Nofollow is a special tag you can add to a hyperlink that tells search engines not to follow the link or give any ranking boost to the linked website. This tag is written as <a href="URL" rel="nofollow">.
Purpose: The main reason to use the nofollow tag is to control how search engines treat the links on your site. Here are some common uses:
- Preventing Spam Links: If you allow user comments or forum posts on your site, adding nofollow to those links can help discourage spammers who want to improve their own site's ranking.
- Paid Links: If you're featuring paid advertisements or sponsored links, using nofollow ensures you're following search engine rules by not passing on ranking credit.
- Untrusted Content: When you link to content you're not sure about or don't fully trust, the nofollow tag tells search engines not to count that link as an endorsement.
Usage: To use a nofollow link in your website's code, simply add the rel="nofollow" tag to your link. For example:
html
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Link</a>
Impact: Nofollow links don't help the linked site move up in search engine rankings, but they can still be useful for driving traffic and improving user experience. While search engines like Google won't use these links to rank the other site, the links can still bring visitors and visibility.
Using the nofollow tag wisely helps you manage your site's links better and ensures you're following best practices for search engines.