An age old question I often hear asked is if linking out to other webpages will help or hurt ones own interior(a) Google rankings.
Basically, it all will depend on several key factors . One of the main factors is the type of site you are linking out to . One that is spammy and of low quality is already in Google’s bad books, so you linking to it and giving it your ‘approval’ will not do you any favors . It isn’t necessarily because that other site probably won’t have any – or only a low – Page Rank, merely that it has little real value to the end user.
Search engines liek Google and Bing themselves have told webmasters to build their content based on visitors’ wants and needs, not on what will impress the search engines . So, if you link out to a site which your readers will benefit from looking at, then you have enhanced that user’s experience .
This doesn’t mean adding links for the sake of it, of course. The key is to use relevant outward links in order to help your visitors. There are 2 main reason for this , to:-
* Provide your readers in-depth data about similar topics
* Include your opinions on existing related content
Basically those webmaster who use the “nofollow” tags in their code are in a way hypocrits. Why would they link to a page and than tell Google they don’t trust that page. If the site is made for their users, then they of course trust sites they are linking to. “Nofollows” are more appropriately used on blogs or forums where links are user-generated which so often lend themselves to spam comments.
The use of outbound links, in particular authority sites, say much about you . You’ve researched your subject, a big positive. Visitors will want to return for more information on any future topics . It can also help you get seen by other websites like forex4free within the same ‘field ‘ so there can be a viral effect in the long run .
And, don’t worry too much over the Page Rank of a site you are linking to. The key issue is whether visitors will benefit by following that link. Also, don’t concern yourself with losing your visitors. After they go to the other site many users will return to yours if it has good enough content to keep their interest.