What is a nofollow link?

Nofollow link, explained

There are three values, each for a different reason. Google's documentation says to use rel="sponsored" for ads and paid placements, rel="ugc" for user-generated content such as comments and forum posts, and rel="nofollow" when the other two don't apply and you'd rather Google not associate your site with the linked page or crawl it from yours. You can combine values, like rel="ugc nofollow".

Google says links with these attributes will generally not be followed. They're hints, not hard rules, which is why you'll hear SEOs argue about whether nofollow links "count". The honest answer: don't expect ranking credit from them, but don't treat them as worthless either.

Nofollow links still do useful things. A link on a busy community site sends real visitors. It puts your brand name next to your category in text that people and AI assistants read. And a natural link profile always includes a mix; a site with only followed links looks engineered.

For launches this matters in a specific way. When we checked in September 2026, the website links on Product Hunt product pages carried rel="ugc". That's normal for a platform where users submit listings, and it means a Product Hunt launch is for audience and feedback, not link equity. Several other launch platforms and directories use nofollow on free listings.

On your own site, you should add these attributes too: sponsored on affiliate and paid links, ugc on links in comments or user profiles. Google's link spam policy specifically names paid links that aren't qualified this way.

Why it matters for founders

Knowing the difference stops you paying for a "backlink package" of nofollow links, and it tells you what a given launch platform can and can't do for your SEO. Audience and links are both worth having; just know which one you're getting.

Example

A sponsored newsletter placement links to your site with rel="sponsored". It sends readers but no ranking credit, and it keeps both sites within Google's rules on paid links.

Common mistakes

• Assuming every launch platform gives a followed link. Inspect the rel attribute.
• Selling or buying links without sponsored or nofollow.
• Nofollowing all your own internal links, which hides your pages from crawlers.
• Dismissing a nofollow link from a relevant, busy site. The traffic is real.