Nofollow is a link attribute that tells search engines not to pass ranking credit through a link in the normal way. It is added to a link as rel="nofollow" and is commonly used for paid links, user-generated content, or any link you do not want to fully endorse.
What nofollow means in SEO
When one page links to another, search engines often treat that link as a signal of trust or recommendation. A nofollow link reduces that endorsement signal. Google now treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive, which means it may still crawl or use the link for discovery in some cases, but the link generally should not be counted like a standard editorial backlink.
For beginners, the key point is simple: use nofollow when you want visitors to click a link, but you do not want that link to pass normal SEO value.
Why nofollow matters
Nofollow helps protect your site from linking practices that can create search quality issues. It is especially useful when:
- You publish sponsored or paid placements
- You allow blog comments, forum posts, or other user-submitted links
- You mention a site without wanting to vouch for it
Using the right link attributes supports cleaner SEO, lowers risk around paid link violations, and gives your team a clearer process for handling external links at scale.
When to use nofollow vs other link attributes
Nofollow
Use rel="nofollow" when you want a general non-endorsement signal for a link.
Sponsored
Use rel="sponsored" for advertisements, affiliate links, or any paid partnership. This is often the best choice when money, products, or compensation are involved.
UGC
Use rel="ugc" for user-generated content such as comments, reviews, and forum posts. If needed, attributes can be combined.
Practical example
Imagine your company publishes a blog post that includes an affiliate link to a keyword research tool. Because that link could generate commission, it should not be treated as a normal editorial vote. In that case, your team could mark the link with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow sponsored".
If you manage a WordPress site with open comments, you may also configure comment links to use nofollow or ugc by default. That way, readers can still share resources, but your site is less likely to pass authority to spammy pages.
Practical rule: if a link is paid, user-submitted, or not fully trusted, do not leave it as a standard followed link.