Nofollow
A tag attribute used in HTML to instruct search engines not to pass any ranking value to a specific link.
Description
In the SEO industry, 'Nofollow' is an HTML tag attribute added to hyperlinks to signal to search engines that the link should not influence the ranking of the target URL in the search engine's index. This is particularly useful for combating spam in comments sections, forums, and user-generated content where links may not be trustworthy. By using the 'Nofollow' attribute, webmasters can prevent their sites from linking to low-quality or untrusted websites, thereby maintaining their own site's credibility. Additionally, it helps in controlling the distribution of ranking power or 'link juice' within a website, as not all links are valued equally in SEO strategies.
Examples
- Blog Comments: If you have a blog post on your website and someone comments with a link to their own site, adding a 'Nofollow' attribute to that link ensures that search engines won't consider it as an endorsement by your site.
- Sponsored Content: Imagine you have a partnership with a brand and you include a link to their website. Adding a 'Nofollow' tag can make clear to search engines that this is a paid link and should not impact the ranking of the brand's website.
Additional Information
- Nofollow links do not pass PageRank, which is the value Google assigns to a page based on its importance.
- Google introduced the 'Nofollow' attribute in 2005 to help combat spam and improve the quality of search results.