What is “Nofollow” in WordPress?

In the context of websites and SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the term Nofollow refers to a value that can be assigned to the rel attribute of an HTML a tag (or hyperlink). When this value is used, it tells search engines not to follow the link, and that the hyperlink should not influence the ranking of the linked page in the search engine’s index.

Why is Nofollow important?

Nofollow has significant implications, especially for SEO:

• Controlling the flow of PageRank: Originally, “Nofollow” was introduced by Google to help webmasters prevent spammy links in comments and to control the flow of PageRank to external sites. By marking a link as nofollow, the site owner can ensure that they aren’t passing on ranking credit to external links.
• Avoiding penalties: Websites can get penalized by search engines for engaging in unethical link schemes. Using nofollow on paid links or other links that might be considered part of a scheme can help site owners avoid potential penalties.
• Directing search engine behavior: In certain cases, you might not want search engines to follow or give credit to links, like when linking to login pages or private areas of your site.

How to use Nofollow in WordPress?

In WordPress, you can easily add the nofollow attribute to any link:

1. When adding a link using the post editor, click on the link options (usually represented by a gear icon).
2. There, you can toggle on or off the “nofollow” option before inserting the link into your post.

If you want to add Nofollow to an existing link in your post or page, you can edit the HTML directly and add rel="nofollow" to the specific link tag.

Nofollow Plugins for WordPress

There are several plugins available in the WordPress repository that can help you manage and automatically add nofollow attributes to specific types of links, like external links or links in comments. Using plugins can make the process more efficient, especially for larger websites or for users who might not be comfortable editing HTML directly.

Conclusion

Understanding the Nofollow attribute is crucial for website owners and SEO enthusiasts. It offers a way to control how search engines interact with the links on your site and can be a vital tool in optimizing your site’s search engine performance. In WordPress, implementing nofollow is straightforward, and with the plethora of plugins available, even more complex requirements can be met easily.