Internal Links vs. External Links: A Quick Explanation

If the internet is like a major highway, your website would be a growing city. The more traffic and visitors you get, the more your company’s “economy” flourishes. To bring in a steady stream of leads and customers, you need a well-designed network of internal links and external links. This guide explains how to use each type of link correctly.

What Is an Internal Link?

Internal links are hyperlinked text snippets that connect to other pages on your website. All visitors need to do is click on the link, and the browser takes them to the new page.

In our example, internal links would be similar to a city’s streets. They help you direct site traffic to the right destinations, such as related topics, product pages, or service pages.

What Is an External Link?

External links point to third-party domains and web pages. In other words, an external link directs traffic from your site to a different website. This type of hyperlink is also called an outbound link.

Why would you send visitors off your site? Most of the time, you don’t want to. Sometimes, though, you need an external link to show that your information comes from a reliable source.

Which of these statistics feels more trustworthy to you?

• Fewer than 5% of American drivers are teens. (U.S. Department of Transportation)
• Over 80% of teens text and drive.
• Teenagers are responsible for 50% of all car accidents in winter.

In case you’re wondering, the last two statistics are fake. Linking to well-known sources elevates the quality of your blog articles, helping to convince search engines that your site is authoritative.

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How Important Are Internal Links Vs. External Links for SEO?

One of the biggest differences between internal and external linking​ is their impact on SEO. Internal links contribute significantly to better search rankings. When users spend a lot of time browsing your site, Google views it as proof that you’re popular and trustworthy.

Helpful links can also reduce bounce rate and increase user satisfaction. It feels good to find a page that answers all of your questions perfectly.

On the other hand, external links have a very small impact on SEO. They primarily add value for visitors.

What Are the Main Differences Between Internal and External Linking?

Internal and external links have different purposes, benefits, and best practices to follow.

Benefits of Internal Links Vs. External Links

Internal links are essential for:

• Organizing your site
• Helping visitors find the information or products they’re looking for
• Providing a good user experience
• Helping search engines navigate your website
• Sharing one page’s SEO authority with related articles on your site

On the other hand, external links are mainly useful for verifying sources.

Best Practices for Linking

With internal links, there’s nothing wrong with sending users directly to the destination page. They’re still in your system. External links should always open in a new window. That way, you avoid losing traffic.

When linking, use two to five words that describe what users will find in the other article. For example:

• Cybersecurity tips
• Safest SUV models
• Benefits of extended warranties
• Interior design trends
• How to install wood flooring

Avoid creating links that sound like clickbait or lead to unrelated topics.

How many internal links can you include? Don’t stuff the page, but feel free to add five or more, as long as they make sense for the content.

With external links, one or two is plenty. Never link to your competitors.

When Should You Use Internal Links and External Links?

Every blog article, guide, and web page on your site can benefit from internal and external links.

Internal Links: Increase Sales and Conversions

Let’s say you create an in-depth buyer’s guide for tires. This guide ranks exceptionally well, but your goal is to persuade potential customers to buy your tires.

To make this happen, the article needs internal links:

• Car tires: “bkatirestore.com/auto/”
• Truck tires: “bkatirestore.com/truck/”
• Motorcycle tires: “bkatirestore.com/moto/”
• All-season tires: “bkatirestore.com/all-season/”
• Off-road tires: “bkatirestore.com/off-road/”

Potential customers can quickly jump to the right type of tire, find additional information, and hopefully make a purchase.

Internal Links: Nurture Interest

B2B businesses like manufacturers and software developers can use internal links for lead generation and nurturing. Business clients take a while to trust your company. B2B leads require 10 weeks of nurturing on average.

When you include smart internal links in your blogs, whitepapers, and guides, visitors spend more time engaging with your content.

This example shows how to use internal links this way:

“To be effective, ransomware protection must be customized to your organization’s threat environment, operations, and attack surfaces [“bkainfosec.com/blog/common-attack-surfaces”]. The first step is a comprehensive risk assessment [“bkainfosec.com/blog/risk-assessment-guide”]. In many companies, phishing attacks [“bkainfosec.com/blog/what-is-phishing”] provide the opening that bad actors need to access sensitive systems.”

When you help leads explore industry topics in depth, they learn more about your business, your products, and your expertise at the same time.

External Links: Build Your Reputation

Did you know that users are 2,900% more likely to read an infographic than a regular webpage? People love statistics.

Including metrics in your content is an excellent way to boost your traffic and your search rankings. But if you want readers to trust your facts and figures, you need to link to the source. Adding a few high-quality facts with external links helps you convince visitors that your business has experience and authority.

External linking isn’t necessary for general information like definitions, examples, or tips. Save your outbound links for specific statistics, preferably ones that come from authorities, universities, or government sites.

How Can You Follow SEO Best Practices for Internal Links and External Links?

Good planning is the key to SEO success. This applies to your content and the internal links you use. Both users and search engines love content that is easy to navigate. Discover how the right on-page SEO practices can help your site score valuable keywords today.