What is Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link includes an HTML attribute (rel='nofollow') that signals search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page. It's used for paid links, user-generated content, and untrusted sources.
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What is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link is a hyperlink with a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass link equity or ranking signals from the linking page to the destination page.
Google introduced the nofollow attribute in 2005 to combat comment spam. Blog owners were drowning in automated comments stuffed with links, all trying to manipulate rankings. Nofollow gave webmasters a way to link to pages without vouching for them.
In 2019, Google changed how it treats nofollow. It’s now a “hint” rather than a strict directive. Google may choose to consider nofollow links for crawling and indexing purposes. They also introduced two new attributes: rel="sponsored" for paid links and rel="ugc" for user-generated content. Ahrefs reports that approximately 43% of all backlinks across the web are nofollow.
Why Does Nofollow Link Matter?
Understanding nofollow links affects both your link building strategy and how you manage outbound links.
- Paid link compliance — Google requires nofollow (or sponsored) on all paid and affiliate links. Failing to tag them risks a Google penalty
- Link profile diversity — A natural backlink profile contains a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. An all-dofollow profile looks suspicious
- Traffic value — Nofollow links from high-traffic sites still send referral visitors, even if they pass minimal SEO value
- User-generated content protection — Adding nofollow to blog comments, forum posts, and user reviews prevents your site from endorsing spam links
If you’re running link building campaigns, knowing which links are nofollow helps you measure actual SEO impact.
How Nofollow Link Works
The HTML Implementation
A standard dofollow link: <a href="https://example.com">Example</a>. A nofollow link: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>. The rel attribute is the only difference. CMS platforms like WordPress automatically add nofollow to comment links by default.
The 2019 Changes
Google now treats nofollow as a hint for ranking, crawling, and indexing. They may still follow and credit nofollow links if they find them useful. The rel=“sponsored” attribute specifically identifies paid links. The rel=“ugc” attribute marks user-generated content. You can combine them: rel="nofollow ugc".
Nofollow vs. Dofollow
Dofollow links (which are just normal links without any nofollow attribute) pass full link equity. They’re what you want from link building. But nofollow links still have value — they diversify your link profile, send referral traffic, and may pass some ranking signal under Google’s hint-based system.
Nofollow Link Examples
Example 1: A press mention on a major news site A SaaS company gets featured in Forbes. The link back to their site is nofollow (most major publishers default to nofollow for external links). Despite being nofollow, the article sends 2,000 referral visitors in the first week and builds brand awareness that leads to natural dofollow links from smaller sites.
Example 2: Affiliate link compliance
A review blog earns commissions from Amazon affiliate links. They add rel="sponsored nofollow" to every affiliate link. Google sees these as properly disclosed paid links — no penalty risk. The blog maintains a clean link profile while earning revenue.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
SEO mistakes compound just like SEO wins do — except in the wrong direction.
Targeting keywords without checking intent. Ranking for a keyword means nothing if the search intent doesn’t match your page. A commercial keyword needs a product page, not a blog post. An informational query needs a guide, not a sales pitch. Mismatched intent = high bounce rate = wasted rankings.
Neglecting technical SEO. Publishing great content on a site that takes 6 seconds to load on mobile. Fixing your Core Web Vitals and crawl errors is less exciting than writing articles, but it’s the foundation everything else sits on.
Building links before building content worth linking to. Outreach for backlinks works 10x better when you have genuinely valuable content to point people toward. Create the asset first, then promote it.
Key Metrics to Track
| Metric | What It Measures | Where to Find It |
|---|---|---|
| Organic traffic | Visitors from unpaid search | Google Analytics |
| Keyword rankings | Position for target terms | Ahrefs, Semrush, or GSC |
| Click-through rate | % who click your result | Google Search Console |
| Domain Authority / Domain Rating | Overall site authority | Moz (DA) or Ahrefs (DR) |
| Core Web Vitals | Page experience scores | PageSpeed Insights or GSC |
| Referring domains | Unique sites linking to you | Ahrefs or Semrush |
Implementation Checklist
| Task | Priority | Difficulty | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audit current setup | High | Easy | Foundation |
| Fix technical issues | High | Medium | Immediate |
| Optimize existing content | High | Medium | 2-4 weeks |
| Build new content | Medium | Medium | 2-6 months |
| Earn backlinks | Medium | Hard | 3-12 months |
| Monitor and refine | Ongoing | Easy | Compounding |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
They help indirectly. Nofollow links drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and create a natural-looking link profile. Since Google’s 2019 update treats nofollow as a hint, some SEO value may pass through. Don’t ignore nofollow links — they’re less valuable than dofollow but far from worthless.
Should I nofollow all outbound links?
No. Only nofollow links to untrusted content, paid/affiliate links, and user-generated content. Linking out to authoritative sources with dofollow signals to Google that your content references quality information. Over-nofollowing looks paranoid and removes your ability to participate in the web’s natural linking ecosystem.
How do I check if a link is nofollow?
Right-click the link, select “Inspect” (or view page source), and look for rel="nofollow" in the HTML. Browser extensions like Nofollow and MozBar highlight nofollow links visually. For bulk analysis, Ahrefs and Semrush show the nofollow status of every backlink in your profile.
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Sources
- Google Search Central: Link Spam Policies
- Google Blog: Evolving Nofollow
- Ahrefs: Nofollow Links Guide
- Moz: What is a Nofollow Link
Related Terms
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a page on your site. Google treats them as votes of confidence — the more high-quality backlinks a page earns, the more likely it is to rank higher in search results.
Dofollow LinkA standard hyperlink that passes link equity to the linked page.
Link BuildingLink building is the practice of getting other websites to link back to your site. These backlinks act as votes of confidence that tell Google your content is trustworthy and worth ranking higher in search results.
Link Equity (Link Juice)Link equity is the ranking value passed from one page to another through hyperlinks. It's a core component of how Google determines page authority and search rankings.
Meta Robots TagThe meta robots tag is an HTML element that instructs search engines how to crawl, index, and display a specific page. Directives include noindex, nofollow, nosnippet, and more.
