Google’s John Mueller dismissed a popular SEO tactic that suggests linking to other sites as beneficial for rankings.

Canonical SEO

In the context of facts and rules, the term “canonical” refers to ideas and beliefs that are widely accepted as true. SEO has its own canonical beliefs, some of which date back decades. While certain canonical SEO practices were once effective, they’ve lost their relevance as Google’s algorithms have evolved. Other practices are speculative, grounded in “common sense reasoning” rather than solid evidence like research, patents, or official statements from Google.

Origins of Outbound Link SEO

One speculative canonical belief in SEO is the practice of adding three outbound links to every article. This belief likely stems from misinterpreted statements by Google and SEOs’ responses to Google’s link spam algorithms.

Reflecting on the past, around 2005 at Pubcon New Orleans, Google revealed its use of statistical analysis to identify spammy linking patterns. SEOs reacted by crafting links that “looked normal,” often embedding paid links within a cluster of links to “authority sites” like .edu and .gov pages. At that time, SEOs were linking out to make their paid outbound links appear “natural.”

Additionally, there was a period when SEOs hesitated to link to other sites, fearing it would “waste” PageRank, weakening their sites by reducing the amount of PageRank circulated internally. In response, Googlers stated that it was beneficial to link out. SEOs interpreted this as linking out as good for SEO without fully grasping the context of the Googlers’ advice. Over time, this idea solidified into a canonical belief: linking out is good for SEO, though many in the industry don’t remember the original reasoning behind it.

Having lived through these changes, I understand where these beliefs originated. They were a mix of Googlers’ statements and the evolving responses of SEOs, which lost their original context over the years, leaving behind the simple notion that “it’s good to link out”—a widely accepted belief.

John Mueller Debunks Outbound Link Myth

A LinkedIn user recently asked for guidance on the ideal number of links for SEO, seeking clarity on how many outbound links should be included in a 1,000-word blog post.

The question was:

“I have a question. It’s a common practice among SEOs to believe that adding 2-5 internal links and around 1-3 external links in a 1,000-word blog post is beneficial. They also think adding more links could harm their site while adding fewer links might not provide much value. Could you please clarify whether the quantity of links matters?”

Google’s John Mueller responded:

“Nobody at Google counts the links or the words on your blog posts, and even if they did, I’d still recommend writing for your audience. I don’t know your audience, but I have yet encountered anyone who counts the words before reading a piece of content.”

What Is the Right Answer?

John Mueller advises writing with the audience in mind. The key idea here is that understanding your audience allows you to deliver what they genuinely want. This approach has nothing to do with the number of “entities” you include in your content or the quantity of outbound links on a page. If your SEO strategy revolves around these metrics, it might be time to reassess how much of your content is created for search engines versus how much is tailored for users. Content designed primarily for search engines often fails to resonate and rank well.

This isn’t about defending Google—it’s about taking a pragmatic approach to outperform competitors by understanding what works. For instance, years before Google released its Reviews algorithm, I advised clients with review websites to focus on original images, hands-on reviews, and detailed comparisons. When the Reviews update guidelines were eventually published, they confirmed what I had already discovered through my experience running successful review sites. The correct answer to most SEO questions often lies in reframing the question around the needs of the people you’re creating content for.

Regarding outbound links, the question shouldn’t be “How many outbound links are best for SEO?” but rather, “Do these outbound links enhance the webpage’s context and serve the reader’s needs?” A good reason to include an outbound link is when quoting or citing something—like scientific research or someone else’s statement. Linking to the source is what users would expect, right?

If you’re still confused, consider exploring monthly SEO packages and letting the experts assist you.