External Link Checker

External links to quality sources help your SEO. Google has confirmed that linking to authoritative, relevant websites is a positive signal. It shows you've done your research and provides value to readers. However, linking to spammy or irrelevant sites can hurt your rankings. The key is quality over quantity - a few links to trustworthy sources are valuable.

There's no magic number - focus on relevance and value. A 2,000-word research article might naturally have 10-15 external links to sources and references. A short product page might have just 1-2. The rule of thumb: if a link adds genuine value for readers and supports your content, include it. If it doesn't serve the reader, leave it out.

No - a mix of dofollow and nofollow is natural. Only use nofollow (or sponsored/ugc) when you don't want to vouch for the linked content or when it's a paid/sponsored link. Editorial links to trusted sources should typically be dofollow. Making all external links nofollow can actually look suspicious and may harm your site's perceived trustworthiness.

Yes, broken external links negatively impact SEO and user experience. While broken outbound links don't directly cause ranking penalties, they signal poor content maintenance and create a frustrating user experience. Users who click on broken links are more likely to leave your site, increasing bounce rates. Regular audits with our external link checker help you identify and fix these issues.

External links go out from your site; backlinks come in. External links (outbound links) are links on your website pointing to other domains. Backlinks (inbound links) are links from other websites pointing to your domain. Both are important for SEO: external links help establish your content's credibility, while backlinks signal to Google that others trust your content.

It depends on the context and value. If a competitor has genuinely useful content that serves your readers, linking to it can actually benefit you. It shows you prioritize reader value over petty competition, and Google appreciates comprehensive resources. However, don't link to direct competitors on your conversion pages (like product pages). Use nofollow if you're uncomfortable passing link equity.

Use "sponsored" for paid links, "nofollow" for untrusted content. Google introduced rel="sponsored" specifically for paid placements, affiliate links, and advertising. Use rel="nofollow" for user-generated content you can't fully vet, or links to sites you don't want to endorse. You can combine them: rel="nofollow sponsored" is valid. When in doubt about paid links, use "sponsored" to comply with Google's guidelines.

We recommend monthly audits for active websites. External websites change frequently - pages get moved, deleted, or domains expire. For high-traffic pages or content-heavy sites, consider bi-weekly checks. After publishing new content, always verify external links work. Use our free external link checker to quickly scan your important pages and identify issues before they impact user experience.