Nofollow Attribute Nuance Reminded by Googles John Mueller

Google’s John Mueller recently responded to a tweet about the correct use of nofollow for SEO, shedding light on a technical nuance of the nofollow attribute that was missing from an infographic on the subject. While the infographic was helpful, it failed to emphasize the importance of using the correct rel link element attribute when using nofollow.

Nuances Matter in SEO: The Importance of rel=sponsored and rel=ugc

During a Twitter exchange sparked by an infographic on nofollow, Mueller pointed out that publishers have a choice to be more specific about what kind of nofollow attribute is used. Mueller noted that there is the “sponsored” link element attribute, in addition to the regular nofollow, and choosing to use a rel=”sponsored” nofollow link attribute instead of the plain nofollow attribute provides Google with extra context for the link.

Official Google documentation recommends that publishers use the appropriate versions of the rel link attribute. In the case of sponsored links, Mueller’s tweet echoes Google’s official documentation on sponsored outbound links, which explicitly recommends, rel=”sponsored”.

The nofollow attribute is also commonly recommended for User Generated Content (UGC), which is content posted by third-party readers, such as in blog comments, user reviews, or discussion forums. While there is a warning in the infographic that using UGC links without nofollow could make a publisher “spammy”, Google’s guidelines suggest that publishers simply mark UGC links with a rel=”ugc” attribute, which is optional.

The Big Picture in SEO

There is a lot to take in when it comes to SEO, but it is important to pay attention to technical nuances like rel=”sponsored” and rel=”ugc” to ensure that Google understands the context of your outbound links accurately. By choosing to use the appropriate version of the rel link attribute in your nofollow tags, you can provide Google with extra information about your outbound links and potentially improve your SEO.

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