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Are outgoing links bad for my blog?

Posted by basandy • 3/02/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: google, links, page rank, paid links

Hi

My blog is a travel guide where I often post about upcoming and current events. I frequently add links to sites like Ticketek, the event's official websites, museum websites, etc. Of course I am not paid to post them and I add them just to help travelers buy their tickets online. Could this be bad for my Google Page Rank if they believe those are paid links? If not, what are considered as paid links?
Thanks!

User Comments

3/02/08

MadameX

Outgoing links can be bad for your blog or good for your blog depending upon how you use them. For instance, repetitively linking to the same site from every page is bad for your blog. A very high link:text ratio can be bad for your blog. Linking out to pages that are themselves considered spam or "bad neighborhoods" can be bad for your blog. Including reasonably-spaced, relevant links to other sites can be good for your blog.

If you're concerned about this or seeing negative results, you can avoid the problem by making the links "no follow".

[reply]
1. 4/13/08
  
  Norski
  
  What she said.
  
  The key word is "relevant."
  
  Links for the sake of linking annoy visitors and, as MadameX pointed out, hurt ranking.
  
  Links that make sense in the context of your content might even help ranking and, more to the point, make your blog something that visitors are more likely to return to - because of the added value of the (relevant) links.
3/02/08

carlgalloway

The best advice I can offer is to link when you need to and use anchor text that suits the needs of your human visitors. The likelihood of being penalised is minimal if you keep your human visitors at top of mind.

[reply]
1. 4/13/08
  
  Norski
  
  Human visitors.
  
  Human visitors.
  
  Human visitors.
  
  Those should, IMHO, be your first three priorities.
3/02/08

tonyrich

no.

linking out is bad if even done 1 link for your whole site if it is irrelevant.

A blog is supposed to give information.If you link to a site with good information, that is good if it is based on your topic.

Use the following rule of thumb.

If I read your post and follow your links, will I get good information? If I do, I will link to your post. So will the bots.

I link out with pleasure but only to sites that matter in that particular topic and even though I am still new, each and every post on my site is in the top 10 for the keyword I was working on.

just use the rule of thumb.

the problem is your sidebar. that links on every page .So if you have a medicine site, and your blogroll has a finance page, that finance page will come out as spam. Take care of your blogroll.

[reply]
4/13/08

jsinkeywest

Basically I agree but to high to elaborate....

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4/13/08

rileycentral

Why give a rip what Google thinks? If it's good info, screw them.

[reply]
4/14/08

basandy

Thanks everyone. Yes, my links are always relevant. If I post about an upcoming show, I link to the website that sells the tickets. If I post about a concert, I link to the concert´s venue official website. And all my exchanged links are related to travel, just like my blog.

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