How can external links optimize a website's authority?

External links can significantly enhance a website's authority by enhancing trustworthiness and rankings. When a website includes links to authoritative and reputable sources, it signals to search engines that the content is well-researched and credible. This association with trusted sites not only boosts the perceived quality of the linking site but also increases its potential rankings in search engine results.

Linking to high-quality external content demonstrates to both users and search engines that the website owner values trustworthy information and resources, reinforcing the site's overall authority. Search engines utilize various algorithms to evaluate site quality, and linking to established, relevant content can positively impact these assessments.

Contrarily, other options would not effectively optimize a website's authority. For example, decreasing page loading speed can negatively impact user experience and lead to higher bounce rates, undermining authority. While providing additional resources to users may enhance their experience, it does not directly contribute to a site’s authority in the same way as linking to trusted sources. Lastly, redirecting users to unrelated content could confuse visitors and diminish trust, ultimately harming rather than helping the website's authority.