What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is a hyperlink marked with rel="nofollow" (or a related value) that signals to search engines they should not pass ranking authority to the linked page.
How nofollow links work
A nofollow link carries a rel="nofollow" attribute inside its anchor tag, which acts as a hint to crawlers that the linking site does not want to vouch for the destination. It looks identical to any other link to a human visitor, who can click it and navigate normally, but the machine-readable attribute changes how automated systems interpret the connection.
The attribute was introduced to fight comment spam, giving publishers a way to include a URL without appearing to endorse it. Over time it became a general tool for marking links a site cannot fully vouch for, such as user-generated content or paid placements.
Nofollow, sponsored, and ugc
Modern search engines recognize a family of rel values: nofollow for generic no-endorsement links, sponsored for paid or advertising links, and ugc for links inside user-generated content like comments and forum posts. Using the most specific value gives crawlers clearer context about why a link exists.
Search engines now treat these attributes as hints rather than strict directives, meaning they may still choose to consider a nofollow link for crawling or ranking. This shift means publishers should label links honestly rather than assume a nofollow guarantees the link is ignored entirely.
When to use nofollow
Use nofollow (or its more specific siblings) for paid links, affiliate links, links in comments and profiles you do not control, and any destination you cannot personally vouch for. Correct labeling protects a site from being seen as part of a link scheme that violates search quality guidelines.
Do not blanket-nofollow every outbound link, since natural links to trusted sources are a normal part of helpful content. Reserve the attribute for cases where endorsement would be inaccurate or where a link is compensated in some way.
Frequently asked questions
Do nofollow links help SEO?
Nofollow links generally do not pass ranking authority, but they can still drive referral traffic, build brand awareness, and create a natural, diverse backlink profile that looks trustworthy to search engines.
What is the difference between nofollow and dofollow?
A dofollow link has no restricting rel attribute and can pass ranking credit, while a nofollow link includes rel="nofollow" to signal that the linking site does not want to pass that credit.
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