Outbound links in parsed content of top-5 ranking pages, by vertical
| Vertical | Pages | Link out | Median outbound links | Cite .gov or .edu | 10+ outbound links | #1 pages that link out |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apparel | 640 | 28.6% | 0 | 3.1% | 11.6% | 24.1% |
| Auto parts | 641 | 45.6% | 0 | 6.9% | 13.1% | 40.7% |
| Baby | 845 | 50.2% | 1 | 8.6% | 19.9% | 46.5% |
| Beauty | 776 | 49.9% | 0 | 9.4% | 22.2% | 45.0% |
| Dental and medical | 896 | 57.1% | 1 | 12.9% | 9.6% | 59.5% |
| DIY | 671 | 54.2% | 1 | 2.8% | 11.9% | 49.0% |
| Education | 875 | 72.6% | 2 | 5.8% | 26.7% | 78.1% |
| Electronics | 710 | 63.1% | 1 | 1.0% | 19.0% | 63.6% |
| Finance | 780 | 65.4% | 2 | 16.3% | 15.0% | 64.9% |
| Fitness | 849 | 62.4% | 1 | 20.5% | 12.0% | 57.8% |
| Gaming | 879 | 60.0% | 1 | 3.4% | 15.6% | 61.3% |
| Gardening | 680 | 58.7% | 1 | 7.8% | 13.2% | 54.2% |
| Health | 1,045 | 64.8% | 2 | 30.0% | 10.8% | 59.5% |
| Home | 708 | 34.6% | 0 | 2.3% | 14.5% | 22.6% |
| Home services | 780 | 41.3% | 0 | 8.3% | 8.8% | 42.5% |
| Insurance | 830 | 69.2% | 2 | 20.0% | 12.5% | 68.1% |
| Jewelry | 869 | 28.1% | 0 | 0.9% | 6.7% | 25.9% |
| Kitchen | 670 | 61.6% | 1 | 6.1% | 18.5% | 49.1% |
| Legal | 1,032 | 53.0% | 1 | 20.0% | 12.1% | 58.5% |
| Marketing | 802 | 72.7% | 2 | 12.6% | 20.9% | 74.8% |
| Outdoor | 679 | 49.8% | 0 | 10.8% | 18.1% | 44.4% |
| Parenting | 482 | 61.2% | 1 | 22.2% | 18.7% | 60.9% |
| Pets | 811 | 59.6% | 1 | 11.8% | 20.2% | 64.1% |
| Real estate | 628 | 64.5% | 1 | 10.7% | 10.0% | 62.0% |
| Recipes | 774 | 69.1% | 2 | 3.0% | 15.4% | 70.5% |
| Restaurants | 536 | 61.9% | 2 | 5.4% | 23.1% | 60.2% |
| SaaS comparisons | 984 | 74.8% | 1 | 1.2% | 15.4% | 64.9% |
| Software | 1,114 | 69.7% | 3 | 5.4% | 27.7% | 68.9% |
| Supplements | 946 | 65.8% | 2 | 34.5% | 24.8% | 56.9% |
| Travel | 792 | 63.1% | 1 | 14.3% | 15.2% | 67.1% |
Source: PageSpeed Matters, Oct 2026. All top-5 positions unless the column says #1. Some sidebar links remain in parsed content, and subdomains count as external.
Summary
Linking to other sites is a judgement call for every publisher. A good outbound link backs up a claim and helps the reader, but plenty of site owners avoid them out of worry about sending visitors away. We looked at what the pages that win the top spot actually do.
Just over half link out. 55.9% of 5,067 #1-ranking pages link to at least one external site in their main content, and the median #1 page has just one outbound link. Long pages link out far more often, and citations to government and university sites cluster in health, money and supplements topics.
What we measured
We looked at the top 5 Google results for 10,019 US keywords in October 2026. Of 49,855 pages, 29,776 were readable. We kept pages with 150+ parsed words, which leaves 5,067 pages at #1.
For each page we counted the links inside the parsed main content and treated a link as external when it points to a different host. We also flagged links to .gov and .edu domains.
Two limits apply. The main content we counted still includes some sidebars, so some sidebar links remain in the counts. And because external means a different host, links to the site's own subdomains, and between www and non-www versions, count as external. Both can push the counts up. Pages with fewer than 150 parsed words are excluded.
Most #1 results link to at least one other site
55.9% of the 5,067 #1-ranking pages link to at least one other site in their content, and the median is 1 outbound link. So the typical top result links out, but sparingly, with a reference or two rather than a long list.
Positions 2 to 5 link out slightly more, rising from 57.3% to 60.5%. The difference between #1 and the rest of the top 5 is small, and it does not suggest that linking out helps or hurts a ranking. Pages at every position in the top 5 mostly link to at least one other site.
55.9%
Share of 5,067 #1-ranking pages with 150+ parsed words that link to at least one external site in their main content.
Longer pages link out far more
Outbound linking tracks length more closely than position. 45.1% of #1 pages with 150 to 499 parsed words link out (1,562 pages), against 78.0% of #1 pages over 2,000 words (976 pages). The long pages also link out more heavily, with a median of 4 outbound links.
That likely reflects how pages are built. Short pages are more often product, category or service pages with little room or reason to cite anything. Long guides make more claims, compare more options and usually reference the sources behind them.
Government and university citations cluster in YMYL topics
9.7% of #1 results link to a .gov or .edu domain, rising to 12.0% at #4 and 11.8% at #5.
Those citations concentrate in topics where accuracy carries real consequences. Across all top-5 positions, 34.5% of supplements pages, 30.0% of health, 22.2% of parenting and 20.0% of insurance pages cite a .gov or .edu domain, against under 1% of jewelry pages. Health and supplements writers likely cite government health agencies and university research to back up claims, while a jewelry page has little to cite from either.
Software and marketing pages link out most
SaaS comparison (74.8%), marketing (72.7%), education (72.6%) and software (69.7%) pages link out most often. Comparison pages likely link to the products they review, and marketing and software content tends to point to tools, documentation and studies.
Jewelry (28.1%), apparel (28.6%), home (34.6%) and home services (41.3%) pages link out least. Many ranking pages in these verticals are likely store or service pages built to keep the visitor on the site.
What this means for your site
Link out when it helps the reader, not to hit a number:
- On guides and articles, cite the primary source for statistics, studies and official rules, and link to it where you make the claim.
- On health, money, insurance and supplements topics, point to the government agency or research behind your advice when one exists.
- On product and service pages, outbound links are optional. The top results in store-led verticals mostly have none.
- Mark paid and sponsored links with rel="sponsored", and user-submitted links with rel="ugc", as Google's documentation describes.
- Check outbound links every few months and fix or remove the ones that break.
Sources
- PageSpeed Matters analysis of the top 5 Google results for 10,019 US keywords, October 2026
- Google Search Central, Qualify your outbound links to Google: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links
Embed this research
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<script>window.addEventListener("message",function(e){if(e&&e.data&&e.data.psmEmbed==="outbound-link-statistics"&&e.data.height){var f=document.getElementById("psm-outbound-link-statistics");if(f){f.style.height=e.data.height+"px";}}});</script>
<p style="font:14px/1.5 system-ui,sans-serif">Source: <a href="https://www.pagespeedmatters.com/resources/data-studies/outbound-link-statistics">Outbound Link Statistics 2026: 55.9% of #1 Results - PageSpeed Matters</a></p>
Frequently asked questions
Do top-ranking pages link to other websites?
Most do. 55.9% of 5,067 #1-ranking pages link to at least one external site in their main content, and positions 2 to 5 link out slightly more, from 57.3% to 60.5%.
How many outbound links does a #1 result have?
The median #1 page has 1 outbound link. #1 pages over 2,000 words have a median of 4, and 78.0% of them link out.
How often do top results cite .gov or .edu sites?
9.7% of #1 results link to a .gov or .edu domain. In YMYL topics the rate is much higher: 34.5% of supplements pages and 30.0% of health pages cite one.
Citing the right sources in the right places is an editorial habit you can build into every brief and template. Need help with this? See our on-page SEO services.