As someone who’s been using the internet for over 20 years, I’ve gotten pretty good at spotting reliable information right away.
A quick scan of a page or post usually tells me what’s legit and what’s not. Things like pictures, page design, ad clutter, pop-ups, contact info, and grammar are all clues. But for me, the biggest indicator is the links and sources. If I don’t see any references or even related blog posts linked, I instantly get suspicious.
I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who does these credibility checks. My future visitors probably do it too, and as a blogger, they motivate me to make sure my posts are always credible.
It’s not just about making a good impression—it’s about giving them a great experience on my site. That’s why I always include links and sources in my posts whenever I can.
Let me share some of my best tips for making sure my readers have the best experience with the links, references, and resources I provide.
Important Elements and Links to Improve Blog Posts’ Credibility
Specifically, there are three key referencing elements I look for when checking a blog post’s credibility.
I believe these are things that should always be included and double-checked before publishing any blog post.
- Links to related posts on the blog — these show the author knows the topic.
- Links to credible sources (like big publications, government sites, universities, non-profits, etc.) — these prove the author has done their research.
- Non-affiliate, non-commercial outbound links — these show the content isn’t just trying to make money or scam people.
- A references or resources section — similar to number two, but even better (you can tell there was real research at a glance).
Note: Some blog posts might not need links and references…
For example, a post about our trip where we just share our experience, or a simple step-by-step guide on how to make hamburgers. But that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t include any links or resources section. Besides helping with credibility, they are also useful for readers in other ways. For example:
If readers need a specific tool (like a calculator or app) to get the same data or info we shared in the post, having a resources section with those tools is super helpful!
If a reader wants to learn more about a topic, links to other blog posts that explain it can save them a lot of time.
Best Practices for Linking Sources in Blog Posts
Linking related articles and websites to blog posts is easy. However, to really benefit readers, there are several practices that we must follow.
Contextual Links
When it comes to contextual links (links that are placed naturally within the content ), the rule is simple. The links should be:
- relevant to the blog post’s topic,
- the anchor text should clearly describe what it’s linking to, and
- they should fit naturally within the content (contextual).
This means that when a reader comes across a link in a paragraph, they should instantly get an idea of what the linked page is about just by looking at the anchor text and the surrounding words.
More explanations and examples.
Put yourself in your reader’s shoes for a moment. Would you be happy if the article you clicked on turned out to be completely unrelated to what you expected? Probably not! That’s why this rule is so important.
Let me give you an example to make it clearer. Here’s a contextual link in a paragraph:
“Did you know I wrote this post about links to make my blog posts even better? It’s actually part of my super simple 10-step pre-publish checklist for a blog post. I’m so committed to making my posts stand out that I even created a printable PDF and an interactive checklist to make sure I don’t miss a thing before hitting publish.”
Did you notice how I naturally link my blog post, “10-Step Pre-Publish Blog Post Checklist to Build an Audience,” to this one you’re reading right now?
Let’s check if the example follows the rules I mentioned:
- Relevance — Check! This post talks about links, which are definitely something you review before publishing.
- Context — Check! The sentences around the link focus on improving blog quality, which is exactly what the linked post is about.
- Anchor Text — Check! The anchor text closely matches the title of the linked blog post.
If you’re having trouble finding a way to naturally link to another blog post, the trick is to create a content plan.
A content plan helps you figure out which blog posts should link to each other even before you start writing and publishing. By knowing which posts are related, you’ll be able to link them with context and relevance.
Honestly, if I hadn’t planned my content ahead of time, I might not have naturally linked this post to my other one, 10-Step Pre-Publish Blog Post Checklist to Build an Audience. I might not have even realized I’d be writing about that checklist in the first place!
With that said, I’m not a fan of other in-line link formats, especially those randomly placed between paragraphs without context. You know, links that are just thrown in there hoping the reader will click on them. Have you seen these before?
Like “Related: <link with a blog post title>” or “Read more: <link with a clickbait title>” — don’t link like these!
I’ve done it myself, but I won’t anymore because I realized they’re more of a distraction from what the reader is actually trying to focus on.
References Section
There’s one exception to how links should be formatted, and that’s when they’re in the resources or references section, usually at the end of a blog post.
In that case, links can just be listed, but they still need to be relevant and have descriptive anchor text. At the very least, mention the title of the post or page you’re linking to and explain why it’s useful for your readers.
We also need to make sure it’s clear which parts of the post the links or references correspond to. You can use asterisks or superscripts for that. This helps avoid confusing readers about which information comes from which reference.
If you’re writing in a formal or professional field, you might want to follow a specific referencing style.
Embedding Source Links the Right Way for SEO
While I don’t give much emphasis on SEO in our discussion about links, it does not mean we’re letting go of the traffic opportunity that comes from search engines.
That’s why we make sure to follow some rules set by search engines, like using specific link attributes to qualify links to our sources.
These attributes show the relationship between our site and others, which search engines consider for ranking purposes. For more details, check out Google’s complete guidelines.
All this SEO stuff about links doesn’t directly impacts our readers. However, following these rules can boost our visibility on search engines, making it easier for readers to find our content.
- Ideally, we should only link to credible sources, which are usually tagged as
rel="follow"by default. - However, there are times when we might need to link to sites that we don’t fully trust—like a random blog with a rant or opinion we totally agree with. In those cases, we tag the links as
rel="nofollow". This tells search engines, “My site isn’t associated with this one.” - If money is involved in creating the link, it should be tagged as
rel="sponsored". Examples include paid advertisements, sponsorships, or affiliate links. - Lastly, if the source is user-generated content, like social media comments or forum posts, make sure to use the
rel="ugc"attribute for the link.
This post is a resource for Explore to Thrive’s Interactive Pre-Publish Checklist for Blog Posts. Take a look!
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