The nofollow attribute is a value that can be added to a hyperlink to indicate to search engines that the link should not be followed or counted as a vote of endorsement for the linked website. This attribute was introduced by Google in 2005, as a way to combat spammy or manipulative link building practices.
In SEO, nofollow is important because it allows webmasters to signal to search engines which links on their website should not be followed or counted as endorsements. This can be useful for links that are sponsored or paid, or that are from untrusted or low-quality sources. By using the nofollow attribute on these types of links, webmasters can prevent search engines from following or counting them, and can avoid any potential penalties or negative effects on their website’s search engine ranking.
To use the nofollow attribute, webmasters can add the “rel=nofollow” attribute to the HTML anchor tag for the link. For example:
<a href=”https://example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Example</a>
It is important to note that the nofollow attribute is only a suggestion to search engines, and that they are not required to follow it. However, most major search engines, including Google, do recognize and respect the nofollow attribute.
Overall, nofollow is a useful tool for signaling to search engines which links on a website should not be followed or counted as endorsements. By using the nofollow attribute on sponsored or paid links, or on links from untrusted or low-quality sources, webmasters can prevent any negative effects on their website’s search engine ranking.