Is it ok to use outbound links in service pages?

Selected answers from the Dumb SEO Questions Facebook & G+ community.

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  Stockbridge Truslow: I tend to have somewhat different opinions on this than just about everyone else in the industry - so take that into consideration as you look at what I`m going to say.
  
  I agree 100% on your assessment of the value of outbound links. (You`ll likely see people in here suggesting that your entire premise is off - but IMO, it`s not). And as far as where you`re linking from... I always look at it like this...
  
  So long as it`s information that helps the user get what they want without detracting from your ability to make them want to get the end result from you - frellz yeah... link to it. If that link will provide a distraction from goal or is JUST there to get credibility from Google - probably not.
  
  Keep in mind, we have new ways to help Google "understand" what we`re talking about and sourcing information without it appearing on the page. It won`t work exactly the same as an outbound link, but it does help a lot with disambiguation (i.e. does the word "bark" mean something a dog says or the skin of a tree?) and generally helping Google see what`s what. This is the "About" and "Mention" attributes that you can attach to your WebPage schema.
  
  Here`s a post (basically this is a post to promote the InLinks tool - but it`s also the best, easy to understand example I`ve found to give an overview so.... here it is.) https://inlinks.net/.../case-study-does-webpage-schema.../
  
  INLINKS.NETCase Study: Does Webpage Schema (About & Mentions) Improve Rankings?Case Study: Does Webpage Schema (About & Mentions) Improve Rankings?
  
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  Ash Nallawalla: In a word, no. Why would a crappy page linking to third-party sites make it high-quality and trustworthy? Say, a page justifying avoiding the vaccine linking to the CDC does not suddenly become high quality.
  
  You can link out from any page, but how will the page know the search intent of the searcher?
  
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  Tim Capper: I have no idea how you linking to another site would make you more "trustworthy" or better quality.
  
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  Stockbridge Truslow: I have gone against the mainstream train of thought on this topic for a decade or so now. I do that a lot. lol
  
  The biggest thing is that it helps with disambiguation. It`s also very useful in giving context and clout to something you`re saying so that…
  
  PATENTS.GOOGLE.COMUS20180046717A1 - Related entities - Google PatentsUS20180046717A1 - Related entities - Google Patents
  
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  David Gossage: You`re probably thinking about it the wrong way around. Simply adding external links for the sake of it doesn`t improve your content.
  
  However, if you make a claim or provide statistics then linking to the source to justify your claim adds trust and authoritiveness to your content.
  
  As Stockbridge Truslow says, it doesn`t matter what page it is, if your content helps the user and adds trust then its worth making it good.
  
  Just don`t link to a competitor.
  
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  Michael Martinez: I would not link out to other sites from any page that is selling a product or service.
  
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