Nofollow and Follow Links SEO Moz Case Study
Nofollow links signal search engines not to pass ranking credit, while follow links pass link equity, but since 2020 Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive.
If you treat all nofollow links as worthless, you ignore their referral traffic, discovery value, and the editorial link-building strategies Moz demonstrates in its case studies.
Key points
- Aim for a natural mix of follow and nofollow links in your profile, as Moz advises.
- Use nofollow for paid or sponsored links, and follow links for earned editorial links.
- Nofollow links can drive referral traffic and brand exposure, so never dismiss them.
- Anchor text should be natural and varied; avoid over-optimising anchor text patterns.
- Blogger outreach and PR link building should target authoritative, relevant pages to earn links.
A blogger outreach campaign that earned links from nofollow sources
A small e-commerce site ran a blogger outreach campaign for a new product. They earned 50 backlinks: 20 follow, 30 nofollow. The nofollow links came from high-traffic blogs and drove 1,200 referral visits in the first month. Although no ranking credit passed, the traffic and brand visibility led to two top-tier editorial links (follow) from major publications within three months.
Three common mistakes when handling nofollow links
- Treating all nofollow links as useless Many practitioners ignore nofollow links entirely, but they still drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and can lead to follow links later.
- Applying nofollow to every outbound link Using nofollow without a clear reason dilutes the natural link profile; instead, reserve it for paid, untrusted, or policy-sensitive links.
- Assuming nofollow is a hard block Since 2020 Google treats nofollow as a hint, meaning it may still choose to use the link for crawling or ranking purposes in some contexts.
Three ways nofollow links still matter
- Driving referral traffic Nofollow links from authoritative sites can send significant traffic, especially if the link is contextually relevant and placed in a high-visibility location.
- Increasing brand exposure Even without passing ranking credit, nofollow links expose your brand to new audiences, building trust and recognition that may earn follow links organically.
- Influencing ranking as a hint Google may use nofollow links to discover new pages, and if the link passes editorial relevance, it could still contribute to ranking signals indirectly.
Common questions
Are nofollow links completely useless for SEO?
No, they drive referral traffic and can still influence ranking as a hint since 2020, so they are valuable for overall visibility.
What does Moz recommend for link building?
Earn links editorially, avoid buying links, and aim for a natural link profile with both follow and nofollow links.
How does Google treat nofollow after 2020?
As a hint, not a directive; it may choose to use the link for ranking or crawling based on context.
Sources
- Moz - The Hidden Power of Nofollow Links Explains why nofollow links still matter for traffic and discovery.
- Moz - The Beginner's Guide to SEO: Link Building Covers editorial link building and natural link profile best practices.
- Google Search Central Official Google guidance on link attributes, including nofollow as a hint.