Glossary /Authority & off-page
nofollow
A link attribute signalling that a site does not vouch for the destination, now treated as a hint rather than a directive.
rel="nofollow" was introduced to let sites link somewhere without endorsing it, originally to defuse comment spam. Since 2019 Google treats it as a hint it may disregard, alongside two more specific values: rel="sponsored" for paid or affiliate links and rel="ugc" for user-generated content.
Paid and sponsored links must carry one of these. Undisclosed paid links that pass signals are a link scheme by the engines’ definition, and the attribute is what makes a legitimate commercial arrangement legitimate rather than a violation.
A nofollowed link is not a wasted link. It still sends visitors, still gets seen, and still contributes to the pattern of mentions that engines and assistants read as corroboration — which matters more now that being cited is a goal in itself.