Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC Links
Link attributes are values added to the rel attribute of a link to tell search engines about the relationship between your page and the page you link to. The three main ones are rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored” and rel=”ugc”. They help search engines decide whether a link should pass ranking value.
The three link attributes
- rel=”sponsored”: for links that are paid for, including adverts, sponsorships, affiliate links and links in exchange for free products.
- rel=”ugc”: for links in user-generated content, such as blog comments, forum posts and community answers.
- rel=”nofollow”: for any other link you do not want to vouch for or associate with your site. It was the original attribute, introduced in 2005 to fight comment spam.
You can combine them, for example rel=”ugc nofollow”.
How Google treats these attributes
Since 2020, Google treats all three as hints rather than strict directives. It may still use the link for discovery, or consider it as a signal in some cases, but generally such links pass little or no ranking value. Normal links without these attributes are often called “followed” or “dofollow” links, although “dofollow” is not a real attribute.
When you must use them
- Paid links: Google’s spam policies require paid links to be marked as sponsored or nofollow. Paid links that pass ranking value can lead to manual actions for both the buyer and the seller.
- Affiliate links: mark them as sponsored.
- Sponsored posts and advertorials: all commercial links should be marked.
- Links in comments and forums: use ugc, and many platforms do this automatically.
When not to use them
Do not add nofollow to normal editorial links to good resources, or to your own internal links. Nofollowing internal links does not “save” link value; it just stops value flowing to your own pages. Link naturally to helpful sources; it is part of good content and supports trust.
Are nofollow backlinks worthless?
No. Even though they pass little ranking value, nofollow and sponsored links can:
- Send referral traffic and leads.
- Build brand awareness and branded searches.
- Lead to further, followed links when others discover your content.
- Contribute to a natural-looking link profile; real sites receive a mix of followed and nofollowed links.
Many high-profile publications nofollow most outbound links, yet coverage in them is still valuable for reputation and E-E-A-T.
Checking link attributes
Use your browser’s inspect tool on a link, or an SEO crawler, to see its rel values. Backlink tools also report the attributes of links pointing to your site. If you sell advertising or publish sponsored content, audit your outbound links regularly to make sure commercial links are marked correctly.
Other link-related attributes
- target=”_blank” opens a link in a new tab; it has no SEO effect.
- rel=”noopener” and rel=”noreferrer” are security and privacy attributes. Noreferrer hides the referral source in analytics but does not affect ranking value.
Further reading: Google on qualifying outbound links.
Key Takeaways
- Use rel=”sponsored” for paid links and rel=”ugc” for user content.
- Use rel=”nofollow” for other links you do not want to vouch for.
- Google treats these attributes as hints.
- Never nofollow your own internal links.
- Nofollow backlinks can still bring traffic and awareness.
Related Terms
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