A nofollow link is a hyperlink containing the HTML attribute rel="nofollow" that tells search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page. Introduced by Google in 2005 to fight comment spam, Google updated it to a hint in 2019 — meaning nofollow links may still influence crawling, indexing, and rankings at Google's discretion.
The common narrative is simple: nofollow links don't count. The reality is more nuanced. They contribute to link profile diversity, drive direct traffic, and — after 2019 — may carry weak ranking signals. The SEOs who treat nofollow as worthless are leaving value on the table.
What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is any anchor tag that includes rel="nofollow" in its HTML. The attribute sits alongside the href (destination URL) and optionally other attributes like target and class.
<a href="https://thestacc.com">theStacc</a>
# Nofollow link — withholds link equity
<a href="https://thestacc.com" rel="nofollow">theStacc</a>
# Combined attributes for affiliate links
<a href="https://affiliate.com/ref=abc" rel="sponsored nofollow">Product</a>
Google introduced nofollow in 2005. In September 2019, Google announced two additional attributes to give publishers more specificity:
rel="sponsored"— paid placements and affiliate linksrel="ugc"— user-generated content (comments, forum posts, reviews)
From March 2020, all three became "hints" rather than hard directives. Bing and other engines still treat them as strict no-pass signals.
According to Ahrefs' analysis of the web, approximately 43% of all backlinks carry the nofollow attribute. Major contributors include Wikipedia (nofollows all external links), Twitter/X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Reddit, Quora, and Medium.
Why nofollow links matter — even without full link equity
Link equity is only one dimension of backlink value. Nofollow links contribute through four other channels:
- Referral traffic. A nofollow link from a high-traffic page sends real visitors regardless of its SEO attribute. A Wikipedia citation or a Reddit mention can drive thousands of monthly visits.
- Brand signals. Google's quality evaluators and entity understanding algorithms can pick up brand mentions across the web, with or without link equity transfer. Being cited by authoritative sources strengthens your entity profile.
- Link profile diversity. A backlink profile with 0% nofollow is statistically improbable for any site earning links naturally. Google may flag a profile that's entirely dofollow as artificially built.
- Potential conversion to dofollow. Editorial policies change. A publication that currently nofollows all outbound links may update its policy. Existing relationships and citations become dofollow links with no additional effort.
How nofollow links work in 2026
When Googlebot crawls a page and encounters a nofollow link, the 2020 system works like this:
| Signal | Google's treatment (2026) | Bing's treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Follow the link? | At Google's discretion | No |
| Crawl the destination? | Possible (hint) | No |
| Pass PageRank? | Minimal / none | None |
| Count anchor text? | Possibly weak signal | No |
| Index destination from this link alone? | Possible | No |
Types of nofollow links and where they come from
Not all nofollow links are created equal. Where the link comes from determines how much non-equity value it delivers.
| Source type | Common attribute used | Traffic potential |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia citations | rel="nofollow" | High |
| Social media (Twitter, LinkedIn) | rel="nofollow" | Medium-High |
| Reddit, Quora, forums | rel="ugc nofollow" | Medium |
| News site outbound links | rel="nofollow" | Medium |
| Blog comment sections | rel="ugc nofollow" | Low |
| Affiliate disclosures | rel="sponsored" | Variable |
Real nofollow link examples
1. Press mention — nofollow but high-value
A SaaS company gets mentioned in Forbes. Forbes nofollows all outbound links. The link drives 2,000 referral visitors in the first week and triggers 12 additional dofollow citations from smaller publications that read the Forbes article. Net result: more link equity than a direct dofollow from a mid-tier blog.
2. Wikipedia citation
A research paper cited on Wikipedia's article for a key term in your industry generates steady monthly traffic. Wikipedia's Domain Rating is 93. Despite nofollow, the entity association with that article strengthens your topical authority.
3. Affiliate link with proper markup
<a href="https://product.com?ref=akshay" rel="sponsored">Get the tool</a>
# Also acceptable
<a href="https://product.com?ref=akshay" rel="sponsored nofollow">Get the tool</a>
Nofollow link vs dofollow link — a practical comparison
Dofollow link
- Passes full PageRank to destination
- Anchor text carries ranking weight
- Primary driver of search ranking improvements
- Target for most link-building campaigns
- Default for any link without rel attribute
Nofollow link
- Minimal link equity under hint system
- Still drives referral traffic
- Contributes to natural link profile
- Required for paid/affiliate links
- Common from high-authority sites (Wikipedia, social)
5 best practices for nofollow links in your link strategy
- Pursue high-traffic nofollow sources actively. Wikipedia edits, Reddit answers, and Quora responses are free to place and generate sustained traffic. Don't dismiss them because they're nofollow.
- Monitor your nofollow-to-dofollow ratio. A healthy site has 20-40% nofollow links. Use Ahrefs or Semrush to track this ratio monthly and flag sudden spikes in either direction.
- Mark all affiliate links correctly. Use
rel="sponsored"not justrel="nofollow"for paid relationships. This is Google's preferred attribute for commercial links. - Build relationships with publishers who nofollow. Many major publications that nofollow today may update policies. Long-term publisher relationships mean you benefit when they do.
- Track referral traffic from nofollow sources separately. Set up UTM parameters on your links in directories, press mentions, and social profiles. Measure the real traffic value, not just the SEO attribute.
Many SEO audits filter out nofollow links entirely. This means missing traffic sources, missed brand signal opportunities, and an incomplete picture of how your domain is perceived across the web. Always audit your full backlink profile, not just dofollow links.
Common nofollow link mistakes to avoid
- Dismissing nofollow backlinks as worthless — they contribute to profile diversity, referral traffic, and entity signals.
- Using nofollow on internal links — blocks PageRank from flowing through your own site architecture.
- Not using sponsored for paid links — Google prefers the specific attribute; generic nofollow on affiliate links may not be recognized as commercial.
- Chasing low-quality nofollow links — a nofollow link from a spam directory still looks bad in your profile even without equity transfer.
- Forgetting comment sections — user-generated link sections without ugc nofollow are easy targets for spam that can trigger a quality review.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, indirectly. Nofollow links provide referral traffic, brand visibility, and link profile diversity. Since Google's 2019 update, nofollow is treated as a hint, meaning Google may use these links as weak ranking signals at its discretion.
Yes, when they come from high-authority, high-traffic sites. A nofollow link from Forbes, Wikipedia, or Reddit still sends real visitors and brand signals. Focus on dofollow for authority, but don't ignore nofollow opportunities from quality sources.
A natural backlink profile typically contains 20-40% nofollow links according to Ahrefs data. A profile with 0% nofollow looks artificially built because major platforms like Wikipedia, social media, and news sites routinely apply nofollow.
Use a backlink analysis tool like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz Link Explorer. Filter your backlink report by link type to separate nofollow from dofollow. Google Search Console does not show link attribute data.
Yes. If a site updates its editorial policy or removes the nofollow attribute from an existing link, it becomes dofollow and passes full link equity. This is why building relationships with publishers matters — policies change.
Related glossary terms
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