NoFollow Links
NoFollow links carry the rel=”nofollow” attribute, which tells search engines not to treat the link as an endorsement. They pass little ranking value but can still bring traffic.
How the Attribute Works
A nofollow link is a normal link with one extra value in its HTML. The rel attribute tells search engines how the linking site relates to the page it links to. A nofollow link looks like this: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text</a>. Readers see no difference. The link looks and works exactly like any other link. Only search engines read the attribute.
Google introduced nofollow in January 2005, with support from Yahoo and Microsoft. Its original purpose was to fight blog comment spam, which had grown out of control as spammers posted links in comment sections across the web. Nofollow gave site owners a way to allow links without vouching for them, so the links would not pass PageRank.
Over time, the attribute spread far beyond comments. Many news sites, social platforms, forums, Q&A sites and wikis now apply nofollow to all or most outbound links. Wikipedia, for example, adds nofollow to external links in its articles.
Google changed how it treats nofollow in two steps. In September 2019, it announced that nofollow would become a hint rather than a strict directive. From March 2020, that hint applied to crawling and indexing as well as ranking. Google may now choose to use a nofollow link as a signal if it judges the link useful, although in practice nofollow links still pass little or no link equity.
A link without any rel value of nofollow, sponsored or ugc is a standard followed link, often called a dofollow link. Understanding what a follow link is makes the contrast clearer.
Value Beyond Rankings
Because nofollow links pass little direct ranking value, some link builders dismiss them. That misses most of what they offer.
Referral traffic is the most obvious benefit. A nofollow link from a popular news article, a busy forum thread or a well-read industry blog can send far more visitors than a dofollow link from an obscure site. Those visitors are often well matched to your business, because they clicked from content about your topic.
Brand exposure comes next. Being mentioned and linked on a respected publication puts your name in front of a new audience and lends credibility, whether or not the link is followed. That kind of brand awareness supports branded searches and future coverage.
Discovery leads to more links. Writers find sources by reading other content. A nofollow link on a widely read article often leads other journalists and bloggers to your page, and some of them will link with followed links in their own work.
Natural balance matters too. A real backlink profile always includes a share of nofollow links, because so many platforms apply the attribute by default. Social profiles are a good example, since most social media backlinks are nofollow. A profile made up of 100% dofollow links can look less natural than one with a healthy mix.
Finally, Google’s hint model means a nofollow link from a strong, relevant source may carry some signal. It should never be counted on, but it is one more reason not to ignore these links.
Comparison with Other Attributes
Nofollow is one of three link attributes Google recognizes, and each has a specific purpose.
Nofollow is the general option. It tells Google you do not want to vouch for the link, for any reason. It remains acceptable for any of the cases below.
Sponsored marks links that are advertisements, paid placements or part of other compensation arrangements, including affiliate links and links given in exchange for free products. Google introduced rel=”sponsored” in September 2019 and recommends it for paid links.
UGC marks links added by users in comments, forum posts, reviews and similar user-generated content. It was introduced at the same time as sponsored. Comment sections, which gave rise to nofollow in the first place, now often use both values. The blog comment SEO guide explains how these attributes apply to comment links.
Values can be combined, such as rel=”nofollow sponsored” or rel=”nofollow ugc.” Google treats all three as hints.
DoFollow is not an attribute at all. It describes a standard link with none of these values, which can pass ranking value. It is the only type that clearly signals endorsement.
In short: use sponsored for paid links, ugc for user-generated links, nofollow for anything else you do not want to vouch for, and no attribute for genuine editorial links.
Strategic Use
For site owners, nofollow is a tool for honesty. Apply it, or the more specific sponsored or ugc values, to links you do not want to vouch for: paid placements, links in user content, links to sources you cite but do not trust and links in widgets or embeds you distribute. Using the right attribute keeps your site within Google’s guidelines on paid and user-generated links.
Avoid overusing it. Adding nofollow to every outbound link to “save” link equity is an outdated practice. Linking to credible sources does not hurt your rankings, and genuine editorial links can stay followed.
For link builders, nofollow links deserve a place in the strategy. Pursue placements on high-traffic, relevant sites even when they use nofollow, especially news coverage, popular communities and major publications. Judge them by traffic, visibility and the chance of secondary links, not by link equity alone.
Do not chase nofollow links at scale, though. Mass comment, forum and profile links are nofollow for a reason and bring little benefit.
Check attributes when reviewing your profile. Confirm whether important placements are followed, especially when you paid or arranged them. Publishers sometimes change policies and add nofollow to existing links during redesigns.
NoFollow links tell search engines that a site is not vouching for a link. They pass little ranking value, but they bring traffic, visibility and balance to a natural profile. Use the attribute honestly on your own site and value nofollow placements for what they deliver beyond rankings.