The Power of the Outbound Link
Wednesday, October 14th, 2009Do you ever wonder what it takes to earn a link back from a major online media publication?
These publications have link juice to give, but they have to be structured about linking out to other websites. The only exception to that rule are online news media publications.
If these websites are reporting the news, why would they NOT link to the original source of the story? Some of us online thought that was how is was SUPPOSED to be done.
About a year and a half ago, an interesting article was posted online comparing the inbound and outbound links, earned and given respectively, by several of the most world renowned online news media companies. Included on the list were CNN.com, BBC and The New York Times. The information may have changed a bit, but the education is still very relevant.
The number one news media company on the list was BBC. BBC had earned nearly 30 million inbound links and served 1.7 million outbound links. The site chose to use links in both main news stories and blog posts.
Number two on the list was CNN.com. CNN had earned nearly 20 million inbound links and dished out about 970,000. CNN included links in their blog posts but not their main news stories.
Falling into third place was the New York Times. The Times had earned about 25 million inbound links and given out nearly 2 million. The Times included links in both main news stories and blogs.
Taking a Look at the Numbers
Breaking down this information by the numbers (BBC) 30000000/1700000, (CNN) 20000000/970000, (NYT) 25000000/2000000. At first these numbers may seem a bit overwhelming, but breaking them down even further will help you better understand the power of the outbound link.
If we take the numbers down to their lowest possible value, the hugeness is a bit easier to digest. (BBC) 3000/170, (CNN) 2000/97 and (NYT) 2500/200. Now what do these numbers mean, really?
Well, BBC and NYT both include OUTBOUND links in their main publications and blog posts while CNN only includes their OUTBOUND links in blog posts. CNN shares the least amount of link juice and, in turn, is receiving the least number of inbound links. You see, SEO experts believe the popularity of inbound links can be directly related to how many outbound links a website is willing to give.
The Debate Begins
Of course, with any study on SEO tactics, there is bound to be some talk about the real effects of outbound links. Todd Malicoat, Seth Besmertnik, Debra Mastaler and Rand Fishkin all believe in the power of outbound links - debate killed!
Applying the Outbound Link Theory to YOUR Website
Now, you may not own a website with the power and clout as these news media icons, but that does not mean outbound linking cannot help build the power you have.
Outbound links need to be very relevant placed on a page that is similar to the page you are linking to. Link automation may be the best choice for building these types of links, naturally. And, natural is the key to a successful SEO campaign.
