External link counter. With rel attribute audit.
Paste HTML. We count every <a> tag, split internal vs external, list rel attributes per link (nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener, noreferrer), and flag external links missing security attributes.
Paste HTML. We count every <a> tag, split internal vs external (relative to your domain), list rel attributes per external link, and flag target='_blank' links missing rel='noopener' (a security best practice).
Sources used
- Google Search Central — qualify outbound links — sponsored / ugc / nofollow guidance
- WHATWG HTML spec — rel=noopener
- MDN rel attribute reference
Parsing happens entirely in your browser. No data is sent anywhere.
Privacy: parsing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent or logged.
Outbound links build authority.
SEO research consistently shows pages with editorial citations to authority sources outperform pages without. Google rewards content that demonstrates research — outbound links to web.dev, Google Search Central, primary research, and vendor docs build EEAT signal. The tool above counts and audits every <a> tag in your pasted HTML, splits internal vs external, audits rel attributes, and flags target='_blank' links missing rel='noopener'.
Three rules for outbound links. One, never add rel='nofollow' to legitimate editorial citations — it wastes the trust signal Google rewards. Use 'sponsored' for paid placements, 'ugc' for user content, and skip rel for editorial. Two, always add rel='noopener' to target='_blank' links — security best practice. Three, audit external-link count quarterly: editorial content benefits from 8-15 per 1,500 words; marketing pages benefit from 3-8 trust-building citations.
Tools in the same cluster: Internal Link Counter for the internal-link audit. Anchor Text Analyzer for the anchor-text-quality view. Heading Hierarchy Checker for the H1-H6 structure audit.
Five answers.
What's a healthy internal-vs-external link ratio?
On editorial content (blog posts, journal articles, guides), 6-12 outbound editorial citations is typical for a well-researched 1,500-word article. Internal links should outnumber external by roughly 3:1 to 5:1 — the page should send more navigation clicks within the site than out. On marketing pages (services, landing pages), external links should be minimal except for trust-building citations (vendor docs, third-party validators). On product detail pages, external links commonly hurt conversion — limit to legal-required citations only.
When should I use rel='nofollow'?
rel='nofollow' tells search engines not to pass link equity to the destination. Per Google Search Central: use 'sponsored' for paid placements (replaces nofollow for ads since 2019), 'ugc' for user-generated comments + forum posts, and 'nofollow' as a generic do-not-trust signal for editorial-uncertain links. NEVER add nofollow to legitimate editorial citations from your content to authority sources — that wastes the trust signal Google rewards. The checker above flags links that are nofollowed when they probably shouldn't be.
Why is rel='noopener' important?
rel='noopener' is a WHATWG security attribute that prevents the linked-to page from accessing window.opener (which would let it manipulate the linking page via JavaScript). Always include rel='noopener' on every <a> with target='_blank'. Modern browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) implicitly add noopener to target='_blank' links since 2018-2020, but explicitly declaring it remains best practice for older browsers and clarity. The checker flags target='_blank' links missing rel='noopener'.
What's a healthy external-link count per page?
Editorial content: 8-15 external links per 1,500 words is typical for well-researched material. Marketing pages: 3-8 external citations to authority sources (vendor docs, third-party validators, certifications) builds trust + EEAT signals. SEO research consistently shows pages with editorial citations outperform pages without — Google rewards content that demonstrates research. The exception: don't link to direct competitors. Never let competitor agency sites benefit from your editorial link equity.
Does this tool save my data?
No. Parsing happens in your browser. Nothing is sent to any server.
Link strategy off-balance?
Our SEO engagements audit internal + external link mesh, fix nofollow misuse, add missing rel=noopener, and ship the editorial-citation framework for EEAT signal building.
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