9 Facts About Nofollow Backlinks: Are They Good for SEO?
In this article, I share nine facts about Nofollow backlinks which are good for SEO. I discuss Why Nofollow is actually good for your website.
Do you flinch when you come across SEO and nofollow in the same sentence?
Do nofollow backlinks seem a little unfair to you? Ever thought of sharing some love with nofollow links too? So you really feel that nofollow links are bad and a passing fad?
Yes or No!! The answer would vary from one to another.
Here, we throw some light on how NoFollow Backlinks can be good from an SEO point of view. SEO has come a long way. There is a need to thoroughly understand and analyze old and new SEO tactics. All this is needed before categorizing them as responsive or unresponsive one.
What is a NoFollow Link?
Links are an integral factor in Google’s ranking algorithm and are similar to votes. Linking to a website means that you are voting for the quality it holds. However, if you do not wish to vote in favor then you add the NoFollow attribute. A NoFollow link is one that does not vow for the site it is linking to or does not pass equity.
The year 2005 introduced the concept of NoFollow attribute to combat link spam. It facilitated Google in differentiating between natural and paid links. It served as protection for sites from the ones creating unnatural anchor text profiles using backlinks. As on date, this attribute is pretty common among major publishers. This is due to the fear of web spam that can influence Google rankings.
Following are nine facts in support of NoFollow Backlinks proving to be good for SEO:
1. Establishing Trust with Google
2. Building Awareness
3. Augmented Brand Mentions
4. Better Than Nothing
5. Much More Than Google
6. NoFollow Backlinks Are Natural
7. Creates Juice if from Authoritative Websites
8. Traffic is traffic
9. Tricks to Make NoFollow Links Benefit Your SEO
1. Establishing Trust with Google
How about waving in at Google to let it know you are in business? Sounds good! Even if the nofollow links seem to be pointless still they keep on reminding Google of your existence. Almost every business has a marketing budget wherein you buy ads to strengthen your position in the market.
Nofollow links explain about your ad content to Google that shows Google way towards your anchor text. This helps in assessing relevance. This prompts Google to assign the deserved credit against the trap of unnatural backlink profile. In all, it allows trust building between you and Google who would proceed ahead and mark a website or a business as an unnatural profile in the absence of nofollow backlinks.
2. Building Awareness
Links are critical for creating and raising awareness about your brand and business among masses. Link building is similar to online networking that is crucial for boosting your website traffic. Links are proof to back up what you say and want to explain in more details. They can be helpful in directing someone towards any specific product or service that you want to show to the audience.
Nofollow links come in handy. Brand awareness requires a link that is seen but not necessarily followed by the audience. For instance, people post numerous links with catchy headlines and titles on Facebook and Twitter. This makes the audience follow the pages without even having to read the entire content. It leaves an impact at the back of the visitor’s mind that can, at a later stage, convince him/her to go back and check the page.
3. Augmented Brand Mentions
Google considers nofollow links as implied links since the nofollow links are always escorted by brand mentions. Hence, they can be taken as the next best thing to having an actual link. Measuring the data and impact, brand mentions have and can have is not clear. However, nofollow links definitely do not hurt your brand and brand awareness campaign in any way.
Nofollow links are effectual as far as local search is concerned. All this especially when name, addresses, phone number are mentioned that can give a boost to your search engine ranking as well. This is likely to contribute to your overall SEO plan in an effective and positive manner.
4. Better Than Nothing
Don’t have any link? Then you should have. Having a nofollow link against a zero link situation is definitely preferred. It gives a chance to connect with the author thereby leading your way to more opportunities around. NoFollow backlinks can also get you mentioned on reputable websites. It can further attract guest posts. All-in-all it can get a new user to your business website.
Having a backlink on the right website in the right place can help in traffic, exposure and brand awareness. All this, in addition to increasing the general network and social media audience. This is an ideal way of lead generation for times to come. Since prospective clients are concerned not about the type of links but focus on anything that meets their expectations and needs.
5. Much More Than Google
Do not be misled by the fact that Google is everything rather there is much more than it. Page Authority and Alexa Rank are some other metrics. These are used for evaluating your website’s potential not at all affecting Google rankings. These services apart from Google count nofollow link too. All this, in addition to other links while calculating metrics. This ultimately helps improvise your overall website authority developing further opportunities too.
Therefore, blindly following what others are saying and is prevalent is not going to solve your purpose of enhancing your SEO campaign making the best use of nofollow links. Be wise and research well before considering Google to be the beginning and end of all.
6. NoFollow Backlinks Are Natural
Google leads the online world. Especially when it is about strengthening your brand online and making your SEO campaign an effective one. Focusing on what Google needs, it is integral to have nofollow links as well on a real website. To keep it favorable, it is advisable to have a realistic balance between both nofollow and dofollow links to stay in Google good books. The sites that try to manipulate are more likely to get penalized or punished.
Merely concentrating on having too many dofollow links is something that Google would not buy. Further for your SEO plan to be effective, maintaining a balance is significant. Also one should not forget that there is a bleak chance of following shortcuts paying off. Hence, creating the right mix of dofollow and nofollow links really works. It represents that you exist and are part of the game abiding by the rules of the game.
7. Creates Juice if from Authoritative Websites
Link juice is a term known to the SEO expert well. It refers to the value created by lots of backlinks. Pondering why is this significant or say is it still relevant? Yes, it is. The reason is the algorithms of search engines becoming more and more complicated with every passing day. The frequency and placement of nofollow links have proven to have an impact on the page ranking calculations in entirety. This becomes more significant when we talk about authoritative websites.
It is considered that having a nofollow backlink is kind of similar to planting a seed. A seed that can blossom into a flower in the future. The right number of nofollow links especially from authoritative websites is a latent pathway that can prove advantageous for your brand sometime soon.
8. Traffic is traffic
One of the main aims of SEO is to generate more traffic to the websites. However, having something in place that can bring in traffic without having a significant impact on SEO, is not bad. Link building is one such way wherein opportunities are created and the audience engaged. The process goes as:
Links > Traffic > Engagement > Profit
This way a nofollow link can even turn into a dofollow link. Thereby, eventually improving your search engine rankings. While we take into consideration nofollow backlink, the referral traffic coming from them is a favorable outcome.
9. Tricks to Make NoFollow Links Benefit Your SEO
Finally, in addition to what has been discussed above, one must take into consideration the below points.
All this in order to maximize the overall SEO value:
- While we talk about nofollow links, the advantages of keywords, anchor text and SEO are not actually relative. Hence, the link should be made such it is engaging, clear and encouraging. The one that is enough to trigger further investigation. In order to convince people to visit your website directly.
- Mentioning your brand or business in nofollow link is a must. It can give a boost to authority metrics and improvise online visibility as well. The key is to have anything that helps with augmented brand name searches.
- Targeting journalists and influencers with a larger presence or audience with nofollow links are integral. It alludes them by offering something that is fresh and unique. Hence, focus on having at least one nofollow backlink goal. It is an enticement for gaining further links from noteworthy people and websites.
- Nofollow links happen to be the most effective across social media channels. The reason is the non-existence of special ranking factors. However, a viral link can give your brand media coverage.
On the whole, link building is more or less about referral traffic. The most significant backlinks happen to be those that are earned organically. Further nofollow backlinks are not useless. Rather one must have them included in their overall online strategy.