The big five, outbound links errors on websites

Research Findings: The Five Most Common Outbound Link Errors

Research into the outbound links of various random websites reveals interesting insights into commonly made errors. Over 70% of the outbound links do not open in the way the site owner would want them to.

We conducted research on which links guide visitors away from the website, looking at both large, renowned websites and those of smaller companies.

The five most commonly found errors are:

1. Social Media Links

Whether the links lead to the company’s social media pages or the social profiles of team members, this is the most frequently made error.

A large number of the social media links researched open in the same window as the original page, which actively guides visitors away from the company’s website. With social media being one of the biggest distractors, we can be almost 100% sure that these visitors are gone forever.

2. Links to External Sources and Partners

Informing visitors well and referring to external sources makes sense; it increases authority and informs your visitors. Showing cooperation with partners is also a strong asset.

However, none of these reasons justify leading visitors away from your own website.

3. PDF Downloads or HTML Files

Websites contain information that isn’t integrated into the main web structure, often presented as a PDF or an HTML file (like old newsletters).

When these links open in the same window, they are typically files that visitors close quickly. They lack the familiar navigation structure and design of the website, causing visitors to close the page and leave your site entirely.

This top 3 contains the majority of the errors. However, numbers 4 and 5 are quite shocking and deserve your awareness.

4. The Web Developer / Theme Information

Mainly on websites of small business owners, the name of the web developer or the theme description was in the footer. First, it doesn’t need to be there. But if it is, please ensure that it does not open in the same window.

These links can be easily found in the footer of the site.

5. Illegal Links

We consider this to be the most shocking error. 15% of the researched websites contained a hidden link that cannot be seen by the naked eye.

These links can lead to Google penalties (“black-hat” tactics). Even more shocking is that these links are (probably) integrated by a partner you trust to organize your SEO.

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Should We Stop with External Links?

This sounds dangerous—should you stop referring to other websites?

Not according to us, for various reasons:

1. These links are there for a cause:
   • Inform your visitor.
   • Show your partnerships to your visitors.
2. For Search Engine Optimization, external links have value.

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How to Solve Errors with Outgoing Links

Thanks, MaVer, for informing us. What should I do?

1. Check which links open incorrectly. Social media referrals can be easily found in the footer, on a “team page,” or on an “about us” page. The footer is also where you can probably find the link to the web developer’s website or the theme/template information.
2. Search for the links that open in the same window where your site is already opened and change the settings. There are two ways to change this:
   • The simplest one is to open the link in a new window (using target="_blank").
   • Slightly more complex is to open the link in a frame within your site. By doing this, visitors truly stay within your website.
3. All other links take more time to find. You can order the scan for 20 pages and you will receive a complete overview.

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Because we exist to support companies to be more efficient in marketing and sales, we will gladly offer the service to change the links for you.