Nofollow link
A link marked with rel=nofollow so it does not pass ranking authority, used for paid, untrusted or user-generated links.
In depth
What it really means
Nofollow began in 2005 as a directive that stopped authority flowing. Since March 2020 Google treats it as a hint rather than a rule, and it may pass some signal if it judges the link meaningful.
Two more specific attributes arrived at the same time. rel=sponsored marks paid links, rel=ugc marks user-generated ones. Using the precise attribute is better than defaulting everything to nofollow.
How it works
- The rel attribute is added to the anchor tag.
- Google treats it as a hint about how to weigh the link.
- Some ranking signal may still flow, unlike the pre-2020 behavior.
- The link still drives referral traffic regardless.
Pros & cons
Pros
- Correctly declares paid and untrusted links, which avoids penalty risk.
- Protects you from being implicated in a link scheme.
- Nofollowed links still bring traffic and brand exposure.
Cons
- Reduces or removes the ranking benefit of a link.
- Hint status means the behavior is no longer predictable.
- Many sites nofollow all external links by default, which is unhelpful to everyone.
Common mistakes
- Using nofollow on internal links to sculpt authority. That has not worked since 2009.
- Marking paid links nofollow when rel=sponsored is the correct attribute.
- Refusing a nofollowed placement on a site your buyers read. The traffic and mention still count.
- Nofollowing every outbound link, which reads as ungenerous and helps nothing.
Best practices
- Use rel=sponsored for anything paid, including affiliate links.
- Use rel=ugc for comments and user-submitted content.
- Keep internal links followed, always.
- Value a nofollowed link on a relevant site for the traffic and the brand mention it brings.
FAQs
What is a nofollow link?
A link marked rel=nofollow, signalling that it should not pass ranking authority. Since 2020 Google treats it as a hint rather than a strict rule.
Do nofollow links have any value?
Yes. They drive referral traffic, they build brand recognition, and the mention itself feeds AI category association regardless of the link attribute.
Nofollow, sponsored or ugc?
Sponsored for paid and affiliate links, ugc for comments and user submissions, nofollow for anything else you do not want to vouch for.
Should I nofollow internal links?
No. Internal link sculpting stopped working in 2009 and only wastes the authority you are trying to direct.
Keep reading
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