You wouldn’t say one leg is more important than the other—they both help you move forward. Similarly, nofollow links are essential to your SEO strategy. 

While dofollow links often receive most of the credit,nofollow links help keep your link-building strategy natural and balanced.

But what exactly are they, and how can they impact your website?

Let’s break it down.

What Are Nofollow Links?

A Nofollow link is a hyperlink with the attribute rel=”nofollow”. This attribute tells search engines not to pass “link juice” or ranking credit to the linked page. 

While users can click and follow the link as usual, search engines see the rel=”nofollow” tag and do not treat it as an endorsement of the linked site’s authority.

<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Visit Example</a>

What Google Says About Nofollow Links

In 2005, Google introduced the attribute for the rel=”nofollow.” Google was fighting comment spam, along with manipulative link building. This attribute signals search engines that the hyperlink has not to influence the ranking of the page. As a result, it cannot allow the transfer of PageRank and other ranking signals.

In 2019, Google updated its approach to treat nofollow attributes as “hints” rather than strict directives. So, though such links still do not pass PageRank, Google might crawl and index them when appropriate.

Additionally, Google introduced two new link attributes to provide more context about the nature of links:

• rel=rel=”sponsored”: Indicates links that are advertisements or part of paid placements.
• rel=”ugc”: Denotes links within user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts.

These attributes, including the rel attribute, help Google better understand the relationships between linked pages and ensure that link practices remain transparent and in line with their guidelines.

The Importance of Nofollow Links in SEO

Although nofollow links may not directly pass SEO value, they are still an essential part of a balanced and effective SEO strategy. Here’s why they matter:

1. Protect Against Link Spam

The nofollow tag ensures that the links from some untrusted sources, like blog comments or forums, do not pass ranking value. By doing so, it helps protect your website from penalties, prevents issues like comment spam, and retains the integrity of your backlink profile.

2. Drive Referral Traffic

While nofollow links don’t pass through PageRank, they can still push some valuable referral traffic. Exposure to high-traffic, reputable websites increases site visibility and brings in engaged visitors.

These images show that Backlinko.com has 42,138 dofollow links and 10,284 nofollow links, highlighting the importance of both. While dofollow and nofollow links serve different purposes, dofollow links pass SEO value, and nofollow links still drive referral traffic and contribute to a balanced backlink profile.

3. Enhance Backlink Profile Diversity

A diverse backlink profile, including both nofollow links and dofollow backlinks, appears more natural to search engines. Relying solely on dofollow links may look manipulative, whereas a mix of both signals a healthy and organic linking strategy.

This image shows Facebook.com backlink diversity, with 65% follow links and 35% nofollow links. A mix like this creates a natural backlink profile, supporting SEO credibility and avoiding risks.

4. Enhance Your Credibility

Being featured on authoritative websites through nofollow links boosts your credibility and establishes your brand in front of a wider audience, even without directly impacting search rankings.

Top sites like Forbes use nofollow links to connect readers to external platforms like Goodreads while complying with Google’s rules. This highlights how nofollow links can boost brand visibility without passing SEO value.

5. Align with Google’s Guidelines

Using rel=”nofollow,” especially for paid links or sponsored links, ensures compliance with Google’s policies. This keeps your SEO efforts safe and helps avoid penalties for manipulative linking practices.

DO-FOLLOW vs. NO-FOLLOW Links

The difference between do-follow links and no-follow links lies in how they pass SEO value to the linked page.

A do-follow link signals search engines to transfer PageRank and authority to the linked site, potentially improving its search rankings. For example, a standard HTML link like this:

This link actively contributes to the SEO of the destination page.

In contrast, a no-follow link contains the rel=”nofollow” attribute, which tells search engines not to pass link equity. For instance:

This type of link does not influence the ranking of the page, but it might send referral traffic, hence adding a balanced amount to the backlink profile.

Although no-follow links do not have the same ranking advantages as do-follow links, they are certainly not useless. They prevent spamming, are in line with Google’s policies, and form an integral part of a diversified, natural link-building strategy.

When to Use Nofollow Links

There are specific situations in which a no-follow link has to be added in order to maintain a healthy SEO strategy and follow Google’s policies. Here are the most common situations:

1. Paid or Sponsored Links

If a link is part of a paid collaboration, such as an advertisement or sponsorship, it must include the nofollow attribute (rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”). This ensures transparency and prevents penalties for manipulative link-building practices.

This image shows how a rel=”sponsored” attribute is used in the HTML code of a webpage to identify a link as paid or promotional.

Sponsored content or paid advertisements on your website should always include a nofollow tag.

2. Affiliate Links

For websites using affiliate programs, marking links as nofollow is crucial to signal search engines that these are monetized links. This keeps your seo nofollow links strategy compliant with Google’s policies.

Adding nofollow backlinks to affiliate product links keeps them from passing PageRank while still driving traffic.

3. Untrusted or User-Generated Content (UGC)

The links in blog comments, forums, or other user-generated content (UGC) can be dangerous because their source is unknown. Thus, rel=”nofollow” or rel=”ugc” attribute will protect your website from spam and irrelevant connections.

Forum replies, guest book entries, or blog comment links should be marked as nofollow to avoid spam-related penalties.

When to Avoid Nofollow Links

While no-follow links are very important in some situations, there are other times when they might not be your best bet. Misusing the nofollow tag could cap the SEO value of your link-building efforts. Here’s when you should avoid using no-follow backlinks:

1. For Internal Links

Internal links should never be marked as nofollow. These links guide search engines through your pages, helping with indexing and improving site structure. Using the nofollow attribute here can prevent important pages from gaining visibility, weakening your overall SEO strategy.

2. For Trusted External Links

If you’re linking to authoritative and credible sites, such as partners, collaborators, or reputable resources, avoid adding the nofollow tag. Passing link equity through do-follow links strengthens your website’s credibility and builds relationships with high-quality sites.

3. In Editorial Content

When linking to related websites in your blog posts, guides, or tutorials, using nofollow links dilutes the value of the content. Instead, do-follow links are used when referencing something that will add value to your readers and the user experience.

4. When Driving Value for Collaborations

If you collaborate with other websites for mutual growth, such as guest post exchanges or niche partnerships, marking these links as nofollow backlinks may reduce the SEO benefits for both parties. Use do-follow backlinks to foster better relationships and create a stronger backlink profile.

How to Identify Nofollow Links

Identifying no-follow links is very important for managing a backlink profile and ensuring nofollow links SEO strategy is effective. Here’s how it is done:

1: Manual Inspection Using HTML Source Code

Open the webpage you want to inspect.

Right-click on the page and select “View Page Source” or “Inspect” (depending on your browser).

Look for the <a> tag associated with the link you want to check.

If the link contains rel=”nofollow”, it’s a no-follow link.

2: Use SEO Tools for Automatic Identification

Tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush can help you identify nofollow backlinks without manually inspecting each link.

• Log in to your preferred SEO tool.
• Navigate to the Backlink Analysis section.
• Run a report for the website or page you’re analyzing.
• Apply a filter for nofollow links to view a list of all links marked with the nofollow attribute.

These tools also provide additional insights like Domain Rating (DR), traffic, and anchor text.

Step 3: Use Browser Extensions

Browser extensions are a quick and easy way to spot nofollow links while browsing.

Install extensions like NoFollow or Check My Links from your browser’s extension store.

Once installed, activate it on a webpage, and it will highlight all links with rel=“nofollow”, rel=”ugc”, or rel=”sponsored” attributes. NoFollow links will appear with a red box around them, making them easy to spot and analyze for compliance.

Activate the extension on the webpage you want to analyze.

Activating the extension opens a box categorizing links as valid, redirected, or invalid. Links with attributes like rel=”Nofollow” are highlighted, helping you quickly nofollow links.

The tool will highlight nofollow links on the page, making them easy to identify.

Nofollow vs. Noindex: Key Differences

A Noindex tag tells search engines not to show a specific page in search results. It’s useful for pages like thank-you pages or duplicate content.

A NoFollow link tells search engines not to follow or pass SEO value to a link. However, if you want to hide a page from search engines, you need to use the Noindex tag, not just a nofollow link.

How to Add Nofollow Links

Adding nofollow links to your website can help manage your backlink profile and maintain compliance with SEO best practices. Here’s a step-by-step guide for both WordPress and HTML, along with tools for managing nofollow links SEO efficiently.

Step-by-Step Guide for Adding NoFollow Links

1) In WordPress

Go to the page or post where you want to add the link.

Highlight the text you want to hyperlink and click the link icon.

Enter the URL you want to link to.

Before saving, click the gear icon (or “Edit Link” option) and check the box to add the rel=”nofollow” attribute.

Save or update the page.

2) In HTML

Locate the link in your HTML code.

Add the rel=”nofollow” attribute to the <a>tag.

<a href=”https://outreachmonks.com/” rel=”nofollow” link juice</a>

This tells search engines not to pass link equity to the linked page.

Tools and Plugins for Managing Nofollow Links

1) Yoast SEO Plugin: A popular WordPress plugin that simplifies adding and managing nofollow links. Its link editor allows you to toggle between dofollow and nofollow backlinks, making it easier to manage outbound links effortlessly.

2) All-in-One SEO Plugin: This WordPress plugin helps manage external links by applying the nofollow tag as needed, ensuring your links comply with best practices.

Conclusion: Nofollow Links

Nofollow links are important for keeping your SEO clean and following Google’s rules. They may not boost rankings directly, but they help drive traffic and keep your backlink profile natural and safe.

Want a strong backlink profile? Reach out to Outreach Monks, and we’ll help you build the right links for your success!

FAQs About Nofollow Links