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Glossary · Links & authority

nofollow link

Also called rel="nofollow"; see dofollow, sponsored, UGC

Reviewed 31 Oct 2026 By Madiha Fatima 4 min read Check it yourself: yes, free

4 min
Definition

A nofollow link is a link carrying an attribute that tells search engines not to treat it as an endorsement of the page it points to. Visitors can still click it. Search engines are simply asked not to pass ranking credit through it. Its opposite, a followed or dofollow link, does pass that credit.

Google now treats nofollow as a hint rather than a rule, and it added two cousins: sponsored for paid links and UGC for links in comments and forums. A nofollow link from a busy page can still send you customers. It just will not do much for your rankings.

Short version: a link visitors can click but Google is told not to count.
Why it matters for your business

The link that looks like a vote
and is not one.

Most of the links a small business picks up by default are nofollow: social profiles, most directories, comment sections, press release sites, many paid placements. They are not useless. A nofollow link from a page people actually read brings visitors, and visitors who then search for you by name are a real signal. But if a report counts them as backlinks earned, it is counting mentions, not votes.

This is where link sellers earn their margin. A "guest post" or link insertion delivered with a nofollow or sponsored tag has done what Google asks of a paid link, and has done almost nothing for your rankings. Some sellers switch links to nofollow a few months after the invoice is paid. If you are paying for links at all, you should know what you are getting, and it is usually this.

The reverse matters on your own site. Links you add to suppliers, partners or anyone who paid you should carry sponsored or nofollow, so that Google never reads your site as selling links. A followed link out to a dubious site can cost you more than a nofollow link in ever gained.

Example

A Shopify store with three mentions,
one of which counts.

What the store owner sees

A Shopify homeware store is mentioned on three outside pages in one month: a local lifestyle blog that reviewed the shop, a sponsored post the store paid an influencer for and a comment the owner left on a design forum with a link back.

blog.example/best-homeware-shops followed influencer.example/my-fav-finds rel="sponsored" forum.example/thread/sofa-advice rel="ugc nofollow"
What Google sees

One vote and two mentions. The blog review is a followed link from a relevant site, and it passes credit to the store. The influencer post is correctly marked sponsored, so it may send shoppers but is not counted as an endorsement. The forum comment is tagged by the forum itself. All three can bring customers. Only one moves the store up for "homeware shop" searches.

Try it
  • /collections/sofas
  • blog.example/best-homeware-shops
  • influencer.example/my-fav-finds
  • forum.example/thread/sofa-advice

Three outside pages link to the sofas collection with ordinary followed links. Google counts each as a recommendation and the page gains ranking credit.

How to check it on your site

Four checks, all in your browser.

Tick each one as you go. 0 of 4 checked on your site.

  1. Inspect a link that points to you

    Open a page that links to your site, right-click the link and choose Inspect. Look at the <a> tag. If it contains rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc", that link is a mention, not a vote. No rel value, or rel="noopener" alone, means it is followed.

  2. Sort your backlinks by type

    Ahrefs' free backlink checker marks each link as follow or nofollow. Paste your site in. If nearly everything is nofollow, your profile is all directories and social, and no amount of it will lift rankings. A mix with a core of followed links from relevant sites is what you want.

  3. Check the links you paid for

    If you have ever bought a guest post, a listing or a placement, open it and inspect the link. Nofollow or sponsored is correct behaviour by the seller, and it also means the link was never going to move rankings. Followed means you hold a paid link that breaks Google's rules. Neither is a great outcome, which is the point.

  4. Check your own outbound links

    View the source of a page where you link to a sponsor, a partner or an affiliate and search for rel=. Paid and affiliate links should carry sponsored. If your site sells or trades links and marks none of them, that is a risk to fix before it becomes a penalty.

Related terms

Usually in the same sentence.

Read next

Where this shows up in practice.

Pricing & transparency The fees agencies hide

Paid links sold as "outreach" are a classic. What the invoice should say instead.

 AI search How to get recommended by ChatGPT

Mentions without links still count in AI answers. Where nofollow mentions earn their keep.

 Service SEO & AI search

Link work in the monthly service is editorial and followed, and every link is listed.
Related service

Checking what kind of links you have, and which were sold to you as more than they are, is part of the link audit in the SEO service. Prices are on the price list, not on a call.

See the SEO service
Reviewed by Madiha Fatima, founder of 99creatix

Every entry in this glossary is written and checked by the person who runs the agency, reviewed at least once a quarter and dated. Last reviewed 31 October 2026.

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