Nofollow Internal Links: Is It a Good Idea?
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Abdul Wadood
Modern practice for website search engine optimization requires an internal link and also accepts the nofollow attributes. Internal links and nofollow help in shaping the website’s structure and building a strong place on search engine rankings.
In this article, I will help you to understand what are Nofollow internal links and whether using them is a good practice or not. Highlight the differences between nofollow and dofollow links, and address whether or not internal links should be nofollowed.
What are the Internal Links?
Internal links are those hyperlinks that connect one webpage to another webpage within the same domain. These internal links facilitate navigation and help users and search engines understand the relationships between different website pages.
They are one of the important aspects of website architecture, providing a clear pathway for users to explore related content and aiding search engines in indexing and ranking pages.
Here are some major uses of Internal Links.
- Enhanced User Experience: Internal links help users to discover relevant and related content, encouraging them to discover more web pages on your website. Internal links not only increase user engagement but also reduce bounce rates.
- Establishing Hierarchy: Through incorporating internal linking, you can establish a mindblowing hierarchy of information on your website. By linking to important pages from multiple locations, you signal to search engines the significance of those pages.
- Spreading Link Equity: Internal links help distribute link equity (SEO value) across various pages of your site. This can help boost the authority of lesser-known pages and contribute to a more balanced SEO strategy.
You might be wondering, “How do I know if a link is dofollow or nofollow?” Yet, there are a few ways to unveil the secret.
What's The No Follow Attribute?
The nofollow attribute is also an Internal link, and it is important like the Dofollow link,
How? Let’s see
The “nofollow” attribute is an HTML attribute that can be added to a hyperlink to instruct search engines not to pass any SEO value or “link juice” to the linked page.
This attribute was created to oppose spammy or manipulative link-building methods. When a link is marked as nofollow, search engines do not evaluate it when judging the authority or relevancy of a website.
This property was designed to be used in external links, but its use has spread to include internal links as well.
Nofollow vs. Dofollow Links: Key Differences
First Contentful Paint is quantified in terms of time, typically measured in seconds. It is crucial to note that FCP is not just about complete page loading; it focuses specifically on when the first piece of visible content appears. Tools like Google’s PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, and various web analytics platforms provide FCP measurements and insights to help developers gauge their page’s performance.
SEO Impact:
The most substantial distinction between nofollow and dofollow links lies in their impact on SEO.
Dofollow links are followed by search engines, contributing to the linked page’s authority and potentially boosting its search rankings. In contrast, nofollow links do not transfer any SEO value.
Crawl Priority:
Dofollow links can influence how search engines prioritize crawling and indexing pages.
Search engine bots tend to follow dofollow links, helping them discover and index new content. Nofollow links, on the other hand, do not actively contribute to this process.
Link Building:
While dofollow links are often sought after in link-building strategies, nofollow links still have value.
They can generate referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and enhance the user experience by guiding visitors to relevant content.
Should You Nofollow Internal Links?
The decision to nofollow internal links is influenced by the aims and structure of your website.
Most of the time, there is no compelling need to utilize the nofollow property on internal links. Internal links serve to provide a clear hierarchy of content and allow people and search engines to successfully browse your site.
Internal link nofollowing may impede the flow of link equity inside your website, thereby influencing how search engines evaluate the relevance of particular pages.
However, there may be some instances when nofollow characteristics for internal links are appropriate:
User-Generated Content: If you accept user-generated material on your website, you should consider utilizing nofollow attributes for links within those contributions to avoid potential spam or low-quality content from hurting your site’s SEO.
Login or Admin Pages: Search engines may not need to crawl or index pages such as login, admin, or sensitive content sections. In such circumstances, using the nofollow feature on these internal links might be advantageous.
FAQs:
Can Internal links improve the On-Page SEO?
Of course, The internal links contribute to a better site structure, user experience, and the ability of search engine crawlers, which can positively impact On-Page SEO.
Is it required to use the nofollow attribute for external links?
No, this attribute is not mandatory. If you think that this website or page is a good resource, then you can use the do-follow attribute for external links.
Are there any instances where internal links should not be followed?
In some cases, adding a nofollow link attribute for internal links may be warranted. Like login and admin pages that are not intended for Search Engine bots to index or crawl.
Conclusion
Internal links are a small but very important part of both website design and SEO. Internal links improve site navigation, help users to find relevant webpages, and internal links have a huge impact on search engine crawlers.
The nofollow link attribute feature is important in defining that search engines have no need to follow those links, this attribute is not always required to use it on internal links.
You can build a perfect website structure that helps both visitors as well as search engines by understanding the intricacies of internal linking. A strategic balance between dofollow and nofollow link attributes can result in a well-optimized website, and enhance organic traffic, and user experience.
Always check your website’s performance and make decisions to get the dynamic nature of SEO. Through this, you can achieve long-term success in the field of Search Engine Optimization.
