Nofollow

Understanding Nofollow

The nofollow attribute is added to hyperlinks using rel="nofollow" to tell search engines that the link should not influence the ranking of the target page. It was created in 2005 as a joint initiative by Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft to combat blog comment spam, where spammers would flood comment sections with links to boost their sites' rankings. By marking user-generated links as nofollow, site owners could prevent spammers from benefiting from their links.

In September 2019, Google introduced two additional link attributes alongside nofollow: rel="ugc" (for user-generated content like comments and forum posts) and rel="sponsored" (for paid placements and advertisements). Simultaneously, Google announced that it would begin treating all three attributes as hints rather than directives. This means Google may choose to follow, index, or credit a nofollow link if it determines the link is valuable for understanding the web's link graph. This was a significant change from the original hard-block behavior.

The practical implications of nofollow for link building are nuanced. While nofollow links generally do not pass full link equity, they are not worthless. A nofollow link from a major news publication still drives referral traffic, builds brand awareness, and may influence Google's understanding of your site's topical relevance. Some SEO studies have found correlations between nofollow links and ranking improvements, though the causation is debated. A healthy link profile naturally includes a mix of followed and nofollowed links.

Why Nofollow Matters

Understanding nofollow is essential for both link building strategy and site management. When evaluating link opportunities, knowing which links pass full equity versus being nofollowed helps prioritize outreach efforts. However, dismissing all nofollow link opportunities is a mistake — a nofollow link from Forbes, the New York Times, or a major industry publication still delivers significant brand value, referral traffic, and potential indirect SEO benefits that purely followed links from obscure sites cannot match.

For site owners, proper use of nofollow (and its sibling attributes ugc and sponsored) is a compliance requirement under Google's spam policies. Failing to mark paid links, affiliate links, or sponsored content with the appropriate attribute can result in a manual action for your site. Google's guidelines are clear: any link where consideration (money, free products, services) was exchanged must be marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Failure to do so constitutes a link scheme violation.

Best Practices

• Mark all paid links, sponsored content, affiliate links, and advertiser placements with rel='sponsored' or rel='nofollow' to comply with Google's spam policies and avoid manual actions.
• Use rel='ugc' for user-generated content like blog comments, forum posts, and community contributions where you have limited editorial control over the link destinations.
• Do not use nofollow on internal links as a PageRank sculpting strategy — Google has confirmed this does not work as intended and simply wastes the equity that would have been distributed.
• Evaluate nofollow link opportunities based on their full value — referral traffic, brand exposure, and audience building — rather than dismissing them solely because they do not pass direct link equity.
• Audit your outbound links to ensure editorial links to trusted resources remain followed (they should be), while paid placements and user-generated links carry appropriate rel attributes.
• When acquiring backlinks, aim for a natural mix of followed and nofollowed links — a profile with 100% followed links can actually appear manipulated, while some nofollow links from prominent sources look natural.