Nofollow is an HTML attribute added to hyperlinks (rel="nofollow") that signals search engines to withhold link equity from the destination page. Introduced by Google in 2005 to fight comment spam, it was reclassified in 2019 from a hard rule to a hint — meaning Google may still crawl, index, or rank pages linked with nofollow.
Roughly 20-40% of backlinks in a typical site's profile are nofollow. That doesn't make them worthless — but it does mean you need to understand exactly what they do and don't contribute before building your link strategy around them.
What is nofollow?
Nofollow is an HTML attribute placed inside an anchor tag. The standard implementation looks like this:
<a href="https://example.com">Example</a>
# Nofollow (withholds link equity)
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>
Google introduced the nofollow attribute in January 2005 alongside MSN and Yahoo to give webmasters a way to comment on sites without endorsing every link. It immediately became the standard way to fight comment spam on blogs.
In September 2019, Google announced two companion attributes and changed how all three work:
rel="nofollow"— general catch-all for untrusted or unendorsed linksrel="sponsored"— paid links and affiliate linksrel="ugc"— user-generated content: comments, forum posts, reviews
From March 2020 onward, Google treats nofollow as a hint for crawling and indexing. This means Google may follow the link, crawl the destination, and use it as a weak ranking signal — at Google's discretion. The strict "never follow" behavior no longer applies.
Why nofollow matters for your SEO strategy
Most SEOs undervalue nofollow links. Here is why they still belong in your playbook:
- Spam prevention. Without nofollow, every site that accepts user comments or external contributions becomes an easy target for spammers who want free link equity. The attribute removes the incentive to spam.
- Paid link compliance. Google's guidelines require paid links, sponsored posts, and affiliate links to carry
rel="sponsored"orrel="nofollow". Failure to mark these is a manual action risk. - Natural link profile. A backlink profile with 0% nofollow looks unnatural. Sites like Wikipedia, Reddit, and most social platforms apply nofollow to all outbound links. If you only have dofollow links, Google may view your profile as artificially built.
- Referral traffic. A nofollow link from a high-traffic site still sends real visitors. Traffic from Forbes, Wikipedia, or Reddit can drive leads regardless of link equity transfer.
- Indirect authority signals. Brand mentions on authoritative pages — even nofollow — contribute to Google's understanding of your brand's legitimacy and topic relevance.
How nofollow works technically
When Googlebot encounters a nofollow link, the 2019 update means the crawl decision is now probabilistic rather than absolute.
| Behavior | Before 2019 | After March 2020 |
|---|---|---|
| Crawl the linked page | Never | Google's discretion |
| Index the linked page | Never from nofollow | Google's discretion |
| Pass PageRank | Zero | Minimal (hint) |
| Use for anchor text signals | Ignored | Possibly counted |
Multiple attributes can be combined on a single link. For example, a paid comment link could use rel="nofollow ugc" to signal both characteristics.
Nofollow vs sponsored vs ugc — which to use
Google recommends using the most specific attribute available rather than defaulting to nofollow for everything.
| Attribute | Use case | Examples |
|---|---|---|
rel="nofollow" | Untrusted or unendorsed links | Competitor links, links you can't vouch for |
rel="sponsored" | Paid links and affiliate links | Sponsored posts, Amazon Associates, display ads |
rel="ugc" | User-generated content | Blog comments, forum replies, product reviews |
rel="nofollow ugc" | Unverified user content | Anonymous comment sections |
Real nofollow examples from the web
1. Wikipedia links (all nofollow)
Wikipedia applies nofollow to every external link on the site — including citations for peer-reviewed studies. Despite this, a Wikipedia citation drives measurable referral traffic and signals brand credibility to Google's quality evaluators.
2. Blog comment links
<a href="https://commenter-site.com" rel="nofollow ugc">commenter-site.com</a>
3. Press coverage with nofollow
Many news publishers apply nofollow to all outbound links as editorial policy. A Forbes or TechCrunch mention may still be nofollow, but the referral traffic and brand signal it sends often outweigh the absent PageRank.
4. Affiliate links
<a href="https://affiliate-product.com/ref=yourcode" rel="sponsored nofollow">Product name</a>
Nofollow vs dofollow — what's the real difference?
Dofollow (no attribute)
- Passes full PageRank to destination
- Anchor text counted for ranking
- Direct contribution to rankings
- Primary goal of link-building campaigns
- Default state for all anchor tags
Nofollow (rel="nofollow")
- Minimal/no PageRank transfer
- Google may still crawl and index destination
- Contributes to natural link profile
- Still drives referral traffic
- Required for paid and UGC links
6 best practices for using nofollow correctly
- Mark paid links as sponsored, not just nofollow. Google prefers the more specific
rel="sponsored"attribute. Using nofollow on paid links is acceptable but sponsored is clearer. - Never nofollow internal links. Doing so blocks PageRank from flowing through your own site. Internal nofollow is one of the most common self-inflicted SEO wounds.
- Use ugc for comment sections automatically. If your CMS doesn't apply nofollow ugc to user comments by default, add it. WordPress does this; most other platforms don't.
- Don't nofollow every outbound link. Linking to authoritative sources with dofollow signals to Google that your content is well-researched. Nofollowing everything looks unnatural.
- Pursue nofollow links from high-traffic sources. A nofollow link from a Domain Rating 90 site sending 2,000 monthly visitors is far more valuable than a dofollow from an obscure DR 10 blog.
- Audit your nofollow profile quarterly. Tools like Ahrefs show which of your backlinks are nofollow. Track the ratio — 20-40% nofollow is healthy; below 10% may look artificial.
Some webmasters add nofollow to every outbound link to "protect" their PageRank. This is outdated thinking. Google interprets linking to authoritative external sources as a quality signal. Nofollowing everything looks suspicious and deprives your readers of useful resources.
Common nofollow mistakes to avoid
- Nofollowing internal links — blocks PageRank flow through your own site architecture.
- Not marking paid links as sponsored — violates Google's link scheme guidelines and risks a manual action.
- Ignoring nofollow backlinks entirely — they still drive traffic, brand signals, and link profile diversity.
- Applying nofollow to all outbound links — signals low editorial confidence and looks unnatural.
- Forgetting UGC sections — comment sections without nofollow are magnets for spam links that can harm your site's trust.
Frequently asked questions
Since Google's March 2020 update, nofollow is treated as a hint. Google may use nofollow links for crawling, indexing, and even ranking in some cases, but they generally pass less link equity than dofollow links.
Use nofollow on paid or sponsored links (better: rel="sponsored"), user-generated content like comments (better: rel="ugc"), untrusted links, and competitor links. Do not apply nofollow to all outbound links.
All three prevent full link equity transfer. rel="sponsored" is for paid and affiliate links. rel="ugc" is for user-generated content like comments and forum posts. rel="nofollow" is the general catch-all for untrusted or unendorsed links.
No. Adding nofollow to internal links wastes link equity by not allowing it to flow through your own site. Reserve nofollow strictly for external links you don't wish to endorse.
Right-click on the link, inspect the HTML, and look for rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag. You can also use browser extensions like NoFollow or SEO tools like Ahrefs and Semrush to check at scale.