What is a Nofollow tag?
A Nofollow tag is an HTML attribute that tells search engines, particularly Google, not to count a link when crawling the website for ranking purposes. In simpler terms, when a website owner puts a Nofollow tag on a link, it means that they don’t endorse the website that the link is pointing to and don’t want search engines to follow that link.
When was the nofollow tag introduced?
Nofollow tags were introduced in 2005 to reduce spamming by preventing website owners from manipulating search engine rankings by building excessively low-quality links. By adding a nofollow tag, web admins can control the flow of link equity on their websites and prevent link juice from being transferred to external sites.
While using a Nofollow tag helps reduce spamming and keeps websites safe from unwanted links, it doesn’t necessarily stop hackers or spammers from exploiting potential vulnerabilities. As such, website owners should also take other security measures, such as having a robust security protocol and regularly updating their websites to prevent hacking attempts.
In summary, Nofollow tags are critical in protecting websites from unwanted links and preventing web admins from manipulating search engine rankings. Therefore, using Nofollow tags appropriately and alongside other effective security measures is essential.
Do nofollow links help SEO?
The “nofollow” attribute, a type of HTML tag used on web links, is not used by Google as a direct ranking factor. However, while Google does not directly use “nofollow” as a ranking factor, it can still impact how Google crawls and indexes web pages. For example, if a “nofollow” tag is used on a link, Google may not follow that link to discover the linked page, and therefore, that linked page may not be indexed or ranked by Google.
While “nofollow” links do not directly contribute to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in terms of passing link authority or influencing rankings, they can still have some potential benefits. Here are a few ways in which “nofollow” links can potentially help with SEO:
- Referral Traffic: nofollow links can still generate referral traffic, meaning users who click on those links can still visit your website. Suppose the “nofollow” link is placed on a high-traffic website or a website with a relevant audience. In that case, it can potentially drive valuable traffic to your site, indirectly benefiting your SEO efforts.
- Brand Exposure: nofollow links can still provide brand exposure and visibility, which can help with brand building and awareness. If your website or brand is mentioned or linked to from reputable websites, even with a “nofollow” attribute, it can still contribute to your overall online presence and brand reputation.
- Diversified Link Profile: a diverse link profile with a mix of nofollow and dofollow links can look more natural to search engines. It can indicate that your website is not solely relying on dofollow links for SEO and that you have a balanced link-building approach. A natural and diverse link profile is considered more credible and can benefit your SEO efforts.
- Crawl Budget Management: nofollow links can be used to manage the crawl budget, which is the number of pages a search engine bot crawls on your website within a given timeframe. By using “nofollow” tags on less essential or low-value pages, you can potentially direct search engine bots to focus on crawling more critical pages, which can help with the efficient crawling and indexing of your website.
Nofollow links do not directly contribute to SEO regarding passing link authority. They can still have potential benefits such as referral traffic, brand exposure, diversified link profile, and crawl budget management. It’s essential to use nofollow links appropriately and by search engine guidelines.