Your learning path: 93 lessons.
Module 02 / Lesson 10 · Read, apply, check
Place links where they substantiate claims or help readers, using your own pages and credible independent sources appropriately.
A link should help a reader verify a claim, explore a useful explanation or take a relevant action. Ask what is lost if the link is removed. If nothing changes except the number of references to your domain, it may be unnecessary. Useful linking is about context and purpose, not maximizing the density of clickable phrases.
Use the organization that produced a dataset for its methodology, official documentation for a platform rule and your own page for facts about your offering. A famous domain is not automatically the best source. Check that the destination actually supports the nearby statement and is current enough for the decision being discussed.
Your methodology, original research, product details or contact information may be relevant. Place those references alongside independent evidence when that improves the article. Do not create the impression that linking to an authority site neutralizes an otherwise manipulative campaign. Commercial links still need appropriate treatment, and every destination must earn its place in the text.
Repeated links to one destination can distract from an argument. Use clear anchor wording and avoid linking every related phrase. Check the final article on a small screen, verify destinations and remove broken or misleading references. There is no universal correct number of external links or required ratio of commercial to independent domains.
Link “clearance specification” → manufacturer’s actual technical document.
Link “technical guidance” → an appropriate independent source that supports the statement.
Link “compatible equipment” → the relevant commercial category.
A fourth link adds nothing if it merely repeats the same brand destination.
Hypothetical example: a company writes an article about improving the energy performance of offices. Its first draft contains twelve links to the same consultation page, including links attached to general claims about energy prices. The editor replaces those general references with the actual source of the price data, cites the measurement method for an efficiency claim and keeps one relevant reference to the company’s service scope. A separate link to the company’s original case methodology is useful because it supports a specific example. The resulting article has fewer promotional interruptions and a clearer evidence trail. This is a recommendation about reader usefulness and accurate attribution, not a guarantee that adding a famous source will improve rankings.
A short announcement about a company’s office opening may reasonably link to its location and contact information without adding unrelated academic or government references. Inserting authority links solely to achieve a target ratio would add clutter. The source mix should follow the claims made and the reader’s likely next question, rather than a rule that every article needs the same collection of domains.
Misconception: an article becomes trustworthy when it links to any high-authority website. Correction: the linked source must support the relevant claim. A prestigious but unrelated reference cannot repair unsupported statements or a misleading commercial relationship.
An independent source can be wrong or outdated, and first-party information can be appropriate. Evaluate provenance, relevance and freshness together. Link qualification and disclosure remain necessary where the relationship calls for them.
Do this today · 20 minutes
Take one draft and write the purpose beside every link. Replace weak evidence with the original source, keep useful company references and remove repetitive destinations that add no reader value.
Use an authorized page or campaign relevant to this lesson, or work entirely from the illustrative sample below. Record proposed changes as drafts until they are approved and implemented.
A draft contains six links to the company homepage and a factual statistic with no original source.
Before: Six repetitive homepage links and an unsupported statistic.
After: Relevant company references alongside original evidence sources.
Notes stay in this browser. Download a copy to keep them.
Verify each destination and factual claim before publishing the draft.
Before you move on
A draft contains nine links to one service page and one unrelated university link added to make the article look authoritative. Several numerical claims have no supporting source. Which edit would most improve the article’s usefulness and integrity without relying on an invented link formula?
Next lesson →Google: Helpful, reliable content
Lesson edition 2 · References reviewed 14 October 2026 · Practical exercise reviewed 15 October 2026. Examples are illustrative teaching scenarios.
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