Nofollow

When you link to another page from a website, you can give that link an extra attribute: rel="nofollow". This tells search engines that you don't want to endorse the linked page or pass trust on to it. The link still works normally for visitors, but you indicate that it shouldn't count as a vote for that page.

The attribute was originally introduced to combat spam in comment sections and guestbooks. People who mass-posted links there to rank higher no longer got anything out of it. Since then, it has been a standard part of how links work on the web.

From rule to hint

Since 2019, Google has treated nofollow as a hint rather than a strict instruction. That means Google can decide for itself whether a nofollow link is still used to discover or assess pages. At the same time, two new, more specific values were introduced:

• rel="sponsored" for paid links, ads and partnerships you are paid for;
• rel="ugc" for links in user-generated content, such as comments or forum posts;
• rel="nofollow" remains available for other cases where you don't want to vouch for a link.

When do you use nofollow?

You don't need to make every external link nofollow. Linking to a reliable source that helps your reader is actually useful. Do use the attribute in these situations:

1. You place a paid mention or affiliate link. Google asks for such links to be marked, preferably with sponsored.
2. Visitors can post links themselves in comments or a forum.
3. You link to a page you can't or don't want to vouch for.

An example: a bike shop in Bristol writes a blog post about the best rain jackets for cyclists and earns a commission on a few product links. Those links should get rel="sponsored". The link to an article from a cycling charity about safe cycle routes can simply stay a normal link.

The same applies to a partnership with an influencer or a paid article on a regional news site. In that case, check whether the link will be marked as sponsored. That is not only in line with Google's guidelines, it is also honest towards the reader, who then knows there is a commercial arrangement behind it.

Nofollow and your own link profile

Nofollow is relevant on the receiving end too. If you do link building, you sometimes get links that are nofollow, for example from a mention in a news article or on social media. They may pass on less direct weight than a regular backlink, but they can bring in visitors and brand awareness. A natural link profile always contains a mix of both, by the way.

Don't use nofollow for your own internal links. If you want to keep a page out of the search results, noindex is the right tool for that.

What about AI search engines?

How AI systems such as ChatGPT or Perplexity handle nofollow is not publicly documented. What is clear is that mentions of your business on authoritative websites can contribute to how often and how your brand appears in AI answers, even if the link itself is nofollow.

You'll find more practical explanations about links and visibility in the articles on our blog.