Are nofollow links worthless?

No. They provide brand mention signal, referral traffic, audience exposure, and some indirect ranking signal. Just less direct PageRank than follow links.

Does Google still respect nofollow?

Mostly. Since 2020 Google said nofollow is a 'hint' not a directive. They may pass authority in some cases. For planning, still treat nofollow as zero-PageRank.

Should I ask publishers to remove nofollow?

Rarely succeeds. Most publishers use nofollow by policy; they won't change for one request. Focus on finding sources that default to follow.

Is high nofollow ratio actively penalised?

Not directly. It's a signal of weak link-building. Site won't penalised for nofollow, but will rank lower than a competitor with comparable counts of mostly-follow links.

How to Fix Nofollow-Heavy Backlink Profile

Nofollow links don't pass PageRank but still contribute to brand mention signals (see brand mentions). However, a profile dominated by nofollow links (over ~70%) signals link-building tactics relying on weak sources — wiki edits, comments, social profiles. The fix is diversifying source types toward editorial sites that pass follow links.

1. Healthy follow vs nofollow distribution

For natural editorial profiles:
  Follow: 60-80%
  Nofollow: 20-40%
  
Excessive nofollow indicators:
  - > 70% nofollow = source mix is weak
  - Heavy social profile links (LinkedIn, Twitter — all nofollow)
  - Wiki contributions (all nofollow)
  - Forum signatures (all nofollow)
  - Web 2.0 properties / profile sites (nofollow)
  - Some news/PR services (nofollow as policy)

2. New link attributes

Google's link attributes:

rel="nofollow"            Don't pass authority
rel="sponsored"           Paid or sponsored placement
rel="ugc"                 User-generated content
(no attribute)            Standard follow link, passes authority

Google MAY pass some authority via sponsored/ugc in some cases
(unlike strict nofollow), but treat them similar to nofollow for planning.

3. Identify source-type bias

Audit your backlink profile by source type:
  
  Social profiles (LinkedIn bio, Twitter bio):     100% nofollow
  Wikipedia / wikis:                                100% nofollow
  Forum posts / comments:                           100% nofollow
  News PR wires (some):                            100% nofollow
  Editorial blogs:                                  Usually follow
  Resource pages:                                   Usually follow
  Trade press articles:                             Usually follow
  Industry directories:                             Varies
  Guest posts:                                      Usually follow
  
Your profile percentage = (follow links / total) × 100

4. Build follow-link sources

To shift the ratio, build in editorial categories:

Industry trade publications — bylined articles, expert commentary
Editorial blogs — guest contributions, original research mentions
Resource pages — university, government, association pages
Best-of roundups — inclusion as recommended tool/source
Podcast show notes — most podcasts use follow links
Conference and event pages — usually follow

5. Don't abandon nofollow sources

Nofollow links still help:
  - Brand mentions (see how-to-fix-brand-mentions)
  - Referral traffic
  - Audience exposure
  - Some indirect ranking signal
  
Keep building social, wiki, community presence.
Just add follow sources to balance the mix.

6. Track ratio quarterly

Healthy trajectory:
  Quarter 1: 25% follow
  Quarter 4: 35% follow
  Year 2:    45% follow
  Year 3:    55%+ follow

Gradual shift via consistent editorial outreach.
No sudden spikes (looks unnatural).

💡 Don't obsess over chasing the perfect ratio. A natural mix emerges from genuine activity across many channels. Sites that try to "fix" a nofollow-heavy profile via aggressive editorial link campaigns often build worse profiles (forced-looking patterns). Build broadly and the ratio improves organically.

🔗 Audit link types

Identify follow/nofollow distribution.

Backlinks Guide →