nofollow is an HTML attribute that allows you to tell Google and other search engines not to pass any SEO value to a specific link. Essentially, as the name suggests, it tells Google’s crawler robots not to “follow” the link.
We create links in our content all the time, for a number of good reasons: Because they provide a reference point for facts or quotes we use. They link to relevant content around the web, helping search engines assess our own site’s area of expertise. We Link to high authority websites to increase trust in our brand. And many more reasons.
Why Add rel=Nofollow to External Links?
In terms of SEO, each time you link to any page whether its on your own site or an external site, you are transferring SEO points to that page. These SEO points are most commonly known as the link juice. This is why most SEO experts recommend you to link to your own older posts (make internal linking a habit).
Now if you write a post that has both internal links to your site and external links to other sites, then you probably want to get the maximum link juice to your internal posts. You can do this by adding a nofollow attribute to your external links. Nofollow attribute instruct search engines to not transfer any link juice from your site to the external site. This is how a rel=nofollow attribute is added to a link.
Conclusion
Having the ability to add nofollow links in WordPress is a no brainer for anyone who takes protecting their visitors, website, and brand seriously.
This is an easy change to make to your WordPress content, and one that can have a serious impact on your website as a result. Be sure you and your clients know your options for adding nofollow links to your content going forward.
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