When I first started in SEO, I knew nothing about the rel=”nofollow” attribute. Back then, I thought of nofollow simply as a way to block Googlebot, like building a wall to stop bots from crawling a website.
After working on more projects and digging into the documentation on Google Search Central, I realized that my understanding was wrong. Nofollow is not designed to block bots. Instead, it tells Google that a specific link should not pass ranking signals. This seemingly small distinction completely changed how I apply nofollow in my SEO strategies.
What is a nofollow link?
According to Google Search Central, when you add rel=”nofollow” to a link, you are telling Google that the link exists but should not be considered a vote of confidence for the destination page.
In Vietnam, many SEOs casually refer to it as “blocking power transmission.” In reality, Googlebot can still crawl those links, but PageRank or ranking signals will not flow through them.
The easiest way to test this is by applying nofollow to an internal link, such as a Policy or Terms page in your footer. Then, check the Internal Links report in Google Search Console. You will see a noticeable drop in the number of links pointing to that page. If you continue applying nofollow consistently, that page may even disappear from the Internal Links list entirely after a couple of weeks.
The difference between nofollow, sponsored, and ugc
One of the most common mistakes I see is applying nofollow to every type of link. Some SEOs use it for advertising links, comment links, and all outbound links without distinction. Since 2019, Google has clarified the use of link attributes more clearly. Alongside nofollow, there are also sponsored and ugc.
Sponsored is used for commercial links such as advertisements, PR articles, or affiliate links. This allows Google to differentiate between paid and natural signals. UGC, short for User Generated Content, applies to links created by users, like those in blog comments or forum posts. Nofollow has become a more general option for links that do not fit the other two categories but still should not pass ranking signals.
John Mueller once said that you will not be penalized for using the wrong attribute, but if you use them correctly, Google can better understand the context of your links. I can confirm this from my own experience. In the past, I labeled almost everything as nofollow. Today, I separate sponsored and ugc so that Google has a clearer picture of my linking strategy.
The results of using sponsored and nofollow may appear similar in many cases. Some affiliate sites still prefer nofollow instead of sponsored. However, in my view, using the correct attribute makes your site more transparent and reduces the risk of issues down the line, especially as Google places more emphasis on clarity and honesty in linking.
Should you use nofollow on internal links?
This is one of the most debated topics in the SEO community. Some SEOs know about nofollow but rarely use it, claiming it makes little difference. Yet Google would not have introduced the attribute without purpose, especially for large, complex websites.
Years ago, many SEOs used internal nofollow to sculpt PageRank, essentially cutting off link equity to direct more strength to important pages. However, Google has said multiple times that this tactic no longer works. Gary Illyes once explained that “Nofollow is just a hint, not a directive. Googlebot can ignore it”.
In the early days of SEO, this technique could be exploited. Today, with frequent algorithm updates and AI playing a greater role, technical tricks like this hold much less weight compared to content quality, trust signals, and user experience.
In my own practice, I typically only apply nofollow to pages that do not require SEO visibility, such as Policy or Terms pages in the footer. In specific projects, I have used it in multilingual sites where duplicate content issues arise and canonical tags were not enough.
When checking in Google Search Console, I still see bots crawling nofollowed URLs, but the Internal Links report does not show those connections. This demonstrates that nofollow does not block crawling but it does affect how Google understands internal link structures.
Does internal nofollow affect overall site health? Yes, but the impact depends on how you use it. If applied carefully, it can help you direct link flow to critical pages like your homepage, product pages, or hub pages on a news site. Pages that update frequently should receive more internal links so Google recognizes them as focal points. Overusing internal nofollow, however, can weaken your site’s structure and confuse how Google interprets relationships between pages.
My advice is to build internal linking in a natural and strategic way, supported by data from Google Search Console. Do not try to sculpt PageRank with nofollow. Instead, focus on navigation that serves users and a structure that helps Google understand your site comprehensively.
Nofollow with external links: signal or no signal?
For outbound links, nofollow is much more common. Before 2019, Google treated it as a directive, meaning links with nofollow passed no signals at all.
Since September 2019, Google has changed its stance. Nofollow is now considered a hint. Google may still crawl or index the destination page, but it is not guaranteed to pass PageRank.
Adding nofollow to external links does not block Googlebot. Google can still follow those links, but you are signaling that you do not want to transfer ranking signals. This is an important distinction because many people still confuse nofollow with blocking crawling.
Should you use nofollow to block bots?
The answer is no.
A common misconception is that adding nofollow prevents Googlebot from crawling. This is not the case. According to Google’s official documentation on Robots meta tags, if you want to block crawling, you should use robots.txt or a meta robots tag with “noindex, nofollow.”
The nofollow attribute only informs Google about ranking signals. It helps guide how bots interpret link equity but does not prevent them from crawling.
Two ways to apply nofollow
There are two common ways to apply nofollow in SEO.
The first is by adding it directly to individual links with the <a href="…" rel="nofollow"> tag. This is useful when you only want to disable SEO signals on a specific link, such as links in comments or external references of questionable credibility.
The second is by using the meta robots tag <meta name="robots" content="nofollow">. Placed in the <head> of a page, it applies to all outbound links on that page. This option is usually reserved for special cases, such as a page containing a large number of links that you do not want Google to use for further crawling.
The difference lies in scope. Adding nofollow to a link gives you precise control, while applying it via meta robots affects every link on the page.
Final thought
From my experience, Google has consistently emphasized that nofollow is just a hint to indicate how you want link signals to be treated. In practice, I still use nofollow regularly, especially for optimizing link structures on important pages where clarity matters most.
If you are new to nofollow, you will hear different opinions, some saying it has little or no effect. Most of these views come from people who have not tested it themselves or have not looked into it deeply.
My recommendation is to study Google’s official documentation and then test it in your own projects. Real-world experience is far more valuable than untested theories or assumptions.