Technical SEO
Nofollow
Nofollow is a `rel` value that signals a site does not want Google to treat a particular link as an ordinary unqualified association with its destination.
What it means
Google treats link-level `nofollow`, `sponsored` and `ugc` as hints about link analysis. The value does not remove the destination from the index, guarantee that it will never be crawled or substitute for `Noindex`; paid and user-supplied relationships have more specific preferred values.
Why it matters
The distinction prevents teams from using a link annotation as an Indexing control and lets them preserve useful references without implying the same relationship as a normal Editorial link.
Example
An article discusses an untrusted source for criticism, links the words “the disputed claim” to it and assigns that anchor the `nofollow` relationship value; the destination may still be discovered elsewhere.
Common mistakes
Do not use nofollow to deindex a page, apply it automatically to every external citation, nofollow normal internal navigation, strip existing sponsored or ugc values or describe the hint as an absolute crawl prohibition.
How AYSA handles this
Signals reviewed
anchor, destination, existing rel values, relationship reason, internal or external scope, indexing intent
Problem AYSA can identify
AYSA can identify nofollow used as a mistaken deindexing control, applied to normal internal navigation or replacing a more specific sponsored or ugc relationship.
Recommendation prepared
The proposal changes only the relevant link annotation and routes any indexing objective to the appropriate separate control.
Approval preview
The user sees the current and proposed `rel` token set, destination, relationship reason and any noindex-versus-nofollow warning.
Execution
AYSA can apply an approved token correction to a supported owned WordPress link without changing the destination or page robots directive.
Verification
Rendered HTML confirms the intended anchor and token set, while the destination and page-level robots behavior are checked separately.
Limits
The value is a hint rather than an absolute instruction and cannot control discovery from other pages, sites or sitemaps.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Central — Qualify outbound links — Official search documentation
- Google Search Central — Evolving nofollow and new link attributes — Official search documentation
- Google Search Central — Link best practices — Official search documentation
Written by Marius Dosinescu. Reviewed by AYSA SEO Editorial Team · 2026-07-28 00:00:00.
Quick answers
Frequently asked questions
Does nofollow prevent a destination from being indexed?
No. The destination may be discovered through other links or sitemaps; use an applicable indexing control on the destination itself.
Are nofollow links completely ignored by Google?
No. Google describes nofollow and the newer relationship values as hints for link analysis.
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