Nofollow links help SEO indirectly, not directly. Google's documentation says links marked nofollow, sponsored or ugc "will generally not be followed", so they are not a dependable way to pass ranking credit. They still send real visitors, get your pages discovered and make a link profile look normal.
You have a link from a forum thread, a blog comment or a directory, you check it, and the tag says rel="nofollow". Was that a waste of an hour? Not necessarily, but it does not belong in the same column as an editorial link in an article. The rest of this page separates what nofollow links do from what people hope they do.
What does a nofollow link actually tell Google?
A nofollow link tells search engines you are not vouching for the destination. Google documents three values on its page about qualifying outbound links: sponsored for ads and paid placements, ugc for user-generated content such as comments and forum posts, and nofollow for anything else you do not want to endorse.
All three do the same job for ranking purposes. Google says pages linked this way "may still be crawled" if another site or a sitemap points to them, so the tag limits credit, it does not hide the page.
Do nofollow links pass ranking value?
Treat them as passing little or none. The wording "generally not followed" is a guide to expect no credit, and you cannot count on a ranking lift from a link that carries one of these tags.
Third-party tools agree on the practical side. Ahrefs states that if a website links to you only with nofollow links, it will not increase your Domain Rating. If you track a metric like that, nofollow links will not move it. The full comparison is in dofollow vs nofollow links.
What do nofollow links still do for you?
Nofollow links still earn their place for three reasons that have nothing to do with passing PageRank.
They send visitors. A link in a relevant forum answer or a well-read comment thread is read by people who are already interested. One click from the right person is worth more than a followed link nobody sees.
They help pages get discovered. A nofollow link is still a public mention that people and other sites can find and follow, even though Google treats the tag as a limit on credit.
They keep a link profile believable. A real site collects links from many places, and many of them are nofollow by default: social profiles, Wikipedia references, comment sections, sponsored posts. A profile that is 100% followed editorial links looks built. The ratio is explained in what is a nofollow ratio.
When should a link be nofollow?
A link should carry a tag when you got paid, were given something, or cannot vouch for the destination. Google's spam policies list buying or selling links as link spam, with one exception: paid links are fine when marked rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored".
A quick rule for your own pages:
| Situation | Use |
|---|---|
| Paid placement or ad | rel="sponsored" |
| Comment, forum post, profile | rel="ugc" |
| Link you do not want to vouch for | rel="nofollow" |
| Editorial link you chose freely | No tag |
How should you split your time between followed and nofollow links?
Spend the effort on followed, relevant, in-content links, and accept nofollow links as a free bonus. If a nofollow opportunity costs five minutes and reaches your audience, take it. If it costs an afternoon, ask what a followed link in the same time would do.
On Backlinkster, members trade 1-for-1 links that sit inside an article on the partner's own domain, and each swap is verified by API. Those are editorial in-content links, which is the kind you want the bulk of your profile to consist of. See how it works.
Frequently asked questions
Do nofollow links help SEO? Not directly. Google says links with nofollow, sponsored or ugc will generally not be followed, so do not expect ranking credit. They help indirectly through referral traffic, discovery and a more natural link profile.
Are nofollow links good for SEO? They are useful as part of a normal profile, but they are not a substitute for followed editorial links. A site with only nofollow links gets no credit in link-based metrics such as Domain Rating.
Does Google ignore nofollow links completely? Google says the pages they point to "may still be crawled" through other routes, and that links with these tags will generally not be followed. Plan around no credit and treat any benefit as a bonus.
Should I nofollow my own outbound links? Only when you were paid, received a product in exchange, or cannot vouch for the page. Honest editorial links to good sources should stay followed.
Can a nofollow link still send traffic? Yes. Visitors do not see the tag. A link in a relevant discussion can bring readers who convert better than people from a random followed link.
Is it bad to have nofollow links pointing at my site? No. Many legitimate links are nofollow by default, so a profile with some of them looks natural.
The bottom line
Nofollow links will not carry your rankings, and Google's own wording says to expect no credit from them. Take the traffic and visibility they offer, mark paid and user-generated links correctly on your own site, and put the real effort into followed, relevant links.
Related: Dofollow vs nofollow links · What is a nofollow ratio? · How do backlinks work? · Are backlink exchanges safe?