The three rel values#
| Attribute | Use for |
|---|---|
rel="sponsored" |
Paid links, affiliate links, advertisements and sponsorships |
rel="ugc" |
User-generated content like comments and forum posts |
rel="nofollow" |
Any other link you don’t want to endorse |
Since 2019–2020, Google treats these as hints: it may still use them for discovery or ranking understanding.
When to use them#
- Always mark paid or affiliate links as sponsored — it’s required by Google’s guidelines.
- Comments and forums: WordPress adds
nofollow ugcto comment links automatically. - Links to sources you don’t trust but need to reference.
Don’t nofollow your own internal links — it only blocks signals within your site.
Do nofollow backlinks have value?#
They typically pass less ranking value, but they can still send referral traffic, build brand awareness and lead to followed links when others discover your content. A natural backlink profile contains a mix of both.