Nofollow internal links are hyperlinks that include the rel="nofollow" attribute, instructing search engines not to pass authority to the linked page. This blog explains when and how to use nofollow links strategically—for managing paid content, duplicate pages, or sensitive information—while highlighting their impact on SEO, user experience, and site structure.
There are situations where limiting how search engines interpret certain links is beneficial. Whether you're managing paid content, preventing duplicate indexing, or refining your site's crawl efficiency, strategic adjustments to your internal linking strategy can make a difference.
In this guide, we’ll explore how a specific type of internal link can help you maintain control over your site's authority flow, improve user experience, and avoid common SEO pitfalls. We’ll also cover best practices for managing these links effectively—whether manually or with automation tools like LinkScout.
Nofollow internal links are hyperlinks on your website that incorporate the rel="nofollow" attribute in their HTML code. Unlike typical internal links, which guide search engines in distributing page authority or "link juice" across your site, nofollow internal links signal to search engines not to consider these links for ranking purposes. This attribute is primarily used to indicate that certain linked content should not influence the ranking of the linked page in the search engine's index.
The nofollow link attribute is implemented using a simple HTML code snippet:
<a href="https://www.example.com/target-page" rel="nofollow">Link Example</a>
In this example, the link text "Link Example" appears as a clickable link for users, but the rel="nofollow" attribute instructs search engines to disregard it for indexing purposes.
Search engine crawlers discover new web pages by following links from established websites. When a crawler encounters a nofollow link, it treats it differently from a standard link. Instead of following the link and indexing the target page, the crawler simply continues its exploration of the current webpage, ignoring the nofollow link for indexing purposes.
There are key SEO reasons why internal linking is so important for website owners. It:
Internal links can be broadly categorized into two types: nofollow and dofollow.
Dofollow links are the default internal links and do not contain the rel="nofollow" attribute. Search engines follow dofollow links and consider them when evaluating the link authority and ranking of the target webpage.
On the other hand, nofollow links instruct search engines to disregard them for indexing purposes. They don't pass full link equity to the target page.
There are several cases where using nofollow internal links can be a strategic SEO and user experience decision. Here are some of the common use cases:
Links in paid advertisements, affiliate marketing placements, or sponsored content often don't deserve to inherit link equity from your website. Nofollowing these links prevents them from influencing the SEO value of the linked pages, which ensures that the link equity from your website is distributed to your most valuable content.
You might have duplicate content pages (e.g., printer-friendly versions) or pages with minimal SEO value (e.g., login pages, privacy policy pages, 404 error pages). Nofollowing links to these pages prevents them from diluting the link equity of your more important website content and redirects the link equity flow toward your core pages.
Links leading to private user accounts, account login pages, or other sensitive content on your website should generally be nofollowed. Nofollowing these links discourages search engines from indexing these pages, which may contain sensitive user information.
If a particular page on your website is resource-intensive and slows down the crawling process for search engines, you can nofollow links to that page. This can help to prioritize the crawling of other, more important pages on your website.
During website development or testing phases, you might have temporary pages or staging environments. Nofollowing links to these pages prevents them from being indexed and potentially impacting your website's search engine rankings. Once the testing or development phase is complete, you can remove the nofollow attribute.
Although nofollow internal links have their place, here are some instances where you should generally avoid using them:
Essential navigation elements like your main menu, footer links, and breadcrumb trails are crucial for user experience and website structure. Nofollowing these links can disrupt user flow, hinder search engine crawlers from understanding your site's architecture, and even harm your SEO performance.
If a particular page is crucial for your SEO goals (e.g., your homepage, high-value product pages, pillar content), you should generally avoid nofollowing links pointing toward it. Nofollowing these links can prevent them from receiving the necessary link equity to rank well in search results.
A well-structured internal linking system helps search engines understand page relationships, but excessive nofollow links can obscure this structure, complicating content indexing. Although nofollow links are not followed for indexing, they can still be discovered through other methods, which means their impact on internal linking should be carefully considered.
While nofollow internal links primarily instruct search engines to disregard them for indexing purposes, they can have indirect effects on your website's search engine rankings.
Crawlers rely on links to discover new pages. When they encounter several nofollow links, they may spend more time crawling irrelevant or low-value pages, potentially delaying the discovery and indexing of your most important content.
Slower indexing times can negatively impact your website's visibility in search results, as search engines may take longer to understand and rank your pages.
Internal links play a crucial role in distributing PageRank (link equity) throughout your website. PageRank is a metric used by search engines to determine the importance and authority of a webpage.
When you set internal links to nofollow, you prevent the linked pages from receiving this valuable link equity. This can hinder the ability of lower-authority pages to benefit from the authority of higher-authority pages within your website, potentially limiting their ranking potential.
A well-structured internal linking architecture helps search engines understand the relationships between different pages on your website. This includes the hierarchy of pages, the importance of specific pages, and the overall flow of information.
Overusing nofollow links can disrupt this structure, making it more difficult for search engines to understand your website's architecture and potentially negatively impacting how they rank your pages.
While nofollow links are designed to prevent search engines from following them for indexing purposes, they don't guarantee that a page won't be indexed. Search engines may still discover and index a page through other means, such as sitemaps, external links, or user searches.
Even if a page is linked to with nofollow attributes, it can still appear in search results if search engines discover it through other channels.
Other than the search engine behavior, nofollow internal links can also have consequences for user experience. It's essential to consider how these links might affect visitors' interaction with your website.
Nofollow attributes are invisible to users. When you nofollow a link that appears to be a crucial part of your website's navigation (e.g., in the main menu or footer), users might expect that clicking it will take them to the intended destination.
If a nofollowed link doesn't function as expected, it can create confusion and frustration for users, which can lead to a negative user experience.
Nofollowing links to key pages in a user's journey—such as linking from a product page to a related product—can create unnecessary barriers, making it harder for visitors to navigate your site.
This disruption may reduce engagement, increase bounce rates, and prevent users from discovering relevant content that could drive conversions.
Finding the right balance between optimizing your website for search engines and providing a seamless user experience is crucial.
While nofollowing certain links might be beneficial for SEO, it's important to prioritize user needs and avoid implementing nofollow links that negatively impact navigation or hinder user flow. Ultimately, the user experience should always be the top priority.
Identifying nofollow internal links on your website can be crucial for optimizing your SEO and user experience. Here are a few methods to find these links:
By manually reviewing your website's code, you can effectively identify nofollow links. You can use a text editor or your website's CMS to inspect the HTML code of each page and look for the rel="nofollow" attribute within the <a> tag. While this method can be accurate, it's not practical for large websites with several pages.
Several SEO tools can help you identify nofollow internal links on your website. These tools typically crawl your website, analyze the HTML code, and provide reports on the presence of nofollow attributes within internal links. Some popular SEO tools that offer this functionality include:
For larger websites, manually managing nofollow links becomes impractical, making automation essential for maintaining a strong SEO strategy and optimizing user experience. While LinkScout is designed to automate internal linking, its intelligent link analysis tools can also help identify and manage nofollow links more efficiently. Here’s how it supports your efforts:
These best practices will help you use nofollow internal links effectively and maximize their impact on your website’s SEO and user experience:
Managing nofollow internal links well means using them wisely to improve your site's SEO and user experience. This means making sure these links are used only when needed, keeping the flow of page authority smooth across your site.
By carefully choosing which pages get nofollow, you help search engines pay attention to the important parts of your site, instead of getting distracted by less crucial content.
Regular audits of internal links are essential to maintain a healthy website linking strategy. By frequently reviewing your links, you can identify and correct any nofollow attributes that may inadvertently hamper the distribution of link juice or search engine ranking effectiveness.
This proactive approach ensures that all internal links are optimized to support the site's SEO objectives, enhancing both search visibility and user experience.
Combining nofollow with other attributes, such as “nofollow noreferrer” or “noindex,” can enhance precision in link management. These combinations can specify not only how search engines should perceive a link but also how users should experience it.
By strategically merging attributes, you improve both SEO outcomes and user interactions, ensuring links remain functional yet properly influenced by search engine protocols.
Automation enhances efficiency in managing nofollow links and frees you from manual tasks. Tools like LinkScout provide automation that simplifies your internal link strategy and offers precise control over link management. Using LinkScout helps optimally distribute link equity while maintaining user experience standards.
Optimizing your website's internal linking structure requires a strategic approach to nofollow links. By following the best practices outlined above, you can ensure that nofollow links are used effectively to enhance SEO and user experience.
LinkScout empowers you to take complete control over your internal linking strategy with its industry-leading features:
Stop wasting time manually managing nofollow links. Sign up for a free LinkScout trial today and take control of your website's internal linking!
Internal links play a crucial role in UX and SEO, guiding users through your content while helping search engines understand your site structure. In most cases, these links strengthen your pages by passing authority and improving rankings. However, not all internal links should function this way.
Experience the power of AI-driven automated internal linking.
Sign up for a free account and see the results for yourself.
Automate internal SEO links for your content
Copyright © 2025 LinkScout
