SEO external links are hyperlinks that point from your website to another website, or from another website back to yours. In practice, marketers usually split them into two types: outbound external links, which you place on your pages, and backlinks, which other sites place to your pages. Both influence SEO because search engines use links to understand relevance, trust, authority, and how pages connect across the web.
Why SEO external links matter
External links matter because they help search engines evaluate credibility and context. High-quality backlinks can improve rankings by acting as signals that your content is useful enough for other sites to reference. Outbound external links also matter when they support claims, cite original research, or direct users to helpful resources. Used well, they improve content quality and user trust.
For marketers, external links affect more than rankings. They can drive referral traffic, support digital PR campaigns, strengthen topical authority, and help content get discovered faster. A page with strong backlinks from relevant industry sites will usually outperform a similar page with weak or no link signals.
How to use outbound external links correctly
Link to relevant, trustworthy sources
Use external links to support statistics, definitions, product comparisons, or technical claims. Prioritize authoritative sources such as original studies, industry publications, software documentation, and credible news outlets. Avoid linking to thin, outdated, or low-quality pages.
Keep the user journey in mind
Place external links where they genuinely help the reader move forward. Do not overload a page with unnecessary links that distract from your conversion goal. On commercial pages, keep supporting links selective and place stronger calls to action around them.
Use attributes when needed
If a link is sponsored, paid, or user-generated, apply the correct rel attribute. This helps search engines interpret the relationship properly and reduces compliance risk in affiliate, partnership, and community-driven content.
How to earn better backlinks
The most reliable way to earn backlinks is to publish assets worth citing and then distribute them intentionally. Strong formats include original data, benchmark reports, templates, calculators, comparison pages, and expert-led guides. After publishing, promote the asset through outreach, newsletter placements, social distribution, partner co-marketing, and journalist requests.
Practical example: if TLSubmit publishes a “startup directory submission checklist,” the team can turn it into a downloadable template, email it to SaaS founders, pitch it to startup newsletters, and offer quotes to writers covering launch strategy. Each placement creates a realistic chance of earning relevant backlinks while also generating qualified referral traffic.
External link workflow for marketers
Audit your top pages first. Check which pages already attract backlinks, which pages have none, and where outbound links are outdated or broken. Then map link targets to business goals: thought-leadership pages for authority, product-led pages for conversions, and research assets for outreach. Build a monthly workflow that includes content creation, prospecting, outreach, and link reclamation so external linking becomes a repeatable growth channel instead of a one-off SEO task.