If you’re a website owner, then linking out is probably almost as big a part of your SEO marketing strategy as getting inbound links. Today we look at some of the legal issues around linking. The internet itself makes things difficult to enforce, so people are often tempted to forget about the law. Today we show you why it pays to be wary of your legal position when you link out to a site.

SEO Linking

Will they break down your door for linking out?

Simply linking out is not illegal

There have been a couple of cases in the States where people have challenged the idea that anyone can just link to anyone else’s site. Fortunately, these have been overturned in every instance. If you ‘just’ link to a site that is publicly accessible, there is little to no possibility of legal action. Thank gosh!

Content in frames

It is possible to link to sites so that their actual content is displayed on your site. Unless you clearly state on your site that the content displayed doesn’t to belong to you, and note the owner, there could be legal issues. This is usually done with frames or iframes.

Libelous links

It’s a well-known and very valid SEO practice to use anchor text for links rather than just typing out the web address. This anchor text shouldn’t contain any defamatory opinion or untruthful claims, though.

So, you shouldn’t write: “This incompetent moron thinks that Google is something you use to see in the swimming pool”. Not cool – and the basis for a libel lawsuit.