Nofollow Link
A nofollow link is a hyperlink with rel="nofollow" that tells search engines not to treat it as an endorsement or pass ranking credit to the destination page.
- Also called
- rel="nofollow" link
- Applies to
- HTML hyperlinks
- Commonly confused with
- sponsored and ugc attributes
Key points
- Nofollow links generally do not pass PageRank or link equity for ranking signals.
- Google has treated nofollow as a hint, not a strict directive, since 2020.
- A nofollow link can still be crawled, discovered, and drive referral traffic.
- Use nofollow for untrusted or paid links; consider sponsored or ugc for more specific cases.
- Verify a nofollow link by inspecting the HTML source for rel="nofollow".
Where it changes your decision
- When building a backlink profile: prioritise dofollow links for ranking credit, but do not ignore nofollow links because they can still drive traffic and discovery.
- When linking to a paid or sponsored partnership: use rel="sponsored" instead of nofollow to comply with Google's guidelines and avoid penalties.
- When handling user-generated content like comments or forum posts: apply rel="ugc" to signal untrusted content, rather than a blanket nofollow.
What it is not
- A nofollow link is not a guarantee that the link will not be crawled or indexed; Google may still crawl and index the destination.
- A nofollow link is not worthless for SEO; it can still bring referral traffic and help with discovery.
- A nofollow link is not the same as a sponsored or ugc link; those values are more specific for paid or user-generated content.
- A nofollow link is not a strict directive from Google; since 2020, Google treats it as a hint, so its effect on ranking can vary.
Questions people ask
What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is a hyperlink with the HTML attribute rel="nofollow" that instructs search engines not to treat the link as an endorsement. It generally does not pass PageRank or link equity, but it can still be crawled and drive traffic.
When to use nofollow links?
Use nofollow links for untrusted or paid links where you do not want to pass ranking credit. For sponsored content, use rel="sponsored", and for user-generated content like comments, use rel="ugc" as more specific alternatives.
What is follow and nofollow links?
Follow links, also called dofollow links, are standard hyperlinks that pass PageRank and link equity to the destination page. Nofollow links use rel="nofollow" and generally do not pass ranking credit, though Google treats nofollow as a hint since 2020.
Sources
- Google Search Central Primary source for Google’s current guidance on nofollow, sponsored, and UGC link attributes.
- Google Search Central Blog Explains Google’s shift to treating nofollow as a hint and introducing sponsored/UGC.
- Google Search Central Useful for distinguishing nofollow from noindex.
- Linkscope: Advanced link-building tactics Practitioner notes that still treat nofollow as a signal, not a null.
Written and maintained by Nora Lindholm. Last updated 27 July 2026.
Spotted an error? Email me — corrections are logged and credited on the entry. Outbound links are unpaid; most are nofollow.