What are Nofollow Backlinks?[How to Use Them in SEO?]

Editor / September 25, 2024

• Blog

What is a Nofollow Backlink? 

Nofollow backlinks are clickable objects on webpages with a “nofollow” attribute in their HTML codes that tells search engines not to evaluate the linked page for page ranking.

In other words, if you link a page on an outside domain to your site and mark it as a “nofollow”, search engines will ignore that page and will not consider it for search engine results page ranking.

The question is, does such a link have any impact on SEO? 

Let’s find out in this Fastlinky article. 

Importance of Nofollow Backlinks

We’ll discuss it in detail later while we discuss the impact of a nofollow backlink on webpages, but here’s the most significant importance of a nofollow link–

Nofollow backlinks improve your brand image and increase traffic to your site, irrespective of how search engines treat them. 

So, you see, for all practical purposes, a nofollow backlink is as important to your pages as a dofollow link. More later.

Nature and Types of Nofollow Backlinks

Search engines like Google consider a website’s link profile while ranking it on their SERPs. There are three types of links they primarily focus on–internal links, external links and backlinks.

Among them, backlinks are the most important SERP ranking metric. The general rule is, if a page has lots of backlinks from other reputed sites, its ranking prospect on SERPs improves dramatically. 

Backlinks are hyperlinks that webmasters use to link their pages to pages on other domains. There are two major types of backlinks–dofollow and nofollow backlinks.

I’m telling you this because it is important to keep in mind while discussing nofollow backlinks that they are a type of backlinks. A little more clarification on this point is required, so here it is:

Nature of Nofollow Backlinks

While a webmaster links his pages to your site for additional information, he can either add a “dofollow” or a “nofollow” attribute to the hyperlink’s HTML code.

The first attribute endorses your pages’ authority and rankability and tells search engines to consider this link while evaluating your pages’ SERP rankability. 

This dofollow backlink significantly adds to your site’s overall SERP prospect.

But suppose that the webmaster adds a “nofollow” attribute in the link’s HTML code. In that case, search engines will ignore this backlink and it usually will have neither beneficial nor harmful effect on your pages’ SERP ranking.

But does it mean nofollow links are totally worthless and the less of them you get the better? 

Of course not, As I’ve mentioned earlier, a nofollow link, irrespective of its status to search engines, helps increase your site’s organic traffic and improve your brand image.

Types of Nofollow Backlinks

Nofollow backlinks can be of different types. Let’s know the major ones.

Links from Social Media

Links to your site from social media are one of the most common types of nofollow backlinks as they refer back to your pages but with a “nofollow” attribute in their HTML codes. This means search engines discount them while ranking your pages.

Comments and Forum Posts Links

Search engines usually discount these backlinks while evaluating your page’s authority and rankability. But these nofollow backlinks also serve your basic purpose by increasing your online visibility.

Press Release Links

Links to your site given in press releases published by media houses for public knowledge are also nofollow links and search engines ignore them.

UGC Backlinks 

A UGC or user-generated content link is a link inserted by users rather than webmasters. These are another important type of nofollow link. Forum posts and comments usually fall under this category.

Nofollow Backlinks and their impact on Webpages

They increase traffic 

Tell me something, Which is more desirable? High SERP ranking and low traffic or low SERP ranking and high traffic? The choice is obvious, isn’t it? 

You see, whatever you do about your SEO strategy has only one objective: increase your business by drawing more and more visitors to your site. 

By clicking on a nofollow link to your site, people may still visit your pages, like what they see and become loyal readers or better still, customers. Thus, caring a damn about SERPs, nofollow backlinks can do what you’re up to basically: give you the all-important traffic and conversions. 

They Decrease ‘Spammy’ Association

Nofollow tags make sure that you do not pass authority to spammy sites. This indirectly improves your brand’s image with search engines as they hate spammy sites and their associates and are ever ready to punish them with heavy penalties.

They Don’t Let Competitors Fly Too High

Intelligent and sparing linking to your competitors’ sites, especially if they are of very high quality, is a good SEO practice.

But be careful and don’t overdo it or else, it may take all your visitors to your competitors and leave you whistling for your traffic. 

A judicious mixing of dofollow and nofollow backlinks does it. So, nofollow links help you balance your link profile and improve your acceptability to search engines.   

They Improve Online Visibility

Many reputed and famous sites always add “nofollow” attributes in their links to other domains. So what? You still get mentioned on their pages and people still can visit your sites through those links. 

So one such nofollow backlink from a high-value site always outweighs gallons of link juice from some stupid worthless sites so far as improving your brand’s online image is concerned.

Diversify Backlink Profile

Search engine crawlers are jittery about too many follow links. Those links unnerve them into smelling a rat if your site is showered with dofollow backlinks. 

Nofollow backlinks maintain a healthy balance in your site’s backlink profile and search engines heave a collective sigh of relief and rank your site properly.

They Can Boost Business

Backlinks to your site from directories, forums etc are treated as nofollow backlinks and don’t help your SERP ambition much. 

However, they can steer a lot of good business toward you as prospective clients may contact you through those links.

Nofollow Backlinks Best Practices

So you see, nofollow backlinks aren’t the bad guys in our SEO story. They play a crucial role in the SEO strategy. Here’s what you should do to use these links correctly. 

Use Nofollow Backlinks to Low DA Sites

If you find important and relevant additional information on pages of a website which has a low domain authority, you can give nofollow backlinks to it. 

This way, you’ll be improving your readers’ experience and at the same time distance yourself from that site to avoid any adverse reactions from web crawlers. 

Paid and Sponsored Links

Always use nofollow attributes in paid and sponsored links. Even if you aren’t paid in cash but in some other ways like getting free service or products, it is mandatory to use nofollow backlinks in such cases. 

UGC Should Get Nofollow Backlinks

User-generated content, like social media comments or forum posting should always get nofollow backlinks. This makes it clear that you are not using these links as a clever advertising tool. 

Secondly, since you cannot be sure of all users, it is safe to add a nofollow tag to such links to avoid passing link juice to some undeserving entities. 

Conclusion

Look, nothing beats lots of dofollow backlinks from high DA sources. Pray for them all the time. But in the practical world, getting such links isn’t easy. Besides, lots of dofollow backlinks, as we’ve seen, can even be detrimental to a site’s SEO prospect. 

A few nofollow backlinks will not only give a balance to your backlink profile, which search engine crawlers always appreciate, but will also make your entire backlinking strategy safer. 

If correctly used, links with nofollow attributes can improve your online visibility and increase traffic and business to your site.

Frequently Asked Questions And Answers