Do Nofollow Links Help SEO? The Honest Answer

Yes, nofollow links help your SEO, just not in the way most people think. They will not hand you a direct ranking boost the way a followed link can. But they bring real value through traffic, visibility and a healthier link profile.

Many marketers filter out nofollow links completely. That is a mistake, and it usually comes from misunderstanding one word in Google’s documentation. Below, you will learn what these links actually do, how Google handles them today, and when they truly matter for your site. If you are new to the topic, our plain-English guide to what SEO optimization is is a good place to start.

What Are Nofollow Links?

A nofollow link is a link that carries a rel=”nofollow” attribute in its HTML. The attribute tells search engines that the linking site is not vouching for the page it links to and does not want to pass ranking credit. In code it looks like this:

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

Note the spelling: it is one word, nofollow, with no hyphen. rel=”no-follow” is not a recognised value and search engines will treat a link marked that way as an ordinary followed link.

Nofollow links show up in a lot of places. Common examples include:

• Blog comments
• Social media posts (most platforms nofollow outbound links by default)
• Wikipedia and many large reference sites
• Sponsored content, ads and affiliate links
• Press releases
• Forum posts and signatures

By contrast, a followed link (often called a “dofollow” link, although there is no such attribute) passes ranking credit, or “link equity”, from one page to another. This is the type of link most SEO campaigns chase, and it is why people still ask whether backlinks are still worth it.

Do Nofollow Links Help SEO?

Nofollow links help SEO indirectly, not directly. They do not pass link equity in the normal way, so on their own they will not lift your rankings.

But SEO is not only about link equity. It is about people finding, trusting and visiting your site, and about Google seeing a site that real people talk about.

A nofollow link from a popular news site can send hundreds of visitors your way. Some of those visitors will share your content or link to it from their own sites, this time with a followed link. That second-order effect is where much of the value sits.

So the value is real. It just works one step removed from your rankings.

How Google Treats Nofollow Links Today

Google introduced nofollow in 2005 to fight comment spam. For 14 years it was a directive: a nofollow link was simply not counted.

On 10 September 2019, Google announced a change. All of its link attributes are now treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search, rather than as commands. Google said it made the change because links carry useful information, such as how the words in a link describe the page it points to, and because seeing all links helps it spot unnatural linking patterns.

Two dates matter:

• 10 September 2019: nofollow became a hint for ranking purposes.
• 1 March 2020: nofollow also became a hint for crawling and indexing purposes.

Google also introduced two newer attributes at the same time:

• rel=”sponsored” for links created as part of advertising, sponsorship or other paid arrangements
• rel=”ugc” for links in user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts

You can still use plain rel=”nofollow” on its own, you can combine values (for example rel=”nofollow sponsored”), and you do not need to update old nofollow links. Google understands all three.

One caveat is important, and most articles leave it out. Google also said that in most cases the move to a hint model would not change how it treats these links, and that it would generally continue to treat them as it did before and not consider them for ranking. So the honest takeaway is this: a nofollow link is no longer a guaranteed dead end for SEO, but you should not expect it to behave like a followed link either.

The Indirect SEO Benefits of Nofollow Links

Nofollow links do plenty of heavy lifting behind the scenes. Here is where they add value.

They Drive Referral Traffic

A link on a high-traffic site brings visitors regardless of the nofollow tag. More visitors can mean more leads, sales and engagement, and engaged visitors are the raw material of every other SEO win. If you want that traffic to convert, pair link building with the fundamentals in our guide on how to improve SEO for a small website.

They Build Brand Awareness

Every time someone sees your name on a trusted site, your brand grows a little stronger. Familiarity builds trust, and trust drives branded searches and clicks, both of which Google can observe.

They Make Your Link Profile Look Natural

Most large platforms (social networks, forums, Wikipedia, major news sites) mark outbound links nofollow by default. That means any site real people talk about will naturally accumulate a mix of followed and nofollow links. Google has not said that an all-followed profile is penalised, so do not chase a specific ratio. But a profile made up entirely of followed links from guest posts and directories is the pattern link schemes produce, and Google’s systems are built to recognise patterns.

They Can Lead to Followed Links

One nofollow mention can spark others. A blogger sees your content on a big site, then links to it from their own, sometimes with a followed link. Journalists, researchers and industry newsletters find sources the same way.

When Do Nofollow Links Actually Matter?

Nofollow links matter most when they come from the right places. Focus your energy where it counts.

Prioritise nofollow links from high-authority, high-traffic, relevant sites. A nofollow link from a major publication in your industry beats a followed link from a spammy blog every time.

Here is when nofollow links are worth pursuing:

• On big media and industry sites where the referral traffic is strong
• In active communities such as Reddit or niche forums, where you genuinely participate
• On social platforms where content can travel
• In guest posts and interviews that build your reputation, even without followed links
• On Wikipedia and reference sites, where a citation signals that your content is a credible source

Skip nofollow links from low-quality directories, link farms and comment spam. They add clutter, not value, and if they are paid or automated they can attract a manual action.

Choose relevance and reach over the link attribute alone. A link that sends real people to your site always wins. That is also why link building works best alongside solid keyword research and content people actually want to reference; our content marketing tips cover how to create it.

The Bottom Line on Nofollow Links and SEO

Nofollow links will not skyrocket your rankings overnight. But writing them off is a costly mistake.

They drive traffic, build your brand and keep your link profile looking the way real profiles look. Since 2019, Google may even use them as hints, although it says most will still be treated as before.

Your next step is simple. Stop filtering out link opportunities just because they are nofollow. Focus on links from trusted, relevant sites, followed or not, and measure them by the traffic and mentions they produce, not by the attribute.

If you would rather have a team handle link building as part of a wider strategy, see what our SEO and marketing services for brands and businesses include, or book a free consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do nofollow links pass link equity?

Not in the normal way. Nofollow links do not pass direct link equity or “link juice”. Since September 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint and may use some nofollow links for its own understanding, but you should not expect a nofollow link to pass ranking credit. Their reliable value comes from referral traffic, brand exposure and a natural-looking backlink profile.

Are nofollow links bad for SEO?

No. Nofollow links are not bad for SEO. They are a normal part of any real backlink profile, because most major platforms nofollow outbound links by default, and they can drive valuable traffic. The only nofollow links to avoid are the same ones you would avoid anyway: spammy, irrelevant or automated placements.

How do I know if a link is nofollow?

Right-click the link, choose “Inspect”, and look for rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored” or rel=”ugc” in the anchor tag. Free browser extensions can also highlight nofollow links on any page automatically, and backlink tools report the attribute for every link they find.

Should I buy nofollow links?

Paying for a placement is allowed under Google’s spam policies as long as the link is marked rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”, because it then does not pass ranking credit. What violates the policies is buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, or disguising paid links as editorial ones. Judge a paid, properly labelled placement on the traffic and exposure it delivers, not on any ranking effect.

How many nofollow links should my site have?

There is no target number or ratio. A natural profile has a mix of followed and nofollow links, and that mix happens on its own when real people and sites link to your content. Do not remove or disavow nofollow links to “fix” a ratio.

What is the difference between nofollow, sponsored and ugc?

All three tell Google not to treat the link as a first-party endorsement. sponsored is for paid or compensated links, ugc is for links in user-generated content such as comments, and nofollow is the general-purpose value for any link you do not want to vouch for. Google treats all three as hints and accepts them alone or combined.