What are Nofollow Links?

What are Nofollow Links?

A nofollow link includes the rel="nofollow" attribute, which tells search engines not to pass ranking credit (PageRank) from the source page to the linked page.

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Link text</a>

Originally introduced in 2005 to combat comment spam, nofollow links have evolved into a broader tool for managing link equity and complying with search engine guidelines.

How Nofollow Links Work

Before Nofollow (The Problem)

In the early 2000s, spammers flooded blog comments, forums, and wikis with links to manipulate rankings. Every link passed PageRank, so spamming links = free SEO.

After Nofollow (The Solution)

Google introduced rel="nofollow" to say: "This link exists for navigation/reference, but I'm not vouching for it."

When Google sees a nofollow link:

• It doesn't count it as an editorial vote
• It doesn't pass PageRank (officially)
• It may still crawl the link (to discover pages)
• It may treat it as a "hint" rather than a directive (since 2019)

Types of Nofollow Links (2019 Update)

In 2019, Google introduced new link attributes alongside nofollow:

rel="ugc" (User-Generated Content)

Use on links in:

• Blog comments
• Forum posts
• User profiles
• Guest book entries

<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">Commenter link</a>

rel="sponsored" (Paid/Advertising Links)

Use on:

• Affiliate links
• Paid partnerships
• Sponsored content
• Banner ads

<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Affiliate product</a>

rel="nofollow" (General Untrusted Links)

Use when you link to content you don't want to vouch for:

• Untrusted sites
• User-submitted URLs (scraped/unverified)
• Links in widgets distributed across other sites

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Untrusted link</a>

You can combine attributes:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow sponsored">Paid link (extra cautious)</a>

When to Use Nofollow Links

1. Paid/Affiliate Links (MUST)

Google requires disclosure of paid links via sponsored or nofollow. Failure to do so can result in manual penalties.

<a href="https://affiliatesite.com" rel="sponsored">Buy now</a>

2. User-Generated Content (SHOULD)

Blogs, forums, and social platforms should nofollow user-submitted links by default.

<a href="https://spammy-seo.com" rel="ugc">Commenter link</a>

Without this, your site becomes a target for link spam.

3. Low-Quality or Untrusted Sites (SHOULD)

If you must link to a site you don't trust (e.g., for citation/reference but it's sketchy), nofollow it.

<a href="https://questionable-source.com" rel="nofollow">Source (cited for completeness)</a>

4. Login/Registration Pages (OPTIONAL)

Some sites nofollow internal links to login/signup pages to prevent passing PageRank to non-indexable pages.

<a href="/login" rel="nofollow">Log in</a>

Caution: Overdoing internal nofollows can hurt site architecture. Use sparingly.

5. Widgets Distributed to Other Sites (SHOULD)

If you provide a widget that includes a link back to your site, nofollow it. Google may see it as link manipulation otherwise.

<!-- In your widget code -->
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow">Powered by YourSite</a>

When NOT to Use Nofollow

❌ High-quality editorial links
If you're linking to a reputable source as a reference, DON'T nofollow it. It hurts the web's link graph and looks unnatural.

❌ Internal links to important pages
Nofollowing your own homepage, product pages, or blog posts disrupts PageRank flow and hurts SEO.

❌ Competitor links (out of spite)
Some SEOs nofollow competitor links to "not give them credit." This is petty and doesn't help you. Link naturally.

❌ Every external link (paranoia)
Nofollowing all external links signals to Google you don't trust anything you reference. Link to quality sources without nofollow.

Do Nofollow Links Pass PageRank?

The Official Answer (Before 2019)

No. Nofollow links didn't pass PageRank.

The New Answer (2019+)

Google now treats nofollow as a "hint" rather than a directive. This means:

• Google may choose to pass PageRank through nofollow links
• Google may use nofollow links for discovery and crawling
• Google may ignore the nofollow if it determines the link is editorial

Translation: Nofollow links might pass some ranking value, but it's not guaranteed.

Do Nofollow Links Help SEO?

Direct ranking impact: Minimal to none (since 2019 update, possibly small).

Indirect SEO benefits: ✅ Referral traffic – Nofollow links from Reddit, Quora, Wikipedia still drive valuable visitors
✅ Brand visibility – More eyeballs on your brand = more branded searches = indirect ranking boost
✅ Natural link profile – A mix of follow/nofollow links looks more organic than 100% followed links
✅ Discovery – Google uses nofollow links to find and crawl new pages

Bottom line: Don't chase nofollow links aggressively, but don't avoid them either. They contribute to a healthy overall marketing strategy.

How to Identify Nofollow Links

Manual Check (View Source)

Right-click a link → "Inspect Element" → look for rel="nofollow" (or ugc, sponsored).

Browser Extensions

• NoFollow (Chrome/Firefox): Highlights nofollow links on every page
• Link Gopher (Firefox): Extracts all links and shows follow/nofollow status

SEO Tools

• Ahrefs: Shows nofollow status in backlink reports
• SEMrush: Backlink audit separates follow vs nofollow
• Screaming Frog: Crawl your own site, export all internal/external links with follow/nofollow status

Nofollow Links in Different Contexts

Wikipedia

All external links on Wikipedia are nofollow. Still valuable for:

• Referral traffic (Wikipedia is huge)
• Brand authority (being cited on Wikipedia signals trust)
• Indirect SEO (traffic → engagement → ranking boost)

Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)

Most social media links are nofollow. Value:

• Massive referral traffic
• Social signals (indirect ranking factor)
• Audience building

Press Releases

Many PR distribution sites add nofollow to links. Still worth doing for:

• Brand exposure
• Referral traffic
• Potential for journalists to cite you (with followed links)

Paid Directories

Legit directories (Yelp, Yellow Pages) often nofollow business listings. Value:

• Local SEO citation
• Traffic
• Trust signal

Common Nofollow Mistakes

❌ Nofollowing ALL external links
Makes your site look manipulative. Link naturally to quality sources.

❌ Not nofollowing paid/affiliate links
Google penalties for undisclosed paid links are real. Always use sponsored or nofollow.

❌ Nofollowing internal links excessively
Disrupts PageRank flow. Only nofollow internal links to truly low-value pages (login, thank-you, etc.).

❌ Using nofollow to sculpt PageRank
"PageRank sculpting" (strategically nofollowing internal links to control flow) mostly doesn't work anymore. Google changed the algorithm in 2009.

❌ Forgetting to update old paid links
If you added affiliate links in 2015 without nofollow, go back and fix them. Google can retroactively penalize.

Best Practices

✅ Use rel="sponsored" for paid links
Clear and compliant.

✅ Use rel="ugc" for user-generated content
Protects against link spam.

✅ Link naturally to quality sources without nofollow
Editorial links to reputable sites are good for SEO and the web.

✅ Audit your site regularly
Check that paid/affiliate links are properly marked.

✅ Don't overthink nofollow on your own content
If you're writing an editorial blog post and linking to a helpful resource, just link it normally (dofollow).

Summary

Nofollow links tell search engines not to pass ranking credit, but they still have value:

• Drive referral traffic
• Build brand visibility
• Create a natural link profile

Use nofollow for:

• Paid/affiliate links (required)
• User-generated content (protect against spam)
• Untrusted sites (when you must link but don't vouch)

Don't use nofollow for:

• High-quality editorial links
• Internal links to important pages
• Every external link (paranoia mode)

Ready to build a powerful internal linking structure? Try BuzzRank for $1 →