What is a NoFollow Link in Digital Marketing?

When a website owner links to another website but doesn't want to pass on SEO value, they use a NoFollow attribute. This attribute is recognized and respected by search engines and works as an indication not to follow that link or give it any weight in their algorithms. The NoFollow link can often be found in the code of a webpage and looks something like: Link Text.

NoFollow links were introduced by Google in 2005 as a means to combat spam and the manipulation of their search results through link schemes. Simply put, a NoFollow link is a link that does not pass on 'link juice' or SEO value to the target site.

Recognizing a NoFollow link is a straightforward process. When viewing the source code of a webpage, a NoFollow link will include the attribute 'nofollow' within the link's tag.

In the grand scheme of digital marketing, NoFollow links play a crucial role, particularly within SEO. While they might not pass SEO value, they do contribute to a more organic and diverse link profile, which can be beneficial for a site's overall SEO strategy.

NoFollow links help maintain the balance and fairness of search results by preventing the manipulation of search engines. They also serve as an effective tool for website owners to control the flow of link juice on their website in an effort to prioritize certain pages over others.

Besides, NoFollow links encourage more meaningful and genuine engagement. Since they don't carry SEO value, they push marketers to focus on providing actual value in their content and building relationships with their audience.

Examples of NoFollow links are plentiful within the digital landscape, commonly found within comment sections of blogs, press releases, and social media posts. Websites use NoFollow links in these areas to discourage spam comments and posts from users looking to build their own site's SEO.

An example of NoFollow link in HTML: Link Text. In this example, the 'nofollow' attribute in rel tag tells search engines not to count this link in rankings.

Another example can be found on social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter where majority of external links are automatically tagged as NoFollow, due to large scale spamming and irrelevant posting.