nofollow
Definition: nofollow is a rel attribute value that marks a link as one the site does not vouch for; since 2020 Google treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints rather than strict instructions for ranking and crawling.
Also called: rel=nofollow, rel=sponsored, rel=ugc
Updated
The three link attributes
Google says you should qualify outbound links with one of three rel values when the link is not an editorial endorsement (Qualify your outbound links):
| Value | Use it for |
|---|---|
sponsored |
Paid links: ads, sponsorships, affiliate links, paid placements |
ugc |
User-generated content: comments, forum posts, reviews |
nofollow |
Other links you do not want to vouch for, or when the others do not fit |
<a href="https://partner.example" rel="sponsored">Our hosting partner</a>Values can be combined, for example rel="ugc nofollow".
A hint, not a block
Google introduced sponsored and ugc in 2019 and at the same time changed how it treats all three: they are hints that Google may take into account when ranking, and since March 2020 also for crawling and indexing. In practice that means a nofollow link can still lead Google to discover a URL. If you need a page kept out of results, use noindex; nofollow will not do it.
When it is required
Paid links must be marked sponsored or nofollow. Google says buying or selling links that pass ranking credit is link spam (spam policies). The same applies to links in sponsored posts and to links given in exchange for free products.
Nofollow links in your own profile
Our view: do not dismiss nofollow backlinks. A link from a major publication or an active forum thread still sends visitors, builds brand mentions and can lead to followed links from people who discover you there. A natural profile always contains a mix. The backlink checker separates followed and nofollow links so you can see the balance.