The nofollow attribute tells search engines not to treat a link as a signal of trust. It does not change how users interact with the link. It only affects how search engines interpret it. This makes it a simple, yet important tool when you want to control how your site passes authority to other pages.
What nofollow actually means
Using rel="nofollow" on a link means you’re informing search engines that you don’t guarantee the credibility of the linked page. The link still works normally for visitors. It simply avoids sending ranking strength to the target page.
The attribute looks like this:
Search engines treat this as a hint that the link should not influence search rankings. This helps you manage trust and avoid sending signals to pages you do not control or cannot verify.
When you should use nofollow
There are several situations where nofollow makes sense.
For example:
• User generated content such as comments or forum posts
• Paid links including ads or sponsored placements
• Links you cannot fully review such as public profiles
• Links that feel risky because you do not know the site well
In these cases, nofollow protects your site from passing authority to pages that may not deserve it.
When you should not use nofollow
You should avoid nofollow when you genuinely trust the page you are linking to. Search engines expect natural linking between helpful resources.
If you link to a guide, a tool, or a reference that supports your content, you should let that link pass authority. This helps build a healthy web and keeps your site’s linking behavior natural.
Google’s Official Position on Nofollow
Google states that nofollow is a way to qualify outbound links when you do not want to pass ranking signals. It is used to indicate the relationship between your site and the linked page. Google also clarifies that regular editorial links do not need any rel="nofollow" attribute at all.
In 2019, Google updated its policy and announced that nofollow is now treated as a “hint,” not a strict directive. This means Google may choose to crawl and consider the link for ranking purposes, depending on context.
Google has also stated that linking out to authoritative sites does not boost your own rankings, and setting all external links to nofollow provides no SEO advantage.
This reinforces that nofollow should be used only when appropriate, not as a one-size-fits-all solution.
To use nofollow or not?
The decision comes down to whether you want to signal trust. If the link is editorial and helpful, keep it normal. If the link is paid, uncertain, or user generated, nofollow is the safer choice. Over time, this becomes second nature, and you will know which option fits the situation.
Although my blog doesn’t support comments, feel free to reply via email or X.