What is a Nofollow Link?How to Use Nofollow, Sponsored & UGC Links in SEO (2026)

When you’re building a blog and linking out to other sites, you’ll eventually run into the term nofollow link. And if you’ve been Googling around, you may have also seen sponsored and UGC links mentioned alongside it.

Short answer: a nofollow link is a regular link with a special rel=”nofollow” attribute that tells search engines like Google not to pass SEO authority from your page to the page being linked. Since 2019, Google expanded this into a three-attribute system. Knowing when to use each one is a real SEO edge in 2026.

Here’s what you actually need to know: what nofollow means, how it’s different from sponsored and UGC, when to use each, and how to set them up in WordPress the modern way.

What is a Nofollow Link? (Definition)

A nofollow link is a hyperlink with a rel=”nofollow” HTML attribute that tells search engines not to pass SEO authority (often called “link juice” or PageRank) from the linking page to the destination. The link still works as a normal clickable link for human visitors — it just doesn’t vouch for the destination’s authority in Google’s eyes.

This matters because in blog SEO, links are one of the single biggest ranking signals. Every outbound link you make is essentially a vote of confidence for the site you’re linking to. Link building strategies rely on this signal flowing in the right direction.

Here’s what a nofollow link looks like in raw HTML:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example site</a>

By default, every link you add to a blog post is a “follow” link, which means SEO authority flows through it. Adding rel=”nofollow” is how you turn that off for a specific link.

Nofollow was introduced by Google back in 2005 as a way to fight comment spam on blogs. The idea: if every link in a comment section was nofollowed, spammers would lose the SEO incentive to post junk links. That’s still the core purpose, but the use cases have expanded a lot since then.

The 3 Link Attributes: Nofollow, Sponsored & UGC

In September 2019, Google split the old blanket “nofollow” into three more specific attributes. In 2026, you should be using the right one for each situation, not just defaulting to nofollow for everything non-editorial.

rel=”nofollow”

The original. Use it for links where you don’t want to pass any SEO endorsement but the link isn’t specifically paid or user-submitted. For example: linking to a competitor you’re comparing against, or a source you’re citing but don’t want to actively boost.

<a href="https://competitor.com" rel="nofollow">Competitor</a>

rel=”sponsored”

Introduced September 2019. Use it for links where there’s a commercial relationship: affiliate links, paid partnerships, sponsored posts, and anywhere money changed hands in exchange for the link.

<a href="https://affiliate.example.com" rel="sponsored">Affiliate link</a>

This one matters for FTC compliance as well as SEO — affiliate links should ALWAYS be marked sponsored (you can still also add nofollow for belt-and-suspenders safety).

rel=”ugc”

Also introduced September 2019. UGC stands for User-Generated Content. Use it for links that come from comments, forum posts, guest submissions, or any other place where the content wasn’t written by you editorially.

<a href="https://reader-submitted.com" rel="ugc">Reader link</a>

On WordPress, the default comment system automatically adds rel=”ugc nofollow” to every link in approved comments — one less thing to worry about.

Can You Combine Them?

Yes. You can stack rel attributes with a space. An affiliate link in a user-submitted review, for example, can be marked:

<a href="..." rel="sponsored ugc nofollow">link</a>

Google will read all three and treat the link accordingly.

How Google Treats Nofollow Links in 2026

Here’s an important shift that still catches bloggers off guard. In March 2020, Google announced that nofollow is now a “hint,” not a strict directive. Before 2020, nofollow meant Google would completely ignore the link. After 2020, Google may choose to count it anyway for ranking purposes, especially if the context suggests it’s a legitimate editorial signal.

What that means practically:

• Nofollowed backlinks to your site can still help your rankings. Don’t dismiss a nofollow link as worthless — it can still pass some SEO value if Google decides it looks editorial.
• Nofollowing your own outbound links doesn’t hide them from Google. Google still sees them and may use them for crawling even if not for ranking authority.
• Using the specific attribute (sponsored, ugc) gives Google more signal than just blanket nofollowing. Google’s own guidance is to use the most specific attribute that fits the situation.

Bottom line: nofollow isn’t a magic “don’t count this” switch anymore. Use the right attribute for transparency and FTC compliance, but don’t expect nofollow to surgically cloak a link from Google’s algorithm.

When to Use Each Link Attribute

Here’s my quick decision tree for which rel attribute to use in common blogging situations:

• Regular editorial link (you wrote the post, you’re citing a source you trust) → no rel attribute (default follow link)
• Affiliate link (you earn a commission if readers click and buy) → rel=”sponsored” (and technically also nofollow for belt-and-suspenders)
• Paid placement / sponsored post (a brand paid you to write the post or include the link) → rel=”sponsored”
• Link in a blog comment or forum post (a reader added it, not you) → rel=”ugc” (WordPress does this automatically on comments)
• Link to a competitor (you don’t want to pass authority to them) → rel=”nofollow”
• Link to an untrusted site (you’re citing but not endorsing) → rel=”nofollow”
• Internal link to another page on your own blog (like linking one of your URLs to another related post) → no rel attribute (you want to pass authority to your own pages)

How to Add a Nofollow Link in WordPress

In 2026, WordPress has this baked into the Gutenberg editor — you no longer need to dig into HTML text mode. Here’s the modern three-method rundown, from easiest to most manual.

Method 1: Use the Gutenberg Editor Link Settings (Easiest)

Select the text you want to link, click the link button (or hit Ctrl/Cmd+K), paste the URL, and hit Enter. Then:

1. Click the created link to re-open the link popup.
2. Click the edit (pencil) icon to expand options.
3. In the “Link rel” field (or Advanced settings on some themes), type nofollow, sponsored, or ugc.
4. Save or update the post.

Done. Gutenberg writes the HTML attribute into the page for you.

Method 2: Edit the Block’s HTML Directly

If the link dialog in your theme doesn’t expose the rel field, you can edit the block’s HTML directly:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the paragraph or list block containing the link.
2. Choose “Edit as HTML.”
3. Find your link and add rel=”nofollow” (or sponsored, or ugc) before the closing > of the opening <a> tag.
4. Click the three-dot menu again and choose “Edit visually” to return to the normal editor.

Method 3: Use a Plugin (Best for Affiliate-Heavy Sites)

If you run a lot of affiliate links, managing them one-by-one gets tedious fast. A plugin like WP External Links can automatically add rel=”nofollow noopener” (and optionally sponsored) to every external link on your site, and you can whitelist specific domains that should stay follow. For heavier affiliate workflows, tools like ThirstyAffiliates let you cloak affiliate URLs and auto-add the right rel attributes.

Nofollow vs Dofollow: Is “Dofollow” Even Real?

Short answer: “dofollow” isn’t actually a real HTML attribute. There’s no rel=”dofollow” in any web spec.

When SEO folks say “dofollow link,” they’re just using industry shorthand for “a regular link without rel=”nofollow”.” The default state of every HTML link is “follow” — you add nofollow to opt out, not dofollow to opt in.

So when someone’s selling you “dofollow backlinks”, they mean backlinks without a nofollow attribute. The term is imprecise but universally understood.

Common Nofollow Link Mistakes to Avoid

1. Nofollowing your own internal links. You want SEO authority to flow between pages on your own site. Never nofollow an internal link. This should be almost automatic but I still see new bloggers do it.
2. Using nofollow instead of sponsored on affiliate links. The FTC and Google both prefer the specific rel=”sponsored” tag for commercial links. Nofollow works, but sponsored is the right signal.
3. Nofollowing everything. If every outbound link on your site is nofollowed, that’s a signal to Google that you don’t trust anything you link to — which reads as low editorial quality.
4. Forgetting to update older posts. If you added affiliate links years ago without sponsored or nofollow, go back and update them. FTC compliance is retroactive.
5. Relying on nofollow for SEO cloaking. Since Google made nofollow a “hint” in 2020, it’s no longer a guarantee the link won’t influence rankings. Plan content strategy accordingly.
6. Inconsistent handling across the site. Pick a rule (e.g., “all affiliate links get rel=”sponsored noopener””) and apply it everywhere. Spotty implementation confuses both Google and FTC auditors.

Nofollow Link Frequently Asked Questions

Do nofollow links still have SEO value?

Yes, more than they used to. Since March 2020, Google treats nofollow as a “hint” rather than a strict directive, which means Google may still use nofollowed links as ranking signals. Backlinks to your site that are nofollowed can still contribute some SEO value, especially if they come from high-authority editorial sources like news sites and Wikipedia. For more on building quality backlinks, check out my guide to link building for bloggers.

Should I nofollow affiliate links?

Yes, but the more modern and specific attribute is rel=”sponsored” (introduced by Google in 2019). Many bloggers use rel=”sponsored nofollow noopener” as a belt-and-suspenders approach — that covers FTC requirements, signals to Google clearly, and adds a small security benefit from noopener.

Does WordPress automatically nofollow comment links?

Yes. Since WordPress 5.3, comment links are automatically tagged with rel=”nofollow ugc”, which correctly marks them as user-generated content Google shouldn’t pass authority to. You don’t need a plugin for that.

Can Google penalize me for not using nofollow?

On editorial outbound links, no. On paid or sponsored links where you don’t mark them appropriately, yes — Google has a longstanding policy against undisclosed paid links, and not using rel=”sponsored” (or at minimum nofollow) on affiliate links can trigger a manual action in Search Console. If you’re unsure which affiliate programs to join and how to mark their links, my guide walks through both.

How do I check if a link is nofollow?

Right-click the link in your browser and choose “Inspect” to open the developer tools. Look at the <a> tag — if it has rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc”, those are nofollow-family. Free browser extensions like “NoFollow” (for Chrome and Firefox) also highlight nofollow links visually on any page.

Should my internal links ever be nofollow?

Almost never. Internal links are how you pass SEO authority between pages on your own site, which is crucial for rankings. The only edge case is linking from an editorial post to an admin page you don’t want indexed (like /login/ or /cart/) — and even then, a noindex meta tag on the destination is a cleaner solution.

Final Thoughts on Nofollow Links

Nofollow isn’t the simple on/off switch it used to be. In 2026, you’ve got three related attributes (nofollow, sponsored, ugc), a Google hint-model instead of a directive, and real FTC implications for affiliate links. Getting this right is table stakes for anyone monetizing a blog.

The quick checklist: use rel=”sponsored” on affiliate and paid links, use rel=”ugc” on user-generated content (WordPress does this automatically on comments), use rel=”nofollow” for competitor links or sources you don’t want to endorse, and leave editorial outbound and all internal links with no rel attribute. Do that, and your link strategy will be both FTC-compliant and SEO-solid.

If you’re still setting up your blog, check out my complete guide on how to start a blog — I walk through the technical SEO basics including how to set up your link strategy from day one. And if you’re trying to level up your broader SEO skills, my deeper guides on URLs, permalinks, and 301 redirects round out the same technical-SEO foundation this post sits on.