If rankings feel stuck and link equity never quite lands, the culprit is often simple. Your site uses the wrong attribute on the wrong link. The internet calls it the do follow tag, but there is no special tag at all. A standard link is followed by default. What matters is when you add rel values such as nofollow, sponsored, or ugc. You can align the team quickly with Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links.
You will get copy-paste HTML examples, a seven step audit you can run this afternoon, and practical notes for WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow. We will also clear up confusion around follow no follow links, affiliate programs, and user generated content so your policy is easy to defend. If you want help turning this into safe, editorial placements at scale, OutreachFrog runs manual outreach on real publishers with transparent reporting.
Before labels, align on quality. When editors and devs evaluate the same signals, decisions get faster. For a quick reset, many teams use a practical guide to judging backlink quality to set expectations for context and anchors.
Definitions that match how the web really works
A standard anchor is already a followed link:
<a href="https://example.com">Example</a>
You change that default when you add a rel attribute. Google outlines when to mark links as sponsored, ugc, or nofollow in the page on qualifying outbound links. If you want a larger view of link categories before you dive in, scan a clear map of backlink types and apply the labels here with confidence.
How search engines treat link attributes today
Google treats nofollow, sponsored, and ugc as hints that inform crawling, indexing, and ranking. That change means you should label links accurately rather than suppress everything with blanket rules. If money or material benefit changes hands, use sponsored. If a user posted it, use ugc. If you cite something you cannot endorse, use nofollow. Everything else remains followed by default. The policy and rationale are detailed in Google’s update on Evolving “nofollow”.
Two practical implications:
- Treat attributes as classification, not a switch that blocks PageRank.
- Do not use nofollow to control crawling or indexing. When a page should not appear in results, use page level controls such as the robots meta tag.
Dofollow vs nofollow vs sponsored vs UGC at a glance
- Followed is the default for editorial links you stand behind.
- Nofollow fits references you cannot endorse.
- Sponsored covers any compensated placement, including affiliates tied to exposure.
- UGC labels links created by users in comments, forums, or community profiles.
- Values can be combined, since the rel attribute accepts space separated tokens.
Copy-paste examples you can trust
Normal followed link
<a href="https://example.com/how-to-choose">How to choose</a>
Paid placement
<a href="https://partner-brand.com/pricing" rel="sponsored">Partner brand</a>
User generated content
<a href="https://userdomain.example/recommendation" rel="ugc">User recommendation</a>
Untrusted reference
<a href="https://randomtool.example" rel="nofollow">Random tool</a>
Combined when paid and unendorsed
<a href="https://promo.example" rel="sponsored nofollow">Promotional link</a>
Misuses that quietly cost you traffic
Nofollowing internal navigation or contextual paths
Aggressive plugin defaults sometimes add nofollow to menus, breadcrumbs, or key contextual links. This weakens structure and slows discovery.
Using nofollow on compensated placements that should be sponsored
If a product sample or affiliate commission influences placement, classify it as sponsored. Add nofollow only when you cannot endorse the destination.
Blanket nofollow on sidebars and widgets
Some CMS plugins apply nofollow to whole blocks. If those blocks hold important internal paths, authority leaks. You can avoid false steps by circulating risk patterns that lead to penalties so reviewers catch problems before they ship.
Mixing up nofollow with crawling or indexing
nofollow is not a replacement for robots controls. When a page should not appear in results, rely on page level directives like the robots meta tag.
Fixes: a practical audit and remediation workflow
You can catch most issues with one focused hour. Treat this as a loop you run after big releases or plugin changes.
Export
Run a crawl or export links from your CMS. Capture source URL, destination, anchor, and current rel values.
Classify
Separate internal and external links. Group by rel pattern. Flag internal links that carry nofollow.
Identify over-optimization
Look for high traffic pages where internal links are labeled nofollow. Check sidebars, footers, and reusable components that might add attributes automatically.
Check context and relevance
Review affiliate and partner links. Anything that looks compensated should move to rel="sponsored". If a link cannot be endorsed, add nofollow on top of sponsored as needed.
Benchmark
Record impressions and clicks for a small set of important pages in Search Console.
Replace or rebalance
Update templates, partials, and link components so they emit the correct rel values. Ship changes in batches and log what changed.
Monitor and iterate
Re crawl. Spot check the same pages. Confirm that internal links are followed and that compensated links are clearly labeled. Keep momentum with a plan that routes authority to priority pages.
CMS and component-level implementation notes
WordPress
Block Editor toggles often add nofollow. Limit that to outbound links you cannot vouch for. Classic Editor plugins sometimes apply nofollow by default. Audit widget, menu, and comment settings. Standardize one link helper that accepts a rel prop so editors cannot add the wrong value.
Shopify
Inspect Liquid snippets for menus, breadcrumbs, product recommendations, and blog sidebars. Internal links should be clean. Affiliate or partner placements should be labeled sponsored. Some review or affiliate apps add attributes automatically. Test on a staging theme first.
Webflow
Rich text makes linking fast. Share a short style note that sponsored placements need rel="sponsored". Webflow supports custom attributes on links. Document where to add rel values when needed.
Component libraries
If your site uses React, Vue, or another framework, enforce a single link component that exposes rel, target, and sanitation. Keep rules near the component to avoid repetition.
Internal links deserve to be followed
Internal links communicate structure to readers and crawlers. When those paths are followed, authority flows to the right places and your topical map remains coherent.
- Keep important internal links followed and placed inside natural sentences.
- If a page should not rank, adjust navigation or apply page level controls.
- Write anchors that sound like normal language. For a quick model, skim writing anchors that feel human and keep that tone as your default.
Sponsored, UGC, and disclosure that editors accept
Any link that exists because of compensation should be labeled sponsored. Be clear and consistent. Classify affiliates and promotional partnerships under the same umbrella.
User areas deserve ugc. That includes comments, forum posts, and community profiles. You can still allow followed links for trusted users or specific whitelists, but make that an explicit policy and document it.
Add a concise disclosure near the placement:
Some links on this page may be affiliate links which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase. We only feature products that meet our editorial standards.
Tool stack for “follow vs nofollow” checks
Use a site crawler to export links with rel values at scale, a browser extension to highlight nofollow for quick spot checks, and Search Console to monitor which pages gain or lose impressions and clicks after you adjust templates. A simple CMS export helps you catch pattern issues where templates are fine but content rules drifted.
Thirty minute triage checklist
- Open your top landing pages by organic clicks and confirm internal links in the first two sections are followed.
- Run a light crawl of the top fifty URLs and sort for internal links where rel includes nofollow.
- Update the smallest number of templates or partials to remove unintended attributes. Standardize affiliates to sponsored. Add nofollow only when you cannot endorse the destination.
Clear labels, safer growth, stronger results
Clean labeling protects rankings. It protects legal teams. It respects readers. The win is not a loophole. The win is a site where editorial links are followed by default, compensated links are labeled sponsored, user links are labeled ugc, and truly untrusted references carry nofollow. That balance keeps your map of the web honest and keeps equity flowing to the right places.
If you want expert hands, you can book a planning call to map goals, anchors, and guardrails, or start a managed SEO program and have our team implement a safe, editorial outreach plan with the policy above baked in.
