Glossary
What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is a link with rel="nofollow", which asks search engines not to associate the linking site with the target or pass ranking credit through it. Since 2020 Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a rule. Nofollow links still send visitors and can still help pages get discovered.
Why sites use nofollow
- Paid links and ads, though
sponsoredis now preferred. - User-generated content like comments and forum posts, though
ugcis preferred. - Links they don't vouch for, such as listings anyone can create.
- Spam deterrence: if links don't pass credit, spammers have less reason to post them.
Many large platforms nofollow all outbound links by default, including several big review sites and social networks.
The 2019 change
In September 2019 Google introduced sponsored and ugc, and said all three values would become hints. Since 1 March 2020, Google may use nofollow links for crawling and indexing, and may consider them in ranking. In practice, a nofollow link passes far less than a followed one, but it isn't worthless.
Value of nofollow links
| Benefit | Nofollow | Dofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Visitors | Yes | Yes |
| Discovery by search engines | Possibly | Yes |
| Ranking credit | Rarely | Yes |
| Brand exposure | Yes | Yes |
A nofollow listing on a site with real buyers is worth more than a dofollow link from a site nobody visits. G2 and Crunchbase are nofollow in our checks and still worth being on.
Directory numbers
Of 352 directories: 79 nofollow (22%), 214 dofollow, 19 mixed. Software review sites are the most likely to nofollow: only 54% of them gave a followed link.
Example
A founder's link from a big review site is nofollow. It sends 200 visitors a month, a dozen trials and two customers. The same month, a dofollow link from a small AI directory sends three visitors. Both have a place in a backlink profile, for different reasons.
FAQ
Do nofollow links help SEO?
A little, sometimes. Google treats nofollow as a hint and may use the link. They mainly help through visitors and exposure.
Should I nofollow links on my own site?
Nofollow paid links (or use sponsored) and links you don't vouch for. Don't nofollow your own internal links.
Is a nofollow link a bad backlink?
No. A natural backlink profile includes plenty of nofollow links.
What's the difference between nofollow and sponsored?
Sponsored marks paid links specifically. Nofollow is a general don't-vouch value. Both are hints to Google.
Should directory listings be nofollow?
Directories decide. Reviewed directories can follow links with confidence; open ones that publish anything usually nofollow to discourage spam.