In a website SEO strategy, the rel="nofollow" tag plays a crucial role in controlling the distribution of SEO value across links. So, what is Nofollow and how can you use this tag effectively? This article by Markdao will explain it in detail, discuss its impact on SEO, and guide you on how to apply the tag to links on your website to help optimize your SEO performance.
What is a Nofollow tag?
Definition
The Nofollow tag is a way to instruct search engines not to pass SEO value from your website to a destination page via a link. This can be useful for links you do not want search engines to count toward the destination page's ranking, such as paid advertisements or links from untrusted sources.
This is an HTML attribute used in links to instruct search engines not to pass SEO value (PageRank) from the current page to the linked page. In other words, when a link has a Nofollowtag, search engines like Google will not "follow" that link to evaluate or influence the ranking of the destination page.
Distinguishing between Nofollow and Dofollow
Dofollow: By default, links on a website that do not have a Nofollow will be considered Dofollow. When a link is Dofollow, search engines will follow that link and pass SEO value (PageRank) from the source page to the destination page.
Nofollow: Conversely, links with this tag will not pass SEO value to the destination page. This means search engines will not follow the link, helping you control the distribution of your website's SEO authority.
Why did search engines create the Nofollow tag?
The Nofollow tag was created by Google and other search engines to help manage links on the internet and prevent "spam" or link abuse. The main reasons for using the tag are:
- Preventing Spam: Links from unmoderated comments, forums, or guest posts can be abused to artificially inflate PageRank. The Nofollow tag helps prevent this.
- Advertising and Sponsorships: Advertising links or sponsored links should not pass SEO value, and this tag ensures that these links do not influence search rankings.
- Controlling link quality: Websites may not want to share SEO value with sites they do not endorse or over whose content quality they have no control.
What is the difference between Nofollow and Noindex?
Although both Nofollow and Noindex are both SEO attributes, but they serve different purposes:
- Nofollow: As explained, this tag instructs search engines not to follow a link and not to pass SEO value from the source page to the destination page. However, this tag does not affect whether search engines index the page.
- Noindex: The Noindex tag requests that search engines do not index the page, meaning it will not appear in search results. Regardless of whether the page has links or not, search engines will not include it in search results if the Noindextag is used.
In summary:
- Nofollow is for controlling links that do not pass SEO value.
- Noindex is for requesting that search engines do not index a page.
Both of these tags are useful tools for controlling your website's presence on search engines and managing your SEO effectively.
How the Nofollow tag affects SEO
Tags can impact SEO in various ways, both directly and indirectly. Although they do not pass SEO value like a Dofollowtag, they still play a significant role in website optimization and protection against negative impacts. Here is how these tags affect SEO:
1. Preventing the unintended passing of SEO value (PageRank)
When you use a Nofollow tag for a link, you are instructing search engines not to pass PageRank from the current page to the destination page. This can be beneficial in cases such as:
- Advertising or sponsored links: Paid or sponsored links should not pass SEO value, as they could lead to violations of Google's guidelines regarding paid links and "spam." The Nofollow tag helps prevent this.
- Links from untrusted sources: If you link to websites that are not reputable or are outside your control, using this tag helps avoid passing SEO value to those pages.
2. Protecting your website from Black-Hat SEO techniques
The Nofollow tag helps protect your website from being exploited by unethical SEO strategies. If links on your site lead to pages employing black-hat SEO or fraudulent practices, the tag will not pass SEO value, helping to protect your website from Google penalties.
3. Enhanced control over content and links
Using the Nofollow tag helps web administrators control the distribution of SEO value between websites:
- Links from user comments: Links in comments or forums can often be abused to create unnatural backlinks. The tag helps ensure that these links do not affect your SEO rankings.
- Links from untrusted external sources: When linking to unreliable websites, using the Nofollow tag helps prevent the passing of SEO value to these pages.
4. No impact on the destination page's ranking
It is important to note that Nofollow does not directly affect the ranking of the destination page in search results. However, if a page has many quality Dofollow links, it will be more easily recognized and ranked higher by search engines. Conversely, if that page receives many links, there will be no transfer of SEO authority, and therefore, no direct impact on the destination page's ranking.
5. Minimizing "link juice" risks
Link juice is a term referring to the SEO value that a link can pass from one page to another. If you are linking to an undesirable or untrustworthy website, using the Nofollow tag helps you minimize the passing of unwanted link juice , helping to maintain your site's SEO performance.
6. Create a natural and high-quality link-building strategy
Although the Nofollow tag does not pass SEO value, using it appropriately can help you create a more natural link-building strategy:
- Reduce link spam: By applying the tag to untrustworthy links, you prevent search engines from considering irrelevant or low-quality links as part of your SEO strategy.
- Create balance: Using the Nofollow tag in combination with Dofollow links will help you maintain a natural link profile and improve overall SEO performance.
7. Impact on website crawlability
Although the Nofollow does not directly affect the indexing of the destination page, but using the tag correctly can help search engines focus on more important links on your website. This can help improve the indexing and ranking of your more important pages.
How to add the rel="nofollow" tag to links on your website
Using the rel="nofollow" tag for links on your website is very simple, and you can do it via HTML. Below is a detailed guide on how to add the rel="nofollow" tag to your links:
1. How to add the tag to a link in HTML
To add the rel="nofollow" tag to a link, you need to edit the HTML code of that link. Below is the basic syntax for inserting the tag into a link:
<a href="https://www.example.com" rel="nofollow">Link Text</a>
- href: The attribute containing the URL of the destination page you want to link to.
- rel="nofollow": This attribute instructs search engines not to follow the link and not to pass SEO value from the source page to the destination page.
Example: If you want to add the tag to an external link (such as a link to another website), you would do the following:
<a href="https://www.example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Example</a>
2. Adding Nofollow tags to links in WordPress
If you are using WordPress, adding a Nofollow tag to a link can be done easily through the post or page editor. Follow these steps:
- Step 1: In the post or page editor, select the link you want to add the tag to.
- Step 2: Click the link icon (chain link) on the toolbar.
- Step 3: In the pop-up window, click "Advanced".
- Step 4: Check the box for "Open in new tab" and add the rel="nofollow" attribute in the link customization section.
Some WordPress plugins like Yoast SEO or All in One SEO Pack also allow you to easily add tags to links while editing your posts or pages.
3. Adding Nofollow tags to user comment links
User comments are a common place to encounter unwanted links. To prevent these links from affecting your website's SEO, you can use the rel="nofollow" attribute for all links in the comments section.
- WordPress automatically adds the Nofollow attribute to links in the comments section.
- However, if you want to change or add them manually, you can adjust the code in your comments.php file or use plugins to automatically add rel="nofollow" to comment links.
4. Add attributes to advertising or sponsored links
When using advertising or sponsored links on your website, applying the Nofollow attribute is crucial for complying with Google's SEO guidelines.
For example, if you are running a paid ad from a partner and want to add the Nofollow attribute to that link, you can do the following:
<a href="https://www.advertiser.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sponsored Link</a>
This ensures that Google does not treat this as a natural link and does not pass SEO value to the destination page.
5. Add attributes for links in menus or footers
For links in your menu, footer, or other navigation areas on your website, you may want to add the rel="nofollow" tag to prevent unnecessary or untrusted links from affecting your website's SEO.
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.example.com/about" rel="nofollow">About Us</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.example.com/contact" rel="nofollow">Contact</a></li>
</ul>
6. How to automatically add the tag to all external links
If you want to add the Nofollow tag automatically to all external links on your site, you can use JavaScript or plugins (such as External Links Plugin for WordPress). Below is an example of how to use JavaScript to add the tag to all external website links:
document.querySelectorAll('a[href^="http"]').forEach(function(link) {
if (link.hostname !== window.location.hostname) {
link.setAttribute('rel', 'nofollow');
}
});
This code snippet will automatically add the rel="nofollow" for all external links (links pointing outside your site).
When to use and when not to use the Nofollow tag
When to use the tag
1. Advertising and sponsored links: Ensure compliance with Google's guidelines on paid advertising.
2. Links from user comments or forums: Prevent untrusted links from affecting your SEO.
3. Links to insecure pages: Protect your website from passing SEO value to untrustworthy pages.
4. Affiliate links: Prevent Google from evaluating links as part of an unnatural SEO strategy.
5. Links unrelated to the main content: Optimize SEO when a link does not provide value to the page.
When not to use the tag
1. Natural and high-quality links: Ensure SEO value is passed to quality links.
2. Links that help SEO (Backlinks): Do not prevent the passing of SEO value to quality backlinks.
3. Links within the website's main content: Help important pages improve their SEO.
4. Internal links: Supports website structure and SEO optimization.
Conclusion
The rel="nofollow" tag is a powerful SEO tool that helps you control the flow of SEO value between links. Using this tag correctly helps protect your website from untrusted links, prevents spam, and ensures compliance with Google's guidelines. However, you should carefully consider when to use it and when to avoid it, especially for high-quality links that provide SEO value. By using this tag strategically, you can optimize your SEO efforts and improve your website's performance sustainably.
