rel="nofollow" tells search engines "don't pass ranking credit through this link" — originally created to fight comment-spam, it's now one of several precise relationship signals a site can send.
Syntax
<a href="https://untrusted-site.com" rel="nofollow">link text</a>Basic Example
<p>Comment from a visitor: check out <a href="https://random-blog.com" rel="nofollow">my blog</a>!</p>Browser output: visually identical to any other link — nofollow is invisible to a normal visitor and only matters to search engine crawlers.
Why nofollow Was Created
In the mid-2000s, spammers flooded blog comments with links purely to manipulate search rankings through sheer link volume. rel="nofollow" gave site owners a way to accept user comments without those links counting as an endorsement in the eyes of search engines.
Important Attributes / Related Values
| Value | When to use it instead |
|---|---|
nofollow | General "don't vouch for this" — untrusted or unreviewed links |
sponsored | Specifically for paid links, advertisements, or affiliate placements |
ugc | Specifically for content submitted by users — comments, forum posts |
Real-World Example
<p>This post is sponsored by our partner. <a href="https://partner.com" rel="sponsored noopener" target="_blank">Visit their site</a>.</p>A disclosed sponsored link — using the more precise sponsored value rather than a generic nofollow, which is both more accurate and, in some regions, closer to what advertising disclosure regulations expect.
Common Mistakes
- Applying a blanket
nofollowmeta tag to an entire page (blocking all links from passing credit) when only specific links actually need it - Using
nofollowon genuinely trustworthy internal or editorial links out of over-caution - Using generic
nofollowfor paid or user-generated links instead of the more precise, honestsponsored/ugcvalues
Best Practices
- Apply
nofollow(or the more specificsponsored/ugc) only to the individual links that actually need it - Be transparent about paid placements — both for user trust and, in many jurisdictions, legal disclosure requirements
Accessibility Considerations
No effect on assistive technology — this is purely a crawler-facing signal.
SEO Considerations
Since Google's 2019 policy update, nofollow, sponsored, and ugc are all treated as hints rather than strict directives — meaning search engines may still choose to crawl and, in aggregate signal terms, weigh such links in some cases. This nuance doesn't remove the value of using the correct, honest attribute; it just means "nofollow" is no longer an absolute guarantee of zero influence.
Browser & Modern HTML Notes
No visual or functional browser behavior changes — nofollow and its siblings are entirely a signal to automated crawlers, invisible in the rendered page.
Mini Practice
- Add
rel="nofollow"to a link from an imagined public comment form. - Rewrite that same example using the more precise
ugcvalue instead, and explain why it's more accurate.
