There are different types of link exchanges, such as A-B exchange (reciprocal exchange or crosslinking), as we talked about above, where one site links to another, and in return, the second site links back to the first.

Another type is A-B-C link exchange, which involves three or more websites linking to each other in a non-reciprocal manner. This method is seen as a way to bypass the risks associated with reciprocal linking.

3. Risks and rewards

When engaging in link exchanges, it’s crucial to ensure that the websites and the content are relevant to each other, as well as the links should be placed in contextually appropriate sections of the page. Such as, don’t do this: https://google.com or linking to a site that is irrelevant to what the paragraph is about. You wouldn’t link to Facebook when talking about TikTok. The quality of the website giving the link also matters, as links from high-quality, authoritative websites are more valuable.

Search engines have become increasingly sophisticated in detecting manipulative link exchanges. They prioritize high-quality, natural backlinks over artificial ones. In other words, link spamming and farms don’t work anymore. It is an old method where a highly ranked website just had links to other sites and nothing else. No content at all, but people would pay to get a backlink from such websites to increase their own ranking.

Therefore, it’s essential to engage in proper link-building practices and focus on creating valuable, shareable content that naturally attracts backlinks from reputable sources rather than relying solely on link exchanges.

Figure: Dofollow Link – Author: Seobility

Outgoing link types

1. No-follow Links

These links include a [rel=”nofollow”] attribute in the HTML, instructing search engines not to follow the link or pass any authority (link juice) from your site to the linked site. They are often used for links in comments or sponsored content. Since each web page has its own ranking, you can pass on link juice both internally and externally.

2. Do-follow Links

These are standard hyperlinks without any special attributes. They allow search engines to follow the link and pass authority from your site to the destination site.

3. Affiliate Links

Used for affiliate marketing, these special links direct users to products or services with the aim of earning commissions on sales or clicks. They are typically links with a custom URL, such as tiny.url/homeofsites.

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