There's a lot of confusion about link attributes. Some people dismiss nofollow links entirely—waste of time, they say, Google ignores them completely. Others treat them as nearly equivalent to dofollow links. The truth sits somewhere in the middle, and it's shifted over the years.

Let's cut through the noise and talk about what these attributes actually mean for your rankings in 2026.

A Quick Refresher on What These Attributes Are

If you already know the basics, skip ahead. For everyone else:

Dofollow is the default state of a link. No special attribute needed. These links pass PageRank and are fully counted by Google for ranking purposes. When people talk about wanting 'backlinks,' they usually mean dofollow links. We've explained what dofollow backlinks are and why they matter in more detail elsewhere.

Nofollow (rel='nofollow') was introduced in 2005 to combat comment spam. It tells search engines: don't pass PageRank through this link. Originally, Google treated this as a directive—they simply wouldn't follow or count these links.

Sponsored (rel='sponsored') was introduced in 2019 specifically for paid or sponsored links. Google wants to know when money changed hands for a link placement.

UGC (rel='ugc') was also introduced in 2019 for user-generated content—comments, forum posts, anything submitted by users rather than the site owner.

The 2019 Shift: From Directive to Hint

Here's where things get interesting. In 2019, Google announced a major change: nofollow would become a 'hint' rather than a directive.

What does that mean practically? Google now reserves the right to crawl, index, and potentially count nofollow links when they believe it's appropriate. The attribute is no longer an absolute instruction that Google must obey—it's a suggestion they can override.

Google's stated reasoning was that nofollow links often contain valuable signals they were missing by ignoring them entirely. A nofollow link from a major news site, for instance, might still indicate that the linked content is noteworthy.

This change was significant because it opened the door to nofollow links having ranking value—something that was explicitly not the case before 2019.

What We Actually Observe in Practice

Google's public statements are one thing. What actually happens in search results is another. Here's what years of observation suggest:

Dofollow links remain significantly more valuable. This hasn't changed. If you're choosing between a dofollow and nofollow link from similar sites, the dofollow link will almost always contribute more to rankings. The ranking value isn't equal, and anyone claiming otherwise is selling something.

Nofollow links from high-authority sites appear to have some effect. A nofollow link from The New York Times or Wikipedia seems to correlate with ranking improvements more than it should if these links were truly ignored. Whether this is direct ranking value or indirect effects (more on that below) is debatable.

Nofollow links from low-authority sites appear to do very little. A nofollow link from a random blog comment or forum signature doesn't seem to move the needle. If Google is selectively counting nofollow links, they're being selective about which ones.

The sponsored and UGC attributes behave similarly to nofollow. There's no evidence that Google treats these differently from nofollow in terms of ranking impact. They're primarily classification tools for Google's understanding, not distinct ranking signals.

The Indirect Value of Nofollow Links

Even if nofollow links passed zero direct ranking value, they'd still be worth having. Here's why:

Referral traffic. A nofollow link still sends visitors. Traffic from a relevant, high-traffic site can drive sales, signups, and brand awareness regardless of the link attribute.

Brand exposure and recognition. Being mentioned on major platforms builds credibility. People see your brand, remember it, search for it later. These branded searches are their own ranking signal.

Secondary link acquisition. Exposure from nofollow links often leads to dofollow links. Someone sees you mentioned on Wikipedia, writes about you on their blog with a dofollow link. The nofollow link was the catalyst.

Natural link profile diversity. A profile with only dofollow links looks manipulated. Real sites accumulate nofollow links naturally—social media mentions, forum discussions, Wikipedia references. Having them makes your overall profile look more legitimate.

Where Different Link Types Commonly Appear

Understanding where these attributes are typically used helps you set realistic expectations:

Social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) all use nofollow on external links. Every social share is nofollow. We've discussed how social media contributes to link building—it's not about direct link value.

Wikipedia and major reference sites use nofollow on all external links. A Wikipedia mention is valuable for credibility and traffic, not PageRank.

Major news publications vary. Some use nofollow by default, some don't. Many have moved to nofollow in recent years to avoid being seen as selling links.

Guest posts on legitimate sites increasingly use nofollow or sponsored attributes, especially if there's any payment involved. The days of easy dofollow guest post links from quality sites are largely over—which is partly why PBN links remain effective for direct ranking power.

Forum and community sites typically use nofollow or UGC on user-submitted links. Reddit, Quora, and most forums fall into this category.

Blog comments are almost universally nofollow on any well-maintained site. Comment link building for SEO has been dead for years.

Should You Actively Pursue Nofollow Links?

This depends on what you're optimising for.

If your primary goal is ranking improvement with limited budget, focus on dofollow links. They deliver more direct value per pound spent. Don't ignore nofollow entirely, but don't prioritise it either.

If you're building a brand long-term, nofollow links from prestigious sources are valuable. A mention in Forbes or a Wikipedia entry contributes to credibility even without direct ranking benefit. These opportunities are worth pursuing when they arise.

If you're trying to build a natural-looking profile, mix is important. A site with 100% dofollow links raises questions. Acquiring some nofollow links naturally—through social activity, community participation, and PR—makes your overall profile more defensible.

The Practical Reality for Most Sites

For most sites doing active link building, here's a sensible approach:

Prioritise dofollow links for your paid or actively built links. When you're investing money or significant effort, you want maximum ranking impact. This is where PBN links, quality guest posts with dofollow, and niche edits come in.

Accept nofollow links as part of natural growth. Don't turn down a mention in a major publication because it's nofollow. Don't avoid social media because the links don't pass PageRank. These contribute to a healthy overall presence.

Don't pay premium prices for nofollow links. If someone's charging you for a link and it's nofollow, the value proposition is much weaker. The exception might be extremely high-profile placements where the traffic and credibility justify the cost independent of SEO value.

Check what you're getting. Before buying any link, verify whether it's dofollow or nofollow. Legitimate sellers are transparent about this. If someone's vague or evasive, that's a red flag. All our backlink products clearly specify what type of links you're getting.

The Bottom Line

Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links are not worthless. They contribute to traffic, brand building, and profile naturalness. There's evidence they may pass some ranking value, especially from authoritative sources.

But they're also not equivalent to dofollow links. The ranking impact is demonstrably lower. If you're building links specifically for SEO, dofollow should remain your priority.

Don't obsess over the distinction to the point of missing opportunities. A nofollow link from a site your audience reads is worth more than a dofollow link from a site nobody visits. Context matters. But when all else is equal, dofollow wins.