Should You Use Nofollow Links For SEO

Nofollow vs. Dofollow Links

“Dofollow” isn’t an actual HTML attribute — it’s industry shorthand for a standard link with no rel qualifier. By default, every <a href> link is “dofollow” unless you explicitly add rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc".

The practical difference: a standard link passes ranking signals to the destination page. A nofollow link tells search engines you don’t want to vouch for the destination. Since March 2020, Google treats that signal as a hint rather than a hard rule, so some ranking value may still flow through nofollow links.

Here’s what each link type looks like in HTML:

<!-- Standard (dofollow) link — passes ranking credit -->
<a href="https://example.com">Example</a>

<!-- Nofollow link — signals non-endorsement -->
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>

How Google Changed Nofollow in 2019

Before September 2019, adding rel="nofollow" to a link guaranteed that Google wouldn’t follow it or pass any ranking signal. Google then changed nofollow from a directive to a hint — and introduced two companion attributes:

rel="sponsored" — for paid placements, advertisements, and affiliate links.
rel="ugc" — for links in user-generated content like comments or forum posts.
rel="nofollow" — the catch-all for any link you don’t want to endorse but that doesn’t fit the other two categories.

All three attributes signal non-endorsement. Google may still crawl and index the destination page, but it generally won’t treat these links as editorial votes. You can combine them (rel="nofollow sponsored") when more than one applies.

The timeline: Google began using nofollow as a hint for crawling and indexing in September 2019, then extended it to ranking signals in March 2020. Both Bing and Yandex now follow similar approaches, treating nofollow as a suggestion rather than a command.

When to Use Nofollow, Sponsored, and UGC

Choosing the right rel attribute depends on the link’s purpose:

• Paid or affiliate links: Use rel="sponsored". Google requires this for any link you received payment or compensation for, including affiliate programs and sponsored posts.
• Comment sections and forums: Use rel="ugc". Most content management systems add this to comment links automatically.
• Untrusted or unvetted sources: Use rel="nofollow". This covers press releases, user-submitted directories, widget-generated links, or any page you’d rather not vouch for.
• Trusted editorial links: Use no rel attribute. If you’re linking to a source you genuinely recommend, let the link pass full credit.

When more than one category applies — say, a paid link inside a user comment — combine them: rel="sponsored ugc".

How to Add Nofollow Links

In raw HTML, add the rel attribute directly to the anchor tag:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Paid Link</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">User Comment Link</a>

In WordPress, the block editor includes a nofollow toggle under the link’s “Advanced” settings. For the classic editor, switch to the Text tab and add rel="nofollow" to the anchor tag manually.

For site-wide link management, backlink checker tools can audit which outbound links carry (or lack) the right rel attributes. This is useful on large sites where links accumulate across hundreds of pages.

Nofollow at the Page Level

You can also apply nofollow to every link on a page using a meta robots tag:

<meta name="robots" content="nofollow">

This tells search engines not to follow any link on the page. It’s a blunt tool — useful for login pages or internal dashboards, but rarely appropriate for public content where you want some links to pass value.

Linking to Low-Quality or Spammy Websites

If your site accepts comments, forum posts, or guest contributions, you can’t always control which URLs users include. Adding rel="ugc" (or rel="nofollow") to those links signals to Google that you aren’t vouching for the destinations. This reduces the risk of a manual action for “unnatural outbound links” — one of Google’s spam policies that still carries real penalties.

Building a clean link profile matters whether you’re earning links or giving them. If you’re working on building backlinks to your site, the same principle applies in reverse: aim for editorial links from trusted sources rather than link schemes that Google’s algorithms will discount.

Over-Optimization and Link Quantity

Google has stated that having many outbound links on a page doesn’t trigger a penalty on its own. What matters is the nature of those links — paid, manipulative, or irrelevant links are the problem, not the quantity. Qualifying paid or untrusted links with the appropriate rel attribute keeps your link profile clean and avoids tripping Google’s link-scheme filters.

A natural backlink profile includes a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. Industry data suggests that healthy link profiles contain roughly 20–40% nofollow links. If your profile skews heavily in either direction, it may look unnatural to search engines.

Nofollow Links and Your Website’s Reputation

Linking to a page you don’t fully trust? A rel="nofollow" attribute signals that distance to search engines. It’s a hint rather than a guarantee, but it’s the standard way to reference a source without passing your site’s authority to it. Think of it as citing without endorsing.

Nofollow, sponsored, and ugc attributes won’t directly boost your rankings, but they’re part of responsible link management. Use rel="sponsored" on paid links, rel="ugc" on user-submitted links, and rel="nofollow" as the default for anything you’d rather not endorse.

For a broader look at how link strategy fits into your site’s SEO foundation, see our guide on building a website for search engine optimization. Google’s documentation is the best reference for current practices: Qualify outbound links to other sites.