The NoFollow link is one of the attributes that can be used in connection with search engine optimization. The NoFollow link is the counterpart to the DoFollow link.
What does NoFollow mean?
If a link is marked with rel=”nofollow”, the link is not followed by Google or another search engine, which means that the linkjuice is hardly transferred to the other page. The “nofollow” attribute was introduced by Google at the same time as “dofollow” in 2005 and was intended to make it possible to control the link juice.
How does a NoFollow link work?
In the code, a NoFollow link looks like this: <a href=”https://seo-galaxy.com” rel=”nofollow”>SEO GALAXY</a>. Making these changes for each link is very time-consuming, which is why it makes sense to enter the following in the header for link directories or similar: <meta name=”robots” content=”nofollow” /> so that each link automatically becomes a NoFollow link.
The way it works is based on the fact that the linkjuice is not passed on. This is useful to avoid the risk of being penalized if, for example, a purchased link is placed on the website. Recently, however, the “sponsored” attribute can also be used for this purpose. However, there are other cases in which links should be set to NoFollow. These include the following:
- Guest contributions
- Press releases / Press releases
- Affiliate links
- Paid advertising texts
In the same way, websites should also be marked with the link if they are not trustworthy. The NoFollow tag is suitable for precisely these cases, as it does not assume “responsibility”. Links often have to be placed – for example in an editorial context.
What influence does NoFollow have on SEO?
However, there are effects of a NoFollow link for search engine optimization (SEO). Opinions are varied in this area. There is often the statement that a large ratio of NoFollow links has no effect whatsoever, which in turn means that a DoFollow and NoFollow ratio in the link profile is not of great importance. Whether this is true is questionable.
Even if various factors are controversial, it is clear to everyone that no-follow links are part of a natural link profile. Placing only DoFollow links is not at all helpful and shows a certain manipulation, which can also lead to a Google penalty. To avoid these mistakes, hiring a link building agency with sufficient experience can be helpful.
