Technical Definition
Nofollow (rel='nofollow') is a link attribute telling search engines not to pass link equity. Originally created to combat comment spam. Google now treats nofollow as a 'hint' rather than directive. Use cases: paid links, untrusted content, user-generated content. Related attributes: rel='sponsored' (paid), rel='ugc' (user-generated content).
Simple Explanation (ELI13)
Nofollow is a tag you can add to links telling Google 'I'm not vouching for this.' It was created to stop spammers from benefiting from comment links. Nofollow links don't pass SEO value like regular links do. Use nofollow for paid links or links to sites you don't trust.
Related Terms
Dofollow, Sponsored, UGC, Link Attributes
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