We will tell you everything you need to know about nofollow links. We will also compare them with dofollow links and answer all the questions you might have on this topic. Of course if after reading there are still unanswered questions we can show you where you can continue your research. Finding a reputable source like Link Department can be very helpful, but we will talk more about that one and their blog. Now, let’s focus on our main topic right now and we will cover the rest a bit later.
Let’s start with the basics
We’ll start with the basics, which you’re probably already familiar with. But we need to be thorough. A no follow link is one that does not count as a point in the page’s favor. This link does not increase PageRank and does not improve a page’s ranking in the SERPs in any way. If you have any more questions about basics you should check out the Link Departments blog and research it a bit. We have answered pretty much all questions about SEO there. Nofollow links are not something new. They’ve been around for almost 15 years now.
The importance
The existence of nofollow links on your website is important because they help generate traffic to your pages. This makes them an essential component of your link-building campaigns and benefits your SEO. It’s excellent to get the most out of these links, that’s why they’re so important for any website.
The history of nofollow links
Google invented this tag. They did it in order to combat blog comment spam (that is something incredibly important to them). This resulted in two major issues: First, spammy websites began to rank extremely well on Google. This also caused high-quality sites to drop out of search results. But Google is constantly evolving and this is not as big an issue as it once was. Unless you are spamming on a large scale, nofollow links will not harm you. As you can see there is no reason to be afraid of them. In fact, any link shared on social media is a nofollow link. These accounts include your Twitter, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
The most common question
Does Google crawl no follow links? This is the most common question we hear so why not answer it right now? Surely you are wondering as well. At its most basic, nofollow is a hyperlink attribute that instructs Google not to pass PageRank. That means that nofollowed links are not crawled. With the simple addition of the nofollow attribute, you can control the nofollowing of any links on your site (whether they are to external sites or internal pages).
Another common question is are they a Google ranking factor? We can answer that as well. According to Google’s announcement, nofollow links will serve as a hint for Google Algorithms to better understand websites. Google has stated unequivocally that nofollow links are simply not an important ranking signal.
Disavowing nofollow links and should you do it
All nofollow links that appear spammy and pose any sort of risk to your backlink profile should be removed or disavowed. They have an impact on the overall value of your backlink profile. They are not risk-free simply because they are nofollow links. But if they are not spammy – you don’t have to worry at all.
Link building
Numerous people seem to believe that link building is only important if the link is followed. While the quality of those links can be beneficial to SEO, there are also clear advantages to obtaining nofollow links. Here are a few examples:
- Increased traffic – despite the fact that many large sites nofollow all of their outbound links, they are capable of sending massive amounts of traffic.
- Brand exposure – getting mentioned is always a good thing and getting mentioned on high-quality sites that are relevant to your target audience is perfect for increasing brand awareness.
- Building trust – links on high-quality websites can help you gain the trust of your target audience. Another great thing about it is that the more consumers see your brand name, the more they trust it.
Trust can lead to follow links – while one site may nofollow a link to your site, their readers may value your content and link to you with a follow link. - A natural backlink profile – you can’t have too many follow links at once because it looks unnatural and even spammy. To appear natural, you must mix it up a bit, and add both nofollow and follow links.
- Avoid an outbound link penalty – by nofollowing links, you eliminate the possibility of Google imposing a manual action on your site for links.
- Quality traffic – a nofollow link can drive your leads and sales, and that means it is a very valuable link.
If you have issues with your nofollow links – use SEMrush
If you are unsure whether or not nofollow is being used on your site, the SEMrush Site Audit tool will provide you with the necessary information. Or you can always hire professionals to help you. Hiring SEO experts is always a good way to approach this if you are not sure what you are doing or if you simply need some help.
Did you understand where nofollow links come from and their importance? As we already mentioned it’s very important to continue your research because there is so much you yet need to learn about them. Luckily we showed you where you can continue your research and now you can continue on your own. Good luck!