Nofollow is a link attribute (rel=”nofollow”) is the term that is used to signal search engine crawlers not to follow a particular link or transfer any link equity or SEO value (like PageRank) to the linked page. Therefore, nofollow links do not affect the search engine rankings of the target URL.
No Follow was introduced by Google in 2005 to combat link spam. The nofollow attribute is joined by other attributes, such as rel=” sponsored” and rel=UGCc” for sponsored and user-generated content, respectively.
Example of Nofollow in HTML
HTML CopyEdit
<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”nofollow”>example</a>
Importance of Nofollow for SEO
While nofollow links don’t directly influence rankings, they still play a role in maintaining a natural link profile. Black-hat SEOs may attempt to create nofollow links to manipulative link-building practices. Additionally, using nofollow on paid links (e.g., sponsored posts, affiliate links) helps protect your website from penalties related to Google’s link schemes.
How to Find Nofollow Links
- To find nofollow links to your website, Use tools and apply the “Nofollow” filter in the Backlinks report.
- To find nofollow links on your website, Use an SEO crawler Webmaster Tools to check your site for followed outgoing links.
It’s important to avoid following internal links that should help your pages rank in Google’s search results.
