Nofollow Tag Test
The Nofollow Link Checker scans every <a> tag on any webpage and lists which links carry rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" attributes — and which carry no rel attribute at all (followed).
- Results in seconds
- Pass / fail + fix guidance
- No account required
The Nofollow Link Checker scans every <a> tag on any webpage and lists which links carry rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" attributes — and which carry no rel attribute at all (followed). We separate internal nofollow links (almost always a mistake that leaks PageRank inside your own site) from external nofollow links (often correct on user-generated content), so you can fix the harmful ones without touching the legitimate ones.
What This Tool Checks
- Total links on page split into followed vs. nofollow
- Internal nofollow links (usually unintentional)
- External nofollow links to other domains
- rel="sponsored" links (paid links / affiliates)
- rel="ugc" links (user-generated content)
- Combined attributes (nofollow + sponsored, etc.)
- Links nofollowed by JavaScript or CMS plugins
Why It Matters for SEO
Nofollow tells Google not to pass ranking signal through a link. On external links to untrusted or paid domains this is correct and protects your site. On internal links it is almost always a mistake — you are blocking PageRank from flowing to your own pages. The most common pattern is a plugin or template applying nofollow to navigation links, quietly suppressing rankings on the very pages you want to rank.
How to Fix It
Audit internal links — none should be nofollow unless you have a specific reason (e.g. logout link). Use rel="sponsored" on paid and affiliate links, rel="ugc" on user-generated content, and rel="nofollow" only when you genuinely do not endorse the destination. Remove blanket nofollow rules from CMS templates.
How It Works
We render the page in a headless browser, walk every <a href> in the DOM, classify each as internal (same domain) or external, and capture all rel attribute values. The report groups results so you can quickly spot patterns — for example, every link in the footer being nofollow because of a plugin default.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Internal navigation links marked nofollow by a plugin default
- Affiliate or paid links missing the new rel="sponsored" attribute
- User-generated comment links missing rel="ugc" (treats them like editorial)
- Adding nofollow to every external link by reflex (loses citation value)
- Removing nofollow from comment systems (invites spam)
Quick Checklist
- No internal nofollow links (other than intentional ones like logout)
- Affiliate / paid links use rel="sponsored"
- User-generated links use rel="ugc"
- Editorial external links to trusted sources are NOT nofollow
- Plugin defaults reviewed and adjusted
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It tells search engines not to pass ranking signal (PageRank) through the link. Originally created in 2005 to fight blog comment spam, it remains an important attribute for handling untrusted external links.
Almost never. Internal nofollow blocks PageRank from flowing to your own pages, suppressing their rankings. The only common exceptions are utility links like /logout that you do not want crawled or indexed.
Sponsored is for paid links and affiliates; ugc is for user-generated content (comments, forum posts); nofollow is the older catch-all. Modern best practice uses the more specific tag where it applies.
Since 2019 Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a directive, so they may pass small signal in some cases. The safe assumption is that they pass zero ranking value.
Yes. Google's link spam policies require disclosure of paid links via rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Failure to disclose can lead to a manual action against the linking site.