Definition
The nofollow attribute (rel="nofollow") is an HTML directive added to hyperlinks to signal to search engines that they should not follow the link or attribute ranking value to it. Introduced in 2005 by Google to combat comment spam, this attribute is now used in many contexts: sponsored links, user comments, forum links, and social network profiles. Since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive, meaning it may choose to follow or not follow these links. Two complementary attributes were introduced: rel="sponsored" for paid links and rel="ugc" for user-generated content.
Key Points
- Since 2019, Google considers nofollow as a hint, not an absolute directive
- Nofollow links theoretically do not pass SEO juice but provide direct referral traffic
- Google recommends rel="sponsored" for paid links and rel="ugc" for user-generated content
Practical Examples
Blog comment
Most content management systems (WordPress, etc.) automatically add the rel="nofollow" attribute to links placed in comments to prevent link spam.
Sponsored link
A sponsored article contains a link to the advertiser with the rel="sponsored nofollow" attribute to comply with Google's guidelines regarding paid links.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, nofollow links are not useless. Even though they do not directly pass SEO juice, they generate referral traffic, contribute to brand awareness, and participate in a natural link profile. Additionally, since 2019, Google may choose to take certain nofollow links into account for crawling and indexation.
Use nofollow for links whose quality you cannot guarantee (user comments), paid or sponsored links (prefer rel="sponsored"), links to pages you do not wish to endorse, and widgets or embeds containing links.
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Last updated: 2026-02-07