TLDR:
- Follow links: Standard links without nofollow, sponsored or ugc qualifications. They can pass ranking credit.
- Nofollow links: Links marked rel=”nofollow” when you don’t want to imply endorsement.
- Sponsored links: Links marked rel=”sponsored” for advertising or compensated placements.
- UGC links: Links marked rel=”ugc” in user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts.
Google treats these qualifying attributes as hints when assessing links for ranking , rather than absolute instructions. A nofollow link can still bring relevant visitors, even if it provides no ranking benefit.
These labels describe your relationship with the page you’re linking to. Most ordinary editorial links need no qualification. Paid placements, user-generated links and links you don’t want to endorse need more consideration.
What Is a Follow Link?
A follow link is a standard link without nofollow, sponsored or ugc qualifications. “Dofollow” is industry shorthand: you don’t need to add a special dofollow attribute.
A link can have other rel values, such as noopener, and still be followed. What matters is which values are present, rather than whether the link has a rel attribute at all.
For how links are named by direction, see our guide to the difference between internal links, backlinks and external links.
What Is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link has rel=”nofollow” added to its HTML. Google says to use it when you want to link to a page without implying any type of endorsement, including passing along ranking credit (Google Search Central blog, 2019). It also fits when other labels do not apply and you would rather Google did not associate your site with the linked page, or crawl it from your site (Google Search Central).
Does Google Ignore Nofollow Links?
Not necessarily. Google treats nofollow, sponsored and ugc as hints when assessing links for ranking. However, it says nofollow and ugc links generally continue to receive the same treatment as before and aren’t considered for ranking purposes.
Our practical approach is to assess a nofollow opportunity without relying on a ranking benefit. Its audience, referral potential and relevance may still make it worthwhile.
Nofollow also doesn’t guarantee that the destination page stays out of search: Google can discover it through other links or a sitemap. To prevent indexing, use noindex and allow Google to crawl the page so it can see that instruction.
You might be wondering why nofollow links exist. Well, they were initially introduced to tackle spam. Up until a few years ago, websites engaged in black hat SEO tactics, which involved link manipulation and buying backlinks with the aim of boosting website ranks.
For example, one of those tactics involved adding comments on other websites with your website’s URL as a way to build backlinks to your own website. With the nofollow attribute, you can simply mark any links like those as nofollow, putting you more in control of which websites you want to give authority to.
Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC: Which Label Do You Need?
The table below shows when to use each qualification and when a standard link is appropriate.
|
Label |
Use it for |
Example |
|
No qualifying link attribute |
Links you are happy to vouch for |
A source you trust, or a link to your own service page |
|
rel=”sponsored” |
Advertisements, sponsorships and other paid or compensated placements |
A paid placement in a publisher’s article |
|
rel=”ugc” |
Links in user-generated content |
A link in a blog comment or forum post |
|
rel=”nofollow” |
Links where the others do not apply and you would rather not be associated with the page |
A site you do not trust |
You can use more than one value on a link, for example rel=”ugc nofollow”.
Use sponsored for paid or compensated links. Google prefers this value, although nofollow remains acceptable. Use ugc for links in user-generated content, and nofollow when the other qualifications don’t fit and you don’t want to endorse the destination.
Top Tip: Before a link goes live, ask whether anyone paid for it or gave something for it, including free products or services sent in return for coverage. If so, it should be labelled sponsored (or nofollow). Google lists sending a product in exchange for a write-up with a link as an example of link buying for ranking purposes, so it is worth settling the label before the page is published, not after.
Do Nofollow Links Help SEO?
Do not count on a nofollow link to lift your rankings, for the reasons above. That does not make it worthless. Directory listings are a typical case: in Clutch’s ranking of UK search engine marketing agencies, the Visit Website link to our site is marked rel=”nofollow” (checked in October 2026). We would not expect it to help rankings, but it is still a route for someone comparing agencies to reach us.
Judge a link opportunity by who will see it and whether they are likely to click, and treat the label as a secondary question. For ways to earn links in the first place, see What Is Link Building?, and for how value passes through links, see What Is Link Juice in SEO?
How Can You Check Whether a Link Is Nofollow?
Right-click the link, choose Inspect, and find its <a> element. Check whether the rel attribute contains nofollow, sponsored or ugc. Other values, such as noopener, don’t make a link nofollow.
For example, <a href=”…” rel=”noopener”> is not a nofollow link, while <a href=”…” rel=”noopener nofollow”> is.
Follow and Nofollow Links: FAQs
Do I need to change my existing nofollow links to sponsored or ugc?
No. Google says there is no need to change nofollow links you already have, including ones flagging paid links, and that systems which add nofollow to new links can carry on. It recommends switching to sponsored if or when it is convenient.
Should internal links be nofollow or follow?
Most internal links should be standard links without a qualifying attribute. This allows Google to discover pages on your website and understand how they relate to one another. You generally shouldn’t use a nofollow on internal links to control how ranking signals flow around your website. If you want to prevent a page from appearing in search results, use an appropriate indexing directive instead.
How do nofollow links affect a backlink audit?
When auditing backlinks, record any nofollow, sponsored or ugc values, but don’t use them as your only measure of quality. Also consider the referring website’s relevance, the context of the link and its potential to reach useful audiences. A followed link isn’t automatically a good link.
How can I measure the value of a nofollow backlink?
In GA4, review recorded referral sessions from the publisher and the engagement and key events associated with those visits. This won’t necessarily capture every visit or distinguish between multiple links on the same website, so avoid treating it as a complete measure of the placement’s value.
How Wildcat Handles This
“We wouldn’t rule out a placement just because the link is nofollow. We look at whether the publication reaches the client’s audience and whether their contribution adds something useful. We wouldn’t promise a ranking uplift from that link, but relevant coverage can still be worth pursuing.”
Fiorela Imerai, Account Director
The publisher decides how an earned link is labelled. Our Digital PR team helps clients develop relevant stories and expert contributions, then pitches them to suitable publications.
Wildcat Digital Example: We recently helped a cyber security client secure coverage on the Sage website following a journalist enquiry. The client’s CEO and founder contributed expert commentary on how small businesses can protect themselves against cyber threats. The article includes a followed backlink to the client’s website, which we verified in the page’s HTML.
This is a good example of how relevant editorial coverage can deliver both expert visibility and a backlink. While the link attribute is worth checking, the value of the opportunity also comes from reaching a relevant audience and positioning the client as a knowledgeable voice on cyber security.
We’d still have gone for that coverage if the link was nofollow because it was a good opportunity to get the client in front of a relevant small business audience and build their credibility in the cybersecurity space, so the backlink was an added bonus.
If you’d like help assessing your backlink profile or deciding which link opportunities are worth pursuing, book a free 30-minute consultation through our contact page.
