External links
Links from your page to other websites that support your content and strengthen your trustworthiness for readers and Google.
By Tanguy De Keyzer · Founder & digital strategist
External links are the links that point from your page to other websites. They support your claims, refer readers to sources and show Google that your content is well anchored in a broader web of reliable information. Well-placed external links strengthen your credibility.
Why link to others?
It sounds contradictory to send visitors away, but external links to authoritative sources do your content good. They show that you can substantiate your claims and that your content fits within a reliable framework. For Google that is a signal of E-E-A-T: expertise, experience, authority and trustworthiness. Readers trust content that transparently refers to sources faster.
Do not confuse external links with a backlink. A backlink points to you; an external link points away from you. Both play a role in how the web positions you.
What to watch for?
Only link to relevant, quality sites and use descriptive anchor text so the destination is clear. Consider a rel="nofollow" attribute for paid or unendorsed links. Regularly check whether your external links still work, because broken links harm the user experience and your credibility.
How we use external links
At Customer Impact we see external links as part of honest, valuable content, not as something to anxiously avoid. For B2B companies that want to radiate expertise, a reference to a study or standard strengthens your authority more than it harms it. We always balance that with a strong internal structure via internal linking, so your visitors eventually arrive at your offer. It is all about trust that leads to leads.
See also
From theory to growth.
We turn External links into measurable results for your business.