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What is a nofollow link

A nofollow link is a type of hyperlink that tells search engines not to pass SEO value or authority from the linking page to the linked page.

Nofollow links were initially created by Google to combat comment spam on blogs and forums.


Nofollow links vs dofollow links

Unlike dofollow links, nofollow links don't contribute to improving the search engine rankings of the linked site. When a search engine crawler encounters a nofollow link, it does not follow the link to the destination site or count it as a vote in favor of that site's credibility.

Key points about nofollow links:

  • They don't pass link equity to the linked site.
  • Search engines may still follow these links, but they don't use them for ranking purposes.
  • They're often used for paid links and user-generated content.
  • Common uses include links in blog comments, forum posts, and paid advertisements.

While nofollow links don't directly boost SEO, they can still be valuable:

  • They can drive referral traffic to your site.
  • They contribute to a natural-looking backlink profile.
  • They can lead to increased brand visibility and recognition.
  • They may indirectly lead to dofollow links if users discover your content through them.

It's important to note that a healthy backlink profile typically includes a mix of both dofollow and nofollow links.


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