Nofollow links are links with the rel="nofollow" attribute, which signals to search engines not to follow the link and not to pass "link juice" (link power). A nofollow link looks like: Example. In contrast to "follow" links (standard), which contribute to rankings and domain authority, nofollow links have no direct SEO value. However, they are important for link strategy because many legitimate links are nofollow and nofollow traffic still has value.
What Are Nofollow Links?
The nofollow attribute was introduced by Google in 2005 to fight link spam. The idea was that search engines should ignore certain links (e.g., in comments, sponsored links, user-generated content). With rel="nofollow", website owners told Google: "I don't endorse this link for rankings."
In 2019, Google refined the meaning of nofollow links somewhat: it said that nofollow links aren't completely ignored, but rather serve as a "hint". Google could still follow a nofollow link and consider it for rankings if the context fits. Still, you should assume that nofollow links have no or minimal SEO value.
Today, nofollow links are used in these contexts:
- Sponsored links: If you promote a product or service in a blog post (paid placement), the link should be nofollow.
- Paid backlinks: Links from sponsored posts, native advertising, or PR placements should be nofollow to avoid Google penalties.
- Comments and user-generated content: To prevent spam, most websites use nofollow on external links in comments.
- Affiliate links: Affiliate links are often nofollow to show that you have a financial incentive.
- External links in content: Some websites make all external links nofollow (a very aggressive strategy, not recommended).
Nofollow Links in B2B SEO Context
In B2B SEO, understanding nofollow is important for link-building strategy. Many "easy" links are nofollow:
- Industry directories: Many B2B directories use nofollow on external links (like Yelp, LinkedIn company pages).
- LinkedIn company page and profile links: All external links on LinkedIn are nofollow.
- PR and press releases: Links in online press releases are often nofollow.
- Social media: All social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) use nofollow on external links.
- Podcasts and interviews: Links in podcast descriptions are often nofollow (although not always).
This doesn't mean these links are worthless. Although they don't directly contribute to rankings, they have other value: they bring traffic (users click the link directly), build branding (more mentions, more visibility), and could send signals to Google (if many sources link to you, Google sees you as relevant, even if links are nofollow).
Follow vs. Nofollow Links - Comparison
| Aspect | Follow Links | Nofollow Links |
|---|---|---|
| Link Juice / Authority | Yes, passed on | No, minimal or none |
| Ranking Impact | Direct and significant | Indirect through traffic and brand signals |
| Domain Authority Impact | Increases DA of linked site | Does not increase DA directly |
| Crawler Priority | Google follows the link | Google can follow but doesn't have to |
| Legitimate Use Cases | Organic links, editorial mentions | Sponsored links, user-generated content |
| Link Profile Share | Should be 80-90% | 10-20% is normal and healthy |
Nofollow Links and Link-Building Strategy
A good link-building strategy focuses on follow links but shouldn't ignore nofollow:
- Primary focus: Follow links Invest 80-90% of your link-building time in follow links. These are harder to get but have direct SEO impact.
- Secondary: Nofollow links for traffic and brand Nofollow links from authoritative publications (Forbes, Harvard Business Review, industry media) have branding value and bring traffic.
- Natural link profile A natural link profile has a mix of follow and nofollow. 100% follow links could look suspicious (like a link scheme). A mix of 80% follow, 20% nofollow is natural.
- Monitor nofollow backlinks Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to see which websites link to you with nofollow. Sometimes you should contact these websites and ask if they can change to follow.
- Label paid links correctly If you buy sponsored posts, make sure the links are nofollow. Google can penalize websites with undeclared sponsored content.
When Should You Use Nofollow?
If you're a website owner with external links, when should you use nofollow?
- Always nofollow for: Paid links, affiliate links, sponsored mentions, comments (to prevent spam).
- Often nofollow for: Links to competitors (strategically - you don't want to increase their authority), links in footers or sidebars (low relevance).
- Usually follow for: Links to informative sources in content, Wikipedia links, links to verified data sources, editorial links to relevant pages.
A common SEO mistake is website owners being too aggressive with nofollow on all external links. This looks unnatural and can reduce domain authority (Google can see you're not linking to other sites, which looks suspicious).
New Nofollow Variants
In 2019, Google introduced two new link attributes in addition to nofollow:
- rel="sponsored": Explicitly for sponsored links. Helps Google understand that there is a commercial arrangement.
- rel="ugc" (User-Generated Content): For links in user-generated content like comments, forums. Helps Google understand that it doesn't come from the site owner.
Example: A sponsored post link should be: Example instead of just rel="nofollow". This is transparent to Google.
These attributes aren't yet widespread, but best practice is to use them when applicable.
Monitoring and Best Practices
To understand your backlink quality:
- Use Google Search Console or Ahrefs to see your backlinks.
- Sort by follow vs. nofollow to understand what % are follow (should be 80%+).
- Identify nofollow links from high-quality sites (Forbes, NYT, etc.) - these have branding value despite being nofollow.
- Look for opportunities to convert nofollow links to follow - sometimes you can contact site owners.
- Build a healthy, natural link profile that has a mix of follow and nofollow.
While nofollow links have no direct SEO value, they are part of a healthy off-page SEO profile and can offer indirect benefits through traffic, brand building, and signaling relevance.