OFF PAGE · SEO GLOSSARY
Nofollow Link
A nofollow link is a hyperlink with the rel="nofollow" attribute, which signals to search engines that the linking page does not want to pass PageRank to the target. Google treats nofollow as a hint (not a directive) — it may still crawl and occasionally index linked pages, but typically does not pass link equity through nofollow links.
Definition
The rel="nofollow" attribute was introduced by Google in 2005 to combat comment spam and other link schemes. In 2019, Google updated its treatment of nofollow: it became a "hint" rather than a directive, meaning Google may choose to follow nofollow links for crawling and indexing purposes, but generally does not pass PageRank through them. Simultaneously, Google introduced two additional link attributes: **rel="sponsored"** (for paid links, affiliate links, and any link that was acquired through payment or material consideration) and **rel="ugc"** (for user-generated content links in forum posts, blog comments, and similar). The full current link attribute taxonomy: (1) **rel="nofollow"** — general purpose; use when you don\'t want to vouch for the target but the link doesn\'t fit the sponsored or ugc categories (e.g., links in press releases, links to external sources you don\'t fully endorse). (2) **rel="sponsored"** — required for all paid links; Google\'s policy requires this for affiliate links, paid placements, and advertorial content. (3) **rel="ugc"** — recommended for links in user-generated content where you can\'t control the link target. (4) **No attribute (follow)** — editorial endorsement; the linking site vouches for the target. **Nofollow links still have value**: even though nofollow links don\'t pass PageRank, they can still drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and create anchor text patterns that provide topical context signals. A nofollow link from a high-traffic relevant site may drive more business value than a follow link from an obscure low-traffic domain.
Why it matters for SEO
Understanding nofollow vs follow is essential for accurate link profile analysis and for ensuring outbound link compliance with Google\'s policies. Sites that don\'t add rel="sponsored" to affiliate links or paid placements are violating Google\'s link spam policies — which can result in Manual Actions. Sites that add rel="nofollow" to all outbound links (a common misguided practice) may be inadvertently reducing the SEO value they provide to legitimate resources they genuinely endorse.
How DeepSEOAnalysis checks this
The audit checks outbound link attributes on all crawled pages: identifies affiliate links and paid placements that should have rel="sponsored"; identifies user-generated content areas where rel="ugc" is appropriate; flags links that are marked nofollow where editorial endorsement would be appropriate (e.g., internal links with rel="nofollow" — never appropriate for internal linking); and summarises the follow/nofollow distribution of outbound links. For inbound nofollow link analysis, use a dedicated backlink tool.
Useful tools and resources
GLOSSARY
Related terms
off page
Follow Link
A follow link (also called a dofollow link) is a hyperlink that does not have a rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" attribute — meaning it passes PageRank (link equity) from the linking page to the target page. Follow links from authoritative, relevant sites are the primary currency of off-page SEO.
Read definition →links
Backlink
A link from an external website to a page on your site — the primary off-page ranking signal in Google\'s algorithm.
Read definition →off page
Link Spam
Link spam is the practice of creating unnatural, manipulative, or low-quality backlinks to a website with the goal of artificially inflating its PageRank and search rankings. Google\'s SpamBrain system and Penguin algorithm (now integrated into the core ranking system) are designed to detect and neutralise link spam.
Read definition →links
PageRank
Google\'s original algorithm that scores pages by the quantity and quality of links pointing to them — still a core (now internal) ranking factor.
Read definition →off page
Anchor Ratio
Anchor ratio is the distribution of anchor text types (exact match, partial match, branded, naked URL, generic) across a site\'s backlink profile. An unnatural anchor ratio — particularly over-concentration of exact-match keyword anchors — is a signal of manipulative link building and a risk factor for Google Penguin penalties.
Read definition →See how your site scores on Nofollow Link.
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