What Is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link is a hyperlink that includes the attribute:
rel="nofollow"
This attribute tells search engines that the website owner does not necessarily want to pass authority or endorse the page being linked to.
Historically, Google treated nofollow links as a directive, meaning they would not contribute to a page's rankings.
Google's Position Has Changed
In 2019, Google announced that it would begin treating nofollow links as a "hint" rather than a strict instruction.
This means Google may choose to use information from nofollow links when crawling and understanding the web, although they are generally not treated in the same way as traditional editorial links.
Google also introduced two additional link attributes:
- rel="sponsored" – for paid advertisements, sponsorships and affiliate links.
- rel="ugc" – for user-generated content such as blog comments and forum posts.
You can read Google's official guidance here:
https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links
Should Every External Link Be Nofollow?
No.
A common misconception is that every external link should be marked as nofollow to avoid "leaking link juice". Google does not recommend this approach.
If you are linking to a trusted source as part of your content, there is generally no reason to add a nofollow attribute. In fact, linking to authoritative and relevant resources can improve the user experience and demonstrate that your content is well researched.
What About Affiliate Links?
Google recommends using:
rel="sponsored"
for affiliate links and any other links that exist because of a commercial relationship.
This helps Google understand the nature of the link and ensures compliance with its spam and link scheme policies.
Do Nofollow Links Still Have Value?
Absolutely.
Even if a nofollow link does not pass authority in the traditional sense, it can still:
- Send referral traffic
- Increase brand awareness
- Generate leads and sales
- Help search engines discover content
- Lead to future editorial backlinks
Many businesses receive valuable traffic from websites that use nofollow links by default, including social media platforms, forums and online directories.
Best Practice in 2026
For most websites, the rules are straightforward:
- Use normal links when you genuinely recommend a resource.
- Use rel="sponsored" for paid or affiliate links.
- Use rel="ugc" for user-generated content.
- Use rel="nofollow" when you do not wish to endorse a page or cannot verify its quality.
Rather than trying to manipulate rankings through link attributes, focus on providing useful content and linking naturally to resources that help your visitors.
Conclusion
Nofollow links are no longer the black-and-white SEO signal they once were. Google's systems have become far more sophisticated and now treat nofollow as a hint rather than a strict command.
For website owners, the most important thing is transparency. Use the appropriate link attribute for the situation, follow Google's guidance, and concentrate on creating content that genuinely deserves links and shares.
In SEO, earning trust remains far more important than trying to control every link.