How and When to Use Nofollow Links to Boost Your SEO Strategy

One important tool in a marketer’s arsenal is the “no follow” attribute, which signals to search engines how to treat specific links on a web page. This article explores what no follow links are, their importance, and when it is appropriate to use them.

What is a No follow Link?

A no follow link is an HTML attribute that can be added to a hyperlink to instruct search engines not to pass on any link equity (also known as “link juice”) to the linked page. This attribute is denoted as `rel=”nofollow”` in the link’s HTML code. By using no follow, webmasters can indicate to search engines that they do not endorse or want to influence the linked content’s ranking in search results.

The Evolution of No follow

Introduced by Google in 2005, the no follow tag was originally aimed at combating spam in blog comments. As webmasters faced increasing issues with comment spam, no follow provided a way to link to external content without passing on the authority of their own site. Over time, its application has evolved, and now no follow can serve multiple purposes beyond simply managing spam.

Why and when you should use no follow links?

1)Preventing Spam: One of the primary reasons to use no follow links is to prevent spammy comments or content from affecting your site’s SEO. By applying no follow to user-generated content, such as comments or forum posts, you can avoid inadvertently boosting the rankings of low-quality sites.

2) Controlling Link Equity: Nofollow links allow webmasters to manage how link equity flows within their site. For instance, if you link to a less authoritative site but don’t want to pass on any of your own site’s authority, using a no follow link is appropriate.

3) Affiliate Links and Advertisements: Many affiliate marketers use no follow for affiliate links to comply with Google’s guidelines. Since these links can be considered paid placements, applying no follow helps clarify that the links are not purely editorial endorsements.

4) User-Generated Content: If your website allows users to submit content (such as forums, reviews, or comment sections), applying no follow to those links helps maintain the quality of your site’s link profile.

5) Linking to Low-Quality or Unreliable Sources: If you find yourself needing to link to a site that is questionable or low in quality, using no follow protects your site’s reputation and ensures that you are not inadvertently endorsing that site.

6) Internal Linking Strategy: In some cases, webmasters may choose to use no follow on internal links to control the flow of link equity more precisely. This strategy can be useful when managing large sites with numerous pages and varying degrees of authority.

7) Content Behind Paywalls

a) Premium Content Links:
For sites that offer premium content or services behind paywalls, any links leading to this content should generally be marked as no follow. Since these links often do not provide direct access to the content for search engines, applying no follow helps ensure that your site’s SEO is not adversely affected.

b) Membership Sites:
If you run a membership site where content is gated, links to these restricted areas should also utilize the no follow attribute. This approach keeps search engines from crawling pages that are not intended for public access while maintaining the quality of your site’s indexed content.Adding the No follow Attribute.

How to use no follow link?

To create a no follow link, include the rel=”nofollow” attribute in the HTML of the hyperlink. Here’s the basic format:

<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Link Text</a>