Nofollow
A link attribute (rel="nofollow") that tells search engines not to pass ranking authority through the link.
Understanding Nofollow
The nofollow attribute (rel="nofollow") is an HTML value added to links to tell search engines not to pass PageRank (ranking authority) through that link. Google introduced nofollow in 2005 to combat comment spam. Since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a directive, meaning it may still consider nofollow links for crawling and indexing purposes. Related attributes include rel="sponsored" (for paid or sponsored links) and rel="ugc" (for user-generated content like comments and forum posts). While nofollow links don't directly pass authority, they can still drive referral traffic, brand awareness, and may indirectly contribute to SEO through increased visibility and natural link acquisition.
Keep learning
Backlink
A link from one website to another, serving as a vote of confidence that influences search engine rankings.
Link Building
The process of acquiring hyperlinks from other websites to your own, improving search engine authority and rankings.
Link Equity
The ranking authority that is passed from one page to another through hyperlinks, also known as link juice.
Track nofollow and more with Optic Rank
Get AI-powered SEO intelligence that puts glossary knowledge into actionable insights.