Member Avatar for Andrew008

Does placing links to related sites improve rankings?

As google says that their motive is to provide better information to people, I think they give weightage to links to related sites as well.

For example many pages in wikipedia have links to .gov or .edu sites like say 20 links per page. This is because wikipedia tries to provide more info to people. And the pages rank well.

Has this something to do with the .edu or .gov links on the pages? I know that wikipedia has many back links but I still wonder if the .edu or .gov links have something to do with it.

  • 6 Contributors
  • 8 Replies
  • 126 Views
  • 1 Year Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by technotools

Dani AI

Generated

Short answer: adding editorial links to related sites does not give a reliable, direct rankings boost. ’s Wikipedia example is common, but Wikipedia ranks because of huge editorial authority and massive inbound links — not because it links out to .edu/.gov. correctly called this a myth; linking out is an editorial decision, not a guaranteed SEO shortcut.

The useful nuance: outbound links can create indirect SEO benefits when they genuinely help users. Well-chosen citations improve user trust and clarity, can help search engines understand topic context (co-citation), and sometimes lead to relationships that earn inbound links. They also distribute link equity away from a page, so linking indiscriminately to low-quality sites can harm perceived quality. Focus on user value first; search algos reward usefulness over “link tricks.”

Practical checklist:

  • Link only when it adds real value or verifiable sources.
  • Prefer authoritative, stable targets and descriptive anchor text.
  • Mark paid or clearly sponsored links appropriately (noindex/nofollow / rel="sponsored" per current best practice) and treat UGC links as such.
  • Don’t expect outbound links to replace the need for quality content, internal linking, and earning inbound links.
  • To test, A/B a small set of pages, monitor engagement and organic traffic for several months, and watch for any earned backlinks.

As advised, make changes because they improve the page for visitors, not because you expect a magic ranking lift. ’s point about avoiding links to direct competitors is valid—balance editorial value against commercial risk.

Recommended Answers

All 8 Replies

Member Avatar for stymiee

Does placing links to related sites improve rankings?

No. This is a common myth but is untrue.

Has this something to do with the .edu or .gov links on the pages? I know that wikipedia has many back links but I still wonder if the .edu or .gov links have something to do with it.

No. This is another common myth that is untrue.

If you read Matt Cutts' blog he explains both of these.

Member Avatar for Dani

I used to hear both of those a lot a couple of years ago, but I haven't recently. I'm not sure whether the fad just died down, or Google changed their algorithm, or it was just myth to begin with.

Member Avatar for pctec

Well...

Lets say Im selling widgets... Do I want to link to my competition? Naaaaaaa

:D

Member Avatar for markov

I believe that any search engine gives weightage to links from the related sites. I do have a site with PR0, its because of the links from only PR0 sites.

Member Avatar for stymiee

I believe that any search engine gives weightage to links from the related sites. I do have a site with PR0, its because of the links from only PR0 sites.

In is a fact, and common knowledge, that incoming links play an important role in search engine algorithms.

But this thread is about linking to related sites. Big difference. :)

Member Avatar for Dani

I think the most important thing you can do with on-page SEO is make everything grow naturally. Don't do anything if the only reason you're doing it is because you think it will help your rankings.

Member Avatar for technotools

I think a higher pr site link may carry more weight than the related sites.

Member Avatar for technotools

However, related site with pr will definately carry the most weight.

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.