Link building in SEO is a well-known tactic, but what if not all links are created to boost rankings? Enter nofollow links—a unique link that doesn’t directly pass authority to the linked site. Introduced initially to combat spam, it helps businesses control which links influence search rankings and which do not. Yet, their role in SEO and link-building strategies remains widely debated.
So, what exactly are nofollow links, and how can they benefit your site? Let’s break it down and go through each step.
What Are Nofollow Links?
Simply put, Nofollow links are hyperlinks that contain a special attribute in their HTML code, instructing search engines to ignore them regarding search engine ranking. For visitors, these links work just like any other, taking them to the destination website when clicked.
However, for search engines, nofollow links function differently. They indicate that the linking site doesn’t want to pass authority to the linked page and is to be ignored.
This is often done to prevent ranking boosts, especially in contexts like sponsored content or user-generated comments, where links might not reflect an endorsement from your business. Here is an example of what a nofollow link would be like:
<a href=”https://example.com”rel=”nofollow”>Visit Example</a>
The “rel=”nofollow” attribute tells search engines that the link should be treated as “neutral” from an SEO perspective and should not be taken into account when it comes to SEO ranking.
But why would anyone use nofollow links, and what role does it play in SEO? While nofollow links may not directly boost rankings, they offer other valuable benefits.
How Nofollow Links Impact SEO
Imagine a librarian providing a list of best sellers. Some books are labelled “Highly Recommended” while others are called “Additional Reading.” The librarian includes all the books, but only the “Highly Recommended” books are prioritised and placed on display. While “Additional Reading” books don’t get the same spotlight, they’re still available for readers if they choose to explore them.
Nofollow links follow the same rules; they don’t carry the weight of a search engine endorsement but provide valuable resources to users if they click on them. They also contribute to brand visibility and drive referral traffic from high-quality sites, which can lead to user engagement and trust signals that are beneficial for SEO.
10 Benefits Of Using Nofollow Links
Despite not directly influencing SEO rankings, nofollow links offer a range of benefits that make them valuable in any link-building strategy.
1. Prevent Spammy Links
In the early days of the internet, people would flood comment sections and blogs with irrelevant or low-quality links to their sites in an attempt to boost their websites’ SEO. Nofollow attributes helped address this by allowing website owners to control which links pass authority and which do not. Here’s how nofollow links prevent spam:
Discourages Manipulative Linking
Since nofollow links don’t pass SEO ranking benefits, they reduce the incentive for spammers to post links purely for SEO gain. Without the potential to boost their site’s ranking, spammers are less likely to waste time dropping links in places like blog comments or forums.
Protects User-Generated Content
Platforms with user-generated content (UGC), like forums and social media sites, often add the nofollow attribute to prevent users from misusing these spaces to manipulate search rankings. This keeps user-generated content areas cleaner and more valuable for genuine discussions rather than spamming inappropriate links.
Helps Maintain Site Integrity
When you use nofollow links on untrusted or irrelevant sources, you protect your site’s credibility. Search engines can see that you’re not endorsing potentially spammy content, which can help maintain your site’s reputation and prevent penalties.
2. Increased Brand Visibility
Nofollow links may not pass authority or influence SEO ranking on your site, but they still serve a valuable role in boosting brand visibility. When your website is linked to reputable platforms or blogs, you are reaching a broader audience that you otherwise would not have reached.
A nofollow link shared on a high-traffic social media account can expose your brand to a large audience and drive valuable referral traffic to your site.
3. Referral Traffic
When a reputable site includes a nofollow link to your page, it still acts as a bridge to your site for visitors when they click on the links. These users are often genuinely interested in your content or product, as they’ve been referred through a trusted source.
This traffic can be more engaged and likely to convert, coming from a place of authority or relevance. For example, if a well-known blog links to your website, even with a nofollow tag, the audience clicking through will likely explore your business, potentially increasing your sales or leads.
In addition, the referral traffic from nofollow links still contributes to important site metrics like time on page, bounce rate, and pages per visit.
4. Balanced Link Profile
Search engines like Google aim to detect organic linking patterns, and an entirely do follow link profile can appear suspicious. If a website only has dofollow links, it may look like the links were bought or manipulated, which could lower your ranking in search engines.
On the other hand, having a balance of nofollow links makes your link profile look more trustworthy and natural.
A diverse link profile shows that your brand is organically referenced across the web. Maintaining this balance helps prevent penalties and allows search engines to view your linking strategy as credible.
5. Social Proof And Credibility
Nofollow links from high-quality websites can have a significant impact on your brand’s credibility. Even though these links don’t directly contribute to SEO rankings, they tell users that reputable sources find your content valuable enough to link to. People are more likely to trust your brand when it is endorsed by someone trustworthy, whether a popular blog or a well-respected influencer.
For example, a popular online fitness coach mentions your brand in a blog post or a Facebook comment, linking to your site with a nofollow tag. While this doesn’t directly affect your search engine rankings, it does increase your brand’s exposure and builds trust among the coach’s followers.
6. Reduced Risk Of Penalties
Achieving top rank on Google’s SERP through SEO alone takes a lot of time and effort. Google’s guidelines are clear about the importance of transparency when it comes to links.
Paid or sponsored links, for example, should always be marked as nofollow to prevent search engines from seeing them as manipulative or artificially boosting rankings. Similarly, UGC such as comments and forum posts, often contains links that could be spammy or low-quality. By marking these links as nofollow, you prevent any negative impact on your site’s SEO.
7. Opportunities For Networking And Partnerships
When you collaborate with other businesses, bloggers, or influencers, nofollow links are often used to acknowledge the partnership without giving away ranking benefits. However, these collaborations can still open doors for future opportunities, such as guest posts, joint ventures, or content sharing.
For example, you might partner with an influencer to promote a product or service, and they link to your website with a nofollow tag. While the link may not immediately boost your SEO, the relationship might lead to other long-term benefits, such as joint marketing campaigns, media mentions, or even organic dofollow links down the line.
8. Indirect SEO Signals
When high-quality nofollow links generate significant referral traffic, they can trigger positive secondary effects, such as increased engagement, social shares, and mentions across the web. Search engines pick up these signals, interpreting them as indicators that your content is relevant and valuable to users.
For example, if a nofollow link from a popular site drives a large number of users to your site and they share your content on social media, it is seen as a positive signal to search engines. This activity can influence rankings indirectly by showing that your content is generating organic interest and engaging users.
9. Support For Social Sharing And Online Reach
Social media platforms and online communities typically use nofollow links to prevent spammy links. When people share your content, it increases awareness, drives traffic, and leads to new followers despite using nofollow links.
The more your content is shared across these platforms, the greater your brand exposure. This helps build a community around your business and extend your reach far beyond organic search results.
10. Content Validation And Trustworthiness
With internet scams being abundant, businesses and websites must present themselves as trustworthy. Nofollow links can also serve as a way to validate content and enhance your site’s trustworthiness.
For example, when you link to other reputable sources, you may not want to endorse the content thoroughly, but you still want to offer value to your readers. Using a nofollow link in this context makes it clear that you are providing information without vouching for the linked site’s credibility or SEO.
Similarly, if you are linking to an unverified source, a nofollow link helps ensure that search engines do not interpret the link as an endorsement. This allows your site to maintain its authority and trustworthiness by not passing SEO value on to potentially unreliable or low-quality sources.
Common Misconceptions About Nofollow Links
We mentioned the benefits, but what about the common misconceptions that deter people from using nofollow links?
Nofollow Links Are Useless For SEO
While they don’t pass authority, nofollow links can drive traffic, improve brand awareness, and contribute to a diverse link profile, all of which indirectly support SEO.
Nofollow Links Don’t Show Up In Search Engine Analysis
Search engines consider nofollow links part of the overall link profile, although they don’t pass ranking authority.
Nofollow Links Never Have Value In Link-Building
Nofollow links from reputable sources can bring credibility and drive quality traffic, making them valuable in link-building strategy.
Nofollow Links Can Be Ignored In Analytics
Like all traffic and data, monitoring nofollow links can reveal valuable insights into traffic sources and audience engagement. Ignoring them might result in missing potential growth opportunities.
When To Use Nofollow Links
Nofollow links are handy when you want to provide a link to another site without endorsing it for SEO purposes. Here are some scenarios to consider when implementing nofollow links.
1. Sponsored Or Paid Content
Use nofollow links to avoid search engine penalties for paid link schemes when you include links in advertisements, sponsorships, or paid promotions.
2. User-Generated Content (UGC)
Comments, forum posts, and user-submitted reviews often contain links you may not want to endorse. Some using nofollow links for UGC can prevent spammy or irrelevant links from passing authority, protecting your site’s credibility.
3. Affiliate Links
If you’re linking to affiliate products or services, nofollow links are highly recommended to signal that the link is part of a commercial relationship. This ensures transparency and aligns with best practices in SEO.
4. Untrusted Or Low-Quality Sites
When referencing a source you don’t fully trust or don’t meet quality standards, a nofollow link is a safe option. This lets you share the information without passing on any SEO authority or potentially affecting your site’s reputation.
5. Guest Posts On External Sites
If you’re writing guest posts for SEO purposes, many reputable sites will use nofollow links in the author bio or within the content. This helps the host site comply with search engine guidelines for guest posts.
6. Linking To Competitors
Sometimes, you may need to link to competitor sites for comparison or informational purposes, such as price and offers. Using nofollow for these links can be a good practice, as it avoids boosting competitors’ rankings directly while still providing valuable information for your readers.
7. Links In Press Releases And Media Outlets
Links within press releases or media outlet publications are often nofollow to avoid SEO manipulation. This ensures that Google views these links as purely informational.
8. Content You’re Not Fully Endorsing
If you’re linking to a relevant source but not necessarily something you endorse, a nofollow link helps clarify that you’re not vouching for the content while still providing a reference for your readers.
Conclusion On Nofollow Links
Nofollow links are a valuable tool in any link-building strategy. They contribute to brand awareness, generate referral traffic, and help build a diverse and balanced backlink profile while protecting sites from search engine penalties.
When used strategically, nofollow links can support broader SEO objectives, proving their value extends beyond spam prevention.
At Best SEO, we understand the importance of building a diverse, balanced, and effective SEO strategy that includes nofollow links. Our in-house SEO experts ensure your brand stands out among your peers and ranks first on Google’s first page within 90 days.
Contact us today for a free 30-minute strategy session!
Frequently Asked Questions About Nofollow Links
Is A Nofollow Link Still Considered A Backlink By Search Engines?
Yes. Nofollow links are still considered backlinks by search engines, but they don’t pass authority or impact SEO rankings.
What Is The Difference Between Dofollow And Nofollow Links?
Dofollow links pass SEO authority to the linked site, improving its rankings, while nofollow links don’t pass authority but still serve as backlinks.
Are Nofollow Links Useful For Building Brand Awareness?
Yes. Nofollow links help increase brand visibility by exposing your brand to new audiences, even though they don’t affect SEO rankings.
How Do Nofollow Links Help Maintain A Healthy Link Profile For SEO?
Nofollow links contribute to a natural and diverse link profile, which helps maintain a credible and balanced backlink strategy.
What Is The Potential Risk Of Not Using Nofollow Links For Paid Advertisements?
Not using nofollow links for paid advertisements can result in penalties for violating search engine guidelines regarding paid link manipulation.
Should I Mark All Sponsored Content Links As Nofollow For SEO Compliance?
Yes. All sponsored content links should be marked as nofollow to comply with SEO guidelines and avoid penalties.
