In HTML every link is \"dofollow\" by default β Google counts it as a ranking signal and the source site passes part of its authority to the linked site. But sometimes a site owner wants to tell Google \"don't count this link as a ranking signal\" β that is what the \"nofollow\" attribute is for. This small attribute plays a big role in SEO and using it correctly seriously shapes your strategy.
The history of nofollow and why it appeared
The nofollow attribute was introduced in 2005 jointly by Google, Yahoo and MSN. The main goal was to stop blog comment spam. At the time spammers were filling blogs with thousands of spam comments, each linking to a spam site that could rank easily. Nofollow on comments made those links \"uncountable\" and blocked that artificial ranking route.
Over time nofollow began to be used in other contexts: ad links, sponsored placements, user-generated content, and any other links whose authority the owner did not want to vouch for. In 2019 Google declared nofollow a \"hint\" rather than a \"directive\" β Google may now count some nofollow links in ranking if the context is logical.
Technical implementation
In HTML nofollow looks like this: <a href=\"https://example.com\" rel=\"nofollow\">link text</a>. The key is the rel=\"nofollow\" attribute. After adding it, search engines treat the link differently from a normal dofollow.
The easiest way to see is to open DevTools and inspect the link element. If the rel attribute contains nofollow, ugc or sponsored, the link is not dofollow. Another way β extensions like MozBar or NoFollow for Chrome highlight dofollow and nofollow links in different colours automatically.
When to use nofollow
The first and most important case is sponsored or paid ad links. If you take money to link to someone's site or product, that link must be nofollow (or per Google's 2019 guidance, rel=\"sponsored\"). It is an official Google rule and violating it can lead to a penalty.
The second case is user-generated content (UGC): blog comments, forum posts, links in user profiles β all should be nofollow (or the new rel=\"ugc\"). It shows that as the site owner you don't control those links. The third β links to low-quality or questionable sources you cite for context but don't want to vouch for.
When to keep dofollow
A dofollow link passes your site's authority to the linked one. Use it for trustworthy, quality, on-topic sites. For example, citing a statistic in a blog post with a link to its source β make it dofollow. As the site owner you are affirming \"this source is reliable\".
It is also good to use dofollow for external authors and experts. The personal site of a guest author, the LinkedIn of an expert you interviewed β use dofollow. It rewards them and makes them more willing to work with you again.
Nofollow and SEO impact
Do nofollow links really give no SEO benefit? Before 2019 the answer was clear β nofollow was not counted. After 2019 Google announced nofollow as a hint, not a rule. So Google may count some nofollow links if the context is logical.
What that means: you can still get a little benefit from sites that put nofollow on links to you. But the core difference remains β dofollow is a stronger signal. Plan your strategy: dofollow is the priority in campaigns, but nofollow also brings traffic and brand awareness worth pursuing.
Practical advice for a nofollow strategy
Think about your internal links. Pages like login, register, search results, and cart benefit from nofollow or noindex because they don't belong in the index and waste crawl budget. For external links, decide case by case β quality and reliable source means dofollow, sketchy or sponsored means nofollow.
Also important β when authoritative sites (Forbes, BBC, Wikipedia) give you nofollow links, don't refuse. They are still useful for brand awareness, traffic and follow-on natural mentions. The strategy should be \"quality sources\", not \"only dofollow\".
Sayt.uz nofollow strategy
Sayt.uz blog posts follow clear rules for external links. Citations to trusted sources (Google's official docs, Mozilla Developer Network, Wikipedia) are dofollow. This signals to Google \"we endorse these sources\" and reinforces our expert presence.
Internal links are almost all dofollow, except for /login, /register, /search, /cabinet which are nofollow or noindex. There are no user comments yet, but if added in the future they will automatically get rel=\"ugc\". This fully complies with Google's guidelines and presents the site as a clean professional resource.