So many blogger still refuse to link out to other blogs because they’re afraid their visitors will follow those links and never come back. Others don’t want to link out because they think it will affect their Google PageRank. They’re all wrong. Linking out to other blogs will not only NOT reduce your Google pagerank, it’ll actually increase your incoming traffic and make your blog even more popular.
First, let’s address the Google PageRank issue…
I think the problem here is that too many people picture the bucket-theory when they’re talking about link juice. They picture an empty bucket at each blog post and as other blogs link to you they start pouring link “juice” into that bucket. And if that juice is flowing INTO their blog, it must be flowing OUT of something, most likely the blog the links are coming from.
But that’s not the way link juice works. Yes, when other blogs link to you they send you some link juice but the juice comes from Google, not the other blog. Google recognizes the authority of that other blog and when they see that blog link to you Google rewards you for having a link-worthy blog.
So linking out to other bloggers does nothing to affect your own pagerank. You won’t suddenly lose all your ranking because you’ve “shared too much link juice with other blogs.” It just doesn’t work that way, so relax and start linking out.
Why Should You Link Out To Other Blogs?
There are two reasons to link out:
Linking out to credible sources increases your credibility with your readers. Anybody can say, “All kids get better grades in math if they also learn to play a musical instrument,” but a lot of your readers are going to ask, “Where’s the proof?” If you don’t link to a credible source you don’t really lose anything (unless you’re making some really outrageous claims) but if you do link out to that scientific study then you look like a star. “Wow! It’s true! Honey, we need to buy the kids a tuba! Let’s read some more of this blog and see what else he has to say!”
The other reason you need to start linking out is because those other bloggers see those incoming links. If they’re smart they also follow them to see where they’re coming from. They can also see your links when they’re looking at their traffic results. So those other bloggers know you’re out there. And since you’ve linked to them, they’re more likely to link to you – especially if you’re a good source of credible, reliable information.
And then we’re right back where we started … those incoming links will carry that link juice – from Google – that helps your pagerank. So if you haven’t been linking out because you thought it would hurt your blog, now you know otherwise. So what are you waiting for? Get started building those links.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below!