Nofollow links

Webmasters often want to link to some content but do not endorse them as "authorities". They use the "no follow" attribute to tell search engines that they refer to these websites but do not see them authoritative enough to earn their credit.

Backlinko says they are links with the "no follow tags attached to the code. The tag request that search engines should not put a value on that link. The concept of nofollow was introduced by Google in 2005 to curb spamming of comment sections in authority websites and forums.

The code for a no follow links looks like this

: <a rel = “nofollow” href = “mywebsite.com” > my website </a>.

On comparing to the do-follow link, you will observe a "no follow" attribute attached to it.

Let us see some of the importance of nofollow links from one of the most popular digital media icons – Neil Patel.

Importance of nofollow link to SEO

1. Increase traffic generation

Although they are called nofollow links, it does not stop users from clicking on them, and the tag is not obvious to users. As such, one of their primary benefits is to help drive traffic to your content. A website like "The Entrepreneur" has a massive audience, and a nofollow link from their website will still direct traffic to your content

2. Directly and indirectly impacts SEO. Yes the tag "nofollow" is to restrict search engines from giving credits to the referenced pages. But Google webmasters are also aware that a lot of those using the "no follow" links do not just want to give credit to smaller websites, and they still see those content as being relevant

So if you receive nofollow links, it does not mean it will not impact your SEO. They directly affect your website ranking, although they do not give SEO juice as much as the dofollow links will provide.

3. They help create a balance in your backlink profile. Gathering dofollow links alone will look suspicious. They will look like paid or exchanged links. They look as if they were not earned from your content quality alone.