Outbound Links Affect Google Rankings Positively, Says a Study by Reboot Online
February 26, 2016
Kanika Kanojia
Contrary to Google’s stand, a new study by Reboot Online suggests that outbound links do have a positive impact if used correctly.
Just a few days back, John Mueller, Web-Master Trend Analyst at Google, said –“outbound links are not a ranking factor.” Many of us have been sticking to authority sites for years now. But till now, there has been no proof of the positive effect this may have on your site. It has always been one of those hearsay practices that became a norm in the SEO industry.

But as this new study has shown, linking out to authoritative sites appropriately and in the correct context may actually help rank your blog or website higher in Google search results.
In fact, Rand Fishkin of Moz took to Twitter and supported the results of this study. He posted-“posted linking out to good sites is almost certainly a net benefit for how Google considers your pages.”
Did Google really lie about external links or are there any other factors which need to be considered?
Read the study (link given below) and let us know what do you think?
http://www.rebootonline.com/blog/long-term-outgoing-link-experiment
Additional Read:
How to Remove Unnatural Outbound Links Penalty
8 Crucial SEO Ranking Factors
9 Important SEO Ranking Factors [Infographic]