Nofollow Link

rel="nofollow" is a link relationship value, not a deindexing control. Google documents it in Qualify your outbound links as a hint for Search when sponsored or ugc does not apply and the publisher would rather Google not associate with, or crawl, the destination.

Direct answer

If the question is “Should I add nofollow here?”, start with the real relationship:

• Use rel="sponsored" for ads, affiliate links, sponsorships, and other compensated placements.
• Use rel="ugc" for links created by users in comments, forums, or similar areas.
• Use rel="nofollow" when those values do not fit, but you still prefer not to associate with or have Google crawl the destination.

If the real goal is keeping the destination out of Google Search, nofollow is the wrong control. Google’s noindex documentation explains that index control belongs on the destination with noindex, X-Robots-Tag, authentication, or the appropriate HTTP status.

It is not a universal “do not pass SEO value” switch. Google treats nofollow, sponsored, and ugc as hints for Search. Other search engines may document different behavior.

Page scope

This page is for choosing and validating rel values on a specific link. If your job is broader outbound-link QA, continue with External Link. If you are decoding SEO jargon like “dofollow,” read Dofollow Link.

Choose the relationship that describes the link

Relationship	Appropriate use
no rel qualification	Ordinary editorial link that Google may fetch and parse
rel="sponsored"	Advertisement, affiliate link, sponsorship, or compensated placement
rel="ugc"	Link created in user-generated content such as a forum or comment
rel="nofollow"	Other cases where you prefer not to associate with or have Google crawl the destination

Multiple values are valid, for example rel="ugc nofollow" or rel="sponsored nofollow". Use an <a href> element so crawlers and users have an actual link to follow.

Use the right control for the real goal

Goal	Better control
Qualify an ad, sponsorship, or affiliate link	rel="sponsored"
Qualify a forum, comment, or other user-posted link	rel="ugc" with optional nofollow
Qualify another link you do not want to associate with	rel="nofollow"
Keep a destination out of Google Search	noindex or X-Robots-Tag on the destination
Protect private content	Authentication or other access control
Reduce wasteful crawl of parameter or utility URLs	robots.txt, URL cleanup, or internal-link changes

Google’s crawlable links guidance and block indexing guidance are the key boundary lines here: link qualification, crawl control, and index control are related, but they are not interchangeable.

Audit and validation workflow

1. Export links with source URL, destination URL, visible anchor, and current rel values.
2. Identify the commercial or editorial relationship, not just the destination domain.
3. Correct compensated links to sponsored and untrusted community links to ugc where appropriate.
4. Review internal nofollow links separately; a navigation error needs a structural fix, not a bulk attribute rule.
5. Confirm the final HTML, not only the CMS field or component prop.

curl -s https://example.com/page/ | rg -n 'rel="[^"]*"'

If JavaScript rewrites links after load, inspect the rendered DOM in the browser or with a crawler before you sign off. If you need a broader site check, use Link Checker or the SEO Audit Tool.

6. Use Search Console carefully. Google’s Links report is a sample of links Google has found and does not tell you whether a link is marked nofollow. Use it for backlink context, not for page-level rel QA.

What nofollow does not do

• It does not guarantee that the destination will not be crawled; the URL may be found elsewhere.
• It does not remove an already indexed page.
• It does not secure private content.
• It does not replace robots.txt for crawl management or noindex for index control.
• It does not prove endorsement, trust, or lack of trust in every search engine.

For an internal URL that must not appear in Google Search, the destination normally needs to remain crawlable so Google can see a noindex rule. For confidential content, require authentication rather than relying on a link attribute.

Do not add nofollow to every external citation. Google says ordinary links do not need a rel qualification. A primary source should remain a normal editorial link unless the relationship requires otherwise.

Common decision errors

• Adding nofollow to every outbound citation out of habit.
• Using nofollow when the real need is sponsored, ugc, noindex, or access control.
• Treating internal nofollow as a scalable crawl-budget tactic instead of fixing templates and link paths.
• Reading Search Console’s sampled link report as though it were a source-code audit.
• Chasing a manufactured “dofollow ratio” instead of checking whether links are honest, crawlable, and useful.

“Dofollow” is industry shorthand, not an HTML attribute: an ordinary link simply lacks these qualifications. A mixed backlink profile is not an objective to manufacture. Disavowal is a separate, exceptional process and should not be triggered merely because a backlink is followed or nofollowed.

Next step

If the link issue is commercial disclosure, continue with External Link. If the destination should disappear from search, continue with X-Robots-Tag and Robots.txt Checker. If the confusion is really about jargon, continue with Dofollow Link.

Related: External Link, Backlink, and Nofollow Link in the Glossary.