Do nofollow links have any value?

Yes, though indirectly. Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a strict instruction, and nofollowed links from major publications still drive referral traffic, brand awareness and the kind of brand mentions that AI systems pick up. A natural profile contains both.

When should I use sponsored or ugc?

Use sponsored for any link that was paid for or part of a commercial arrangement, including affiliate links. Use ugc for links in comments and user-submitted content. Mislabelling paid links as regular follow links is exactly what link-scheme penalties target.

Off-Page SEO

Link Attributes (dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, ugc)

Link attributes are values on a link that tell search engines how to treat it.

A standard followed link passes ranking signals; nofollow asks engines not to pass them; sponsored marks paid or affiliate links; and ugc marks user-generated content like comments. Since 2019 Google treats nofollow, sponsored, and ugc as hints rather than strict rules. Mislabelling paid links as standard followed links risks a manual penalty.

Google's 2019 shift to treating these as hints rather than directives changed the practical calculus around nofollow. A nofollowed link from a major publication is still worth pursuing, and treating it as worthless leads teams to skip genuinely valuable placements. Disclosure is where the real risk sits. Paid placements, affiliate links, and sponsored posts marked as ordinary followed links are the exact pattern link scheme enforcement looks for, and the responsibility sits with the publisher and the buyer both. Marking them correctly costs nothing and removes the risk entirely.

Example

A sponsored review links with rel="sponsored": disclosed, safe, still sends readers. A magazine's news story links plain: full editorial endorsement, passes ranking credit. A comment posted on a forum carries rel="ugc" automatically. One year later the retailer's link profile reads honestly to Google because each of the three said what it was, and none becomes evidence of a scheme.

Frequently asked questions

Do nofollow links have any value?: Yes, though indirectly. Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a strict instruction, and nofollowed links from major publications still drive referral traffic, brand awareness and the kind of brand mentions that AI systems pick up. A natural profile contains both.
When should I use sponsored or ugc?: Use sponsored for any link that was paid for or part of a commercial arrangement, including affiliate links. Use ugc for links in comments and user-submitted content. Mislabelling paid links as regular follow links is exactly what link-scheme penalties target.

Related terms

Backlink Anchor Text Link Equity

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