Definition of External Link
An external link, in digital marketing, refers to a hyperlink that directs users from one website to another, separate domain. These links serve as a means to navigate between different web pages across the internet. In the context of search engine optimization (SEO), high-quality external links are valuable, as they can enhance a website’s reputation and improve its ranking in search engine results.
Phonetic
The phonetic pronunciation of the keyword “External Link” is: Eks-tur-nuhl Lihngk
Key Takeaways
- External links are used to direct users to websites or resources outside of the current website, enhancing the user experience by providing additional information and context that might not be available on the current site.
- They are created using the anchor tag (Example) with the “href” attribute containing the external URL, and can include additional attributes such as target=”_blank” to open the link in a new tab or window.
- It is important to maintain and update external links regularly, as broken or outdated links can hurt user experience and search engine rankings. Using descriptive and relevant anchor text can also help improve the overall usability and SEO effectiveness of external links.
Importance of External Link
External links play a crucial role in digital marketing because they enhance a website’s visibility, credibility, and search engine optimization (SEO). By connecting a website to high-quality, relevant resources, external links help establish it as an authoritative source of information.
Users will likely perceive a website with valuable external links as more credible, while search engines may reward it with a higher ranking in search results.
Additionally, external links foster relationships between various online platforms, creating a valuable network for sharing content, reaching new audiences, and boosting the overall digital marketing strategy.
Explanation
External links serve as connective threads within the vast web of digital marketing; they act as conduits to facilitate the flow of valuable information and resources from one website to another. In essence, an external link is an endorsement that reflects the credibility and relevance of the content it points to, as well as a means to diversify and strengthen a website’s value proposition to its audience. By directing users to helpful resources and quality content available on other websites, a webmaster implicitly validates the trustworthiness of the linked content, thereby fostering a sense of community and information sharing within the digital space.
Additionally, external links contribute to a richer user experience, as they provide readers with supplementary information that expands upon the core content and encourages exploration through related subjects. Beyond enhancing content value and user experience, external links also have a pivotal role in influencing search engine rankings and overall visibility. Search engines, such as Google, employ complex algorithms that evaluate the number of quality external links pointing to a website as a measure of its authority and worthiness to rank higher in search results.
Essentially, an abundance of relevant and authoritative external links serves as “votes of confidence” for a website, signaling that it contains valuable and pertinent content that others find useful. This, in turn, bolsters a site’s online presence and helps attract more organic traffic. In the ever-evolving sphere of digital marketing, the strategic employment of external links has emerged as an indispensable tool for increasing a website’s reach, authority, and ultimately achieving its marketing objectives.
Examples of External Link
External links, also known as outbound links or backlinks, are hyperlinks that direct users from one website to another. Here are three real-world examples of external links in the context of digital marketing:
Guest Blogging: A marketing and SEO expert writes a guest post on a popular industry blog, sharing their knowledge and expertise. Within the article, they include a link back to their own website or a specific piece of content they want to promote. This external link helps to drive traffic to their website, increase referrals, and potentially improve their search engine ranking.
Social Media Promotion: A business creates and shares content on its social media profiles with attention-grabbing images, headlines, and informative captions. Within the post, they include a link directing their followers to their website or a specific landing page. These external links lead to increased website visits and, ideally, conversions from social media audiences.
Influencer Collaboration: A company partners with an influencer relevant to their target audience or industry niche to promote their products or services. The influencer creates engaging content featuring the brand’s product, such as a video tutorial, blog article, or an Instagram post. These posts will usually include a link, either in the caption or bio, directing their followers to the company’s website or product page. This external link contributes to the brand’s visibility, reputation, and credibility while driving potential customers to their site.
FAQs about External Links
What is an external link?
An external link refers to a hyperlink that directs the user to a different website or domain. When clicked, this link takes the user away from the current site and opens the linked website in either a new browser tab or window.
Why are external links important in websites?
External links are important because they provide users with additional resources and information that could be of value or interest. Additionally, external links can enhance a website’s credibility, promote networking, and help with search engine optimization (SEO), as search engines use these links for indexing and ranking purposes.
How can I create external links in HTML?
To create an external link in HTML, you can use the anchor (a) tag along with the href attribute containing the target URL. For example: <a href="https://www.example.com" target="_blank">Visit Example Website</a>. The target attribute, when set to “_blank”, will open the link in a new browser tab or window.
Is it essential to use the rel=”noopener noreferrer” attribute for external links?
Yes, it is recommended to include the rel=”noopener noreferrer” attribute when creating an external link that opens in a new browser tab or window. This attribute helps mitigate security risks such as “tabnabbing” and prevents potential performance issues by reducing access to the opener object. The code should look like: <a href="https://www.example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Example Website</a>.
How can you control the appearance and style of external links?
You can control the appearance and style of external links using CSS. One common practice is to use a specific color or underline for external links to help users differentiate between internal and external links. For example, create a CSS class as follows and add the class to the anchor tag:
.external-link {
color: blue;
text-decoration: underline;
}
<a href="https://www.example.com" class="external-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Visit Example Website</a>
Related Digital Marketing Terms
- Backlink
- Anchor Text
- Domain Authority
- Link Building
- Referring Domain
