Recently John Mueller has delivered his opinions regarding the SEO practice of associating with authoritative websites. While emphasizing the frameworks of the SEO strategies, John Mueller shared the point of view of Google, asserting that Outbound Links to Authority Sites do not significantly change SEO.
There is an assumption regarding the SEO practice that linking out to an authoritative website will help to classify a site better. Though such a strategy does not have the necessary support, it is a crucial factor that helps in SEO.
HITS Algorithm
Brett Tabke, the father of modern SEO, introduced the practice of linking out to authoritative links. This developed from a 1998 algorithm research paper and the seminal document of SEO practices.
An American Computer Scientist, Jon Kleinberg, well-recognized for his work in algorithms and networks, promulgated a paper in 1998 reporting his algorithm research paper that employed an unusual form of link analysis known as HITS.
A hub score and an authority score are the two most crucial scores designated by this new process to a web page. Based on the idea about sites that stress on hand-curated pages connected to authoritative sites, Kleinberg designed his HITS Algorithm.
Linking pages to quality sites are called ‘hubs’. The allocation of hubs is the hub score. High-quality sites compile links from web pages, and such pages are considered as authorities.
Authoritative sites get an authority score, and sites linked to authority sites make a hub score. These are the two top-most ideas of the HITS Algorithm.
The concept of hub score and authority score became prevalent. In spite of this, Google never chose to accept the application of the HITS algorithm. Nonetheless, the idea of hubs and authority sites blended right into the SEO practices, and interestingly Google did apply it or may choose to use it in the algorithm soon.
Brett Tabke announced an article composed by him in 2002, and the included recommendations led to the establishment of the substratum of modern SEO. Such an initiative helped him in earning the position of father of best SEO practices.
In the words of Brett Tabke,
“G) Outbound Links:
From every page, link to one or two high-ranking sites under that particular keyword. Use your keyword in the link text (this is ultra important for the future).”
Are Links to Authoritative Sites Good for SEO?
While answering this question, John Mueller went back to times when people created websites with repetitive texts and attached the links of Wikipedia and CNN at the bottom. This was in the hope that search engines would consider it an authentic website. However, this conventional spam procedure does not make any logical sense.
Also, he added that outbound links are an essential method concerning the content references to some other web pages.
According to John Mueller, if a website maintains appreciative content and references to other content; then, the established structure creates more sense and considers the website praise-worthy. Hence, simply having outbound links to authority sites for SEO makes no sense to Google.
From the perspective of algorithms, outbound links are baseless. Google has stated no confirmation regarding the usefulness of outbound links. Therefore, John Mueller announced that there is no basis in associating “authority sites” with the purpose of a good SEO. He added that one can acknowledge it as a practice for user experience.