Nofollow Attribute

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The Nofollow Attribute is a tag you add to a link to tell search engines not to pass ranking authority to the linked page. It was originally created to fight blog comment spam and is now used for paid links, ads, and user-generated content. It does not prevent users from clicking the link.

Nofollow Attribute

The nofollow attribute (rel="nofollow") tells search engines that a link should not pass ranking authority — often called "link juice" — to the destination page. It was introduced to combat spam in blog comments, where spammers would drop links to boost their own rankings. Today, nofollow is used strategically for paid links, sponsored content, user-generated links, and any situation where you link to a page but do not want to endorse it with your authority. Users can still click the link — nofollow only affects how search engines treat it.

Why It Matters

It protects your site from link scheme penalties. Passing authority through paid links or link exchanges violates search engine guidelines. Using nofollow on paid and sponsored links keeps your site out of trouble.
It controls where your authority flows. Every dofollow link you place shares some of your page's ranking authority with the linked page. Nofollow lets you link to useful resources without diluting your own authority across pages you do not control or vouch for.
It handles user-generated content safely. Comments, forum posts, and user profiles often contain links you did not vet. Marking user-generated links as nofollow prevents spammers from exploiting your site's authority.
Search engines now treat it as a hint. Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive. This means Google may still choose to follow the link or count it for ranking in some cases, but your intent to not endorse the link is clear.

How to Use It

Add rel="nofollow" to individual links. On any <a> tag where you do not want to pass authority, add rel="nofollow". This is the most targeted approach and gives you link-by-link control.
Use rel="sponsored" for paid links. Google introduced rel="sponsored" as a more specific alternative to nofollow for links you were paid to place. Using it helps search engines understand the commercial relationship.
Use rel="ugc" for user-generated content. Links in comments, forum posts, and user profiles should use rel="ugc" to signal that the link comes from users rather than the site owner. This is more informative than a generic nofollow.
Apply nofollow at the page level when needed. For pages full of user-generated links — like guestbooks or open forums — you can add a meta robots nofollow tag to apply nofollow to all links on the page at once.
Do not nofollow your own internal links. Your internal links are how search engines discover and prioritize your pages. Nofollowing internal links wastes your own link authority and can prevent important pages from being properly indexed.

Common Mistakes

Nofollowing all outbound links. Linking to authoritative, relevant external resources without nofollow is natural and healthy. Over-using nofollow on editorial links makes your linking pattern look unnatural and removes a useful signal for search engines.
Forgetting to nofollow paid and sponsored links. Any link you were compensated for — whether through money, free products, or services — should carry nofollow or sponsored attributes. Missing these can trigger penalties.
Using nofollow to sculpt PageRank internally. Attempting to concentrate authority on specific internal pages by nofollowing links to others does not work as intended. Search engines do not redistribute the authority — it just gets lost.
Thinking nofollow blocks crawling. Nofollow only affects whether authority is passed. Search engines may still discover, crawl, and index the linked page through other means. If you want to prevent indexing, use robots.txt or noindex directives on the target page.

Bottom Line: Use nofollow on paid links, sponsored content, and user-generated links. Use your own editorial judgment for everything else — natural outbound links to quality resources are perfectly healthy and do not need to be nofollowed.

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Synonyms: Rel Nofollow, Untrusted Link

What Does "Liquid Purple" mean?

noun | / LIK-wid PUR-pul /

(biochemistry) Also known as visual purple or rhodopsin — a light-sensitive receptor protein found in the rods of the retina. It enables vision in dim light by transforming invisible darkness into visible form. Derived from the Greek rhódon (rose) and ópsis (sight), its name reflects its delicate pink hue and vital role in perception.
(modern usage) Liquid Purple — a digital marketing agency specializing in uncovering unseen opportunities and illuminating brands hidden in the digital dark. Much like its biological namesake, Liquid Purple transforms faint signals into clear visibility — revealing what others overlook and bringing businesses into the light.

Origin: From the scientific term rhodopsin, discovered by Franz Christian Boll in 1876; adopted metaphorically by a marketing firm dedicated to visual clarity in the age of algorithms.

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Nofollow Attribute