Is it bad if you write an entire article without links?

1. 97

   Thomas Swanposted 9 years ago

   I usually put quite a few links in my hubs to various sources, or even to my own hubs. I recently wrote a hub in which I didn't link to anything. Is this bad form? Will google frown at me and say "you plonker, I won't send this hub any traffic"? Obviously, there's the links that hubpages puts in at the bottom, as well as the next and previous buttons, but is this enough to salvage my hub from internet oblivion?

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   1. 79

      Richard-Bivinsposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      
      With this fairly new account of mine, the only links I provide are the attributes to the pictures I use.  I don't need to prove my authority in my hubs.  However, if I think a link is absolutely necessary then I'll place one... I'm still getting a lot of traffic for the few hubs I have on this account.

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      1. 85

         rebekahELLEposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Richard, are you livewithrichard on HP?  I haven't seen you around for a while if this is you.  Never mind, I see that you are one and the same.  Nice to see you back in the forums.

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   2. 85

      Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      In their quality guidelines, Google says you should have "links to reputable sites", and some people interpret that to mean you MUST have links to reputable sites.  However it could just as easily mean that IF you're going to have links, they should be to reputable sites not dodgy ones.  So I think the jury is out on whether they're necessary.   
      
      Besides, they also demand relevant links, so if you shoehorned in a link for no good reason, that would probably do more harm than good.

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      1. 96

         susi10posted 9 years agoin reply to this

         Marisa is correct. Google put a little more trust in your page if you link to a university website or reputable website in your niche. Those that link to irrelevant, thin, poor-quality websites will greatly damage Google's trust in them.
         
         It is relatively easy to link to a reputable website in your niche but that doesn't mean you have to. Google don't really care if you don't link to other websites - it's when you actually do that counts.

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         1. 96

            DrMark1961posted 9 years agoin reply to this

            At the bottom of every page are about 6 related hubs. I think these are links. Some of them seem to be exactly what you explain--irrelevant, thin, and poorly written.
            Since HP does not allow the author to choose 6 related hubs that are related and of good quality, are these unrelated hubs hurting the articles search engine ratings?

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   3. 64

      lisavanvorstposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      I feel it you are quoting someone or another article you reed, then a link is necessary. If the article is your own words and you did not research other sites for the article then why would a link be necessary? I read someone said they link the pictures they put in. I always put bing pictures in and never link it. I haven't run into a problem yet with the hub editors. I have had problems where I did put a link in and the editors say it is a broken link. When I check the link it is fine.

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      1. 85

         Marisa Wrightposted 9 years agoin reply to this

         When you say "Bing pictures" what do you mean?  Do you mean you're using Bing Image Search?
         
         If so, you are probably breaking the law.
         
         The rule with photos online is simple.  ALL photos are automatically copyright and must not be copied, unless you can find a statement on the site that clearly states otherwise.
         
         You can find photos which are "public domain", which can be used without crediting the photographer, but the vast majority of photos which can be used are licensed under "Creative Commons", meaning that you MUST attribute the photographer with a link to the original photo or to the photographer's website, depending on what the photographer requires. 
         
         You are unlikely to be busted by HubPages moderators because they have their hands full checking text, and rarely look at photos.  However, you may find yourself sued by a photographer one day!   That used to be very unlikely too, but lately Getty Images and some other large stock photo providers have been cracking down on theft, and have been exacting very high backdated fees from bloggers who have used their photos.  So I recommend you check your Hubs pronto.

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2. 85

   lovebuglenaposted 9 years ago

   You don't need to include links in your hubs. And you should only include links if they are relevant and if they benefit the content.

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3. 73

   brakel2posted 9 years ago

   I have links to my resources. You don't need to link and can type it as some hubbers do Those are usually my only links.

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4. 84

   Robert Sacchiposted 9 years ago

   Hub seems to be leery of links.  I've received some grief because I linked to web sites that were sources for my writing and sites that have more information about items I've mentioned.

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5. 63

   ilikegamesposted 9 years ago

   I use links when they are appropriate for users and create a good user experience. That is what Google cares about.

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6. 67

   costumesngiftsposted 9 years ago

   I don't think it's bad. You can basically consider your account as one website and each hub as one page off a website, so it won't seem odd if there are some pages on your site that don't have links.

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7. 94

   FatFreddysCatposted 9 years ago

   I rarely, if ever, put links in my hubs, unless you count YouTube videos and/or Amazon capsules.
   
   But if you're talking about links within the text of the Hub itself - nope.

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   1. 91

      Jayne Lancerposted 9 years agoin reply to this

      Same here.

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8. 82

   aerospacefanposted 9 years ago

   I do not have a lot of links in my hubs (if any). Not sure the impact for SEO.

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