Nofollow Link: The Bloggers Guide

Last Updated April 11, 2024

Are you a blogger looking to control the SEO value you give to external sites when linking to them? NoFollow links are the perfect solution. By setting the relationship of a link to “nofollow,” you can tell search engines not to follow the link or give it any SEO value.

What is a NoFollow Link?

A NoFollow link is a type of HTML attribute that instructs search engines and web crawlers not to follow a specific link or pass on any link equity (SEO value) to the target webpage. When you add the rel="nofollow" attribute to a link, it essentially tells search engines like Google to ignore that link when calculating rankings.

Why Use NoFollow Links?

There are several reasons why you might want to use NoFollow links:

Linking to Competitors: If you need to link to a competitor’s website, using a NoFollow link ensures that you’re not inadvertently boosting their search engine rankings.
Paid Links or Sponsored Content: If you’re being paid to link to a website or promoting sponsored content, it’s important to use NoFollow links to comply with search engine guidelines and avoid potential penalties. Keep in mind you’ll also want to add rel="sponsored" to sponsored links as well.
User-Generated Content: If your blog allows user comments or has forums, adding NoFollow to links within user-generated content can help prevent spam and discourage people from leaving links just for SEO purposes. Typically WordPress does this for you in the comments section.

How to Create a NoFollow Link

Creating a NoFollow link is simple. Just add the rel="nofollow" attribute to your HTML link tag, like this:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Website</a>

Of course if you’re using the WordPress block editor you can click the “advanced” area and select that you want the link to be set to nofollow without editing HTML.

Checking if a Link is NoFollow

To check if a link on a website is using the NoFollow attribute, simply:

Right-click on the link
Select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element” from the context menu
Look for the rel="nofollow" attribute within the link’s HTML

If the attribute is present, the link is NoFollow. If it’s not there, the link is DoFollow, meaning it passes on SEO value.

Using WordPress Plugins for NoFollow Links

If your blog runs on WordPress, you can easily manage NoFollow links using plugins. One popular option is the “External Links” plugin, which allows you to automatically add the NoFollow attribute to all external links on your site.

What’s great about these plugins is that they often include an “allow list” feature. This enables you to specify certain links or domains that you want to remain DoFollow, giving you granular control over which external sites receive SEO value from your blog.

Conclusion

NoFollow links are a powerful tool for bloggers looking to control the flow of SEO value from their site. By using the rel="nofollow" attribute strategically, you can link to external resources without worrying about unintentionally boosting their search engine rankings.

Whether you’re linking to competitors, managing sponsored content, or dealing with user-generated links, understanding and utilizing NoFollow links is an essential skill for any blogger. So, start implementing NoFollow links today and take control of your blog’s SEO!

Do NoFollow links help or hurt my blog’s SEO?

NoFollow links do not directly help your rankings, but they usually do not hurt your SEO either. They simply tell search engines not to pass link equity to the other site.

Using NoFollow links in smart ways can actually protect your SEO. For example, you can link to low quality sites, competitors, or paid partners without giving away your hard earned authority.

A natural mix of DoFollow and NoFollow links looks normal to Google. So do not stress about using NoFollow where it makes sense for your readers and your business.

You can also support your rankings by building strong internal links on your own site. Learn more about why this matters in our guide to internal linking for bloggers.

When should I use NoFollow vs DoFollow on external links?

Use NoFollow when you do not want to pass SEO value to another site. Common examples are sponsored posts, affiliate links, untrusted sites, or links in user comments.

Use DoFollow for helpful, trustworthy resources that improve your content. Think of links to research, tools you really use, or guides that support your readers.

If you are unsure, ask yourself: "Do I fully trust this site and want to vouch for it to Google?" If the answer is no, NoFollow is the safer choice.

To better understand how Google treats outbound links in general, you can read our simple explanation of what an external link is in SEO.

How do NoFollow links affect backlinks and PageRank?

A NoFollow link does not pass PageRank or link equity in the same way a normal backlink does. It tells search engines not to count that link as a ranking signal for the other site.

This means NoFollow links will not usually help the target page rise in search results. They are mainly for user experience, disclosure, and spam control.

However, NoFollow links can still send real people to your site, which can lead to brand awareness and even future natural backlinks. Other sites may discover you through a NoFollow link and later link with a DoFollow link.

If you want to dive deeper into how links impact rankings, check out our breakdown of PageRank and how it works or our simple backlink definition.

Can RightBlogger help me manage NoFollow links and SEO on my blog?

RightBlogger cannot flip the NoFollow switch inside WordPress for you, but it can make all the decisions around linking much easier. When you create posts with the RightBlogger AI Article Writer, you can plan where external and internal links should go before you publish.

You can then add the right NoFollow attributes in WordPress based on your plan. This helps you stay consistent with sponsored posts, affiliate links, and links to competitors.

RightBlogger’s SEO Reports also help you spot content gaps where better internal links or extra resources could improve rankings. You can choose which helpful, trusted sites get DoFollow links and which ones stay NoFollow.

Over time, using tools like the AI Article Writer together with a clear NoFollow strategy can save you hours of manual SEO guesswork and keep your link profile safe and natural.