The NoFollow link attribute (rel=”nofollow”) was originally created to block search engines from following links in blog comments, due to the amount of blog comment spamming.
The theory is that if spammers are spamming in blog comments to get better SEO and anchored links for their sites, NoFollow would render such spam useless. Problem is, spammers still spam.
Now, NoFollow has been adopted beyond blog comments. Wikipedia is now using NoFollow for external links and Google recommends that paid links use a NoFollow attribute.
Here are 13 reasons why NoFollow is a failure.
1. NoFollow = NoWorky. Using NoFollow in blog comments, the original intent of the tag, does nothing to discourage comment spammers. Using other anti-spamming tools such as question, math and plugins such as Akismet and SpamKarma for Wordpress is much more effective.
2. If a blogger moderates comments, there is no need for a NoFollow attribute. “Everyone who passes a human inspection should get the link love.”
3. Since the use of NoFollow in comments on Wordpress blogs is default, many bloggers do not even realize they are using NoFollow.
4. NoFollow=NoValue. Why use NoFollow on sites, text ads, and blogs if there is no value in terms of search engine indexing? What if they made the Yahoo! directory nofollow? Would anyone continue to purchase listings? Obviously the value of that directory would be zero of nofollow tags were applied to the listings.
5. Linking to someone with a NoFollow attribute is a sign of not trusting them. It’s like reaching to shake someone’s hand, but stopping to put on a pair of latex gloves.
6. No Follow sucks because the search engines (particularly Google) can’t make up their mind about when and how it should be used, thus causing confusion among inexperienced webmasters who do STUPID things like No Follow ALL outgoing links from their website to “protect the site from page rank leakage” and other silly ideas.
7. No-follow is a poor search engine’s solution to conceal its own failure to rank websites appropriately. What’s next, No-linking?
Search engines should be able to develop a method of identifying and devaluing links to spam sites which were placed in blog comments. Why should everyone who posts in blog comments suffer from the actions of a greedy few spammers.
8. Commenting on a blog post is the same as adding more relevant to that blog post. A thought provoking one sentence post can lead to pages of comments. If someone takes the time to help build your site’s content via posting comments, it is professional courtesy to give them some link love.
9. Putting NoFollow on Wikipedia is like putting Grey Poupon on a Spam sandwich.(Or like putting perfume on a pig.)
Taking Wikipedia to task over nofollow is fun but ultimately you need to take them to task for why they implemented nofollow in the first place – that is, to prevent spam. Which in turn means that the way Wikipedia was setup was flawed because it opened itself up to easy spamming.
Therefore, instead of just letting Wikipedia take the easy way out (because ultimately it’s an important resource for many people and replacing it would be tough), they should look at ways into changing their systems so they are not as open to spamming any more.
10. Text link advertisements which use a NoFollow make no sense. If you want to spread your Google juice, why use a link-condom?
11. Even Wordpress founder Matt Mullenweg says NoFollow was a failure; “In theory this should work perfectly, but in practice although all major blogging tools did this two years ago and comment and trackback spam is still 100 times worse now. In hindsight, I don’t think nofollow had much of an effect, though I’m still glad we tried it.”
12. Search Engines follow NoFollow. Yahoo has been known to count NoFollow links as backlinks in SiteExplorer. So, if you’re goal in comment spamming to to build backlinks, which builds your site’s value in terms of selling advertising (TLA, ReviewMe, SEOmoz’s PageStrength and other metrics programs use Yahoo Backlinks as valued criteria), NoFollow is useless.
13. NoFollow Sucks. Check It!
What are your thoughts on NoFollow? Do you support the use of NoFollow in Wikipedia or as a way to identify paid links?
Have more reasons why NoFollow is a failure? Please feel free to share them below.
[Thanks to Carsten, Greg, Ahmed, Dave, Everett, Gemme, and John for contributing. You've all been NoFollow'd!]
Hi, Thanks for very interesting article. I really enjoyed reading all of your articles. It’s interesting to read ideas, and observations from someone else’s point of view… makes you think more. Keep up the good work. Greetings,
I can’t agree more. Nofollow sucks indeed, though it might be very usefull for some sites like Wikipedia.
I’m sure you do get more (spam) comments without nofollow links, which is great to see!
Not the spam comments hehe :D
NO SPAM :)
Why this blog have no rel=nofolllow?
lol…? This article is called “13 Reasons Why NoFollow Tags Suck”…
why nofollow?
I did the same on my blog :)
But I nothing do not do. I itself check;test;audit;inspect;examine and has disconnected ping/
Shaun, AdSense Ad links are generated by Javascript and crawlers don’t execute JavaScript = no Ads on the page for the spider = no need to add nofollow….!!!
Decrease spam comment.
Yes, nofollow made for searchengines to not save links from blogs to your website.
Good article
nofollow SUX
No follow tags are kind of like buying Real Estate and never paying for it. and with no intention of paying.
Duplicate comment detected; it looks as though you’ve already said that!
Great Post. Thanks!
Greetings from Coupon and Gutscheincode Hunter Ronny
Say please!
You do not know other blogs with nofollow ?
Pleased shall be changed with you reference to blogs.
I am also intrested in that!
somebody?
prompt what write scpipt check Nofollow I have a program BlogCommentDemon but she collects all contract blogs
if who will give me script I divide program.
I am also intrested in that!
thank you
The only way to prevent spam is to make it not pay.
Good point, Thanks!
Surely if the moderation is good enough, you can filter out the spam from the decent comments. Good moderation in blogs is essential for a blog that is interesting and will be visited because of this, not because people put in rubbish posts.
I agree if you take the time to post a decent response and are not a spambot then you should get link love! Yeah… I think its a little overboard, but with Wikipedia doing it… thats insanse. They don’t need to streamline the PR 8 site. Are they hoping for a 9 if they dont link to anyone?
dofollow this link to live in paradise.
I am very interested in the topics discussed but have been feeling a little intimidated by the thought of the work
Great article Loren! NoFollow coud be used only on paid links but then again nobody would buy them or they would demand a lower price. I used to have NoFollow on one of my blogs but since removing it and adding moderation i’ve got more useful and interesting comments!
Yep, remove Nofollow, add moderation (and Akismet) and see how the great comments come in!
I would say, “No to No nofollow”! Let’s now start removing all wikipedia.org links on our websites and let’s see what will happen. It really sucks. It’s just unfair.
Add nofollow tag in links, Like Wikipedia.org.
Almost all the Popular websites who started early like yahoo, wiki have gained the popularity by linking from small sites. Now they are shying out to share the a small piece of the cake.For a new person who wants to start his career with web, no juice left for him.
I think nofollow should be used sparingly, maybe only in blog comments
nofollow this link to live in paradise.
In some of my blogs before I understood what this no follow thingy was I would start approving comments as that one of the things I like about blogging. It seemed that the spammers caught on that I was using do follow and started to blow my blog comment fields up to the point where it was at over 100 a day. I did eventually add no follow but that didnt stop them. I gave up with comments, but I did feel bad because some genuine responses could be in the list.
I agree with you on somethings but I think the no follow of Wikipedia is ok but really not necessary. But over all pretty good article.
very nice .. thx
We have designed sites without the no-follow tag, and in the end, a moderated comment system rewards good posters and helps promote more interaction with your site by visitors.
Just my two cents.
I just think the biggest loser is not spammer but the SE itself. Nofollow this , Nofollow that , who will be followed by you ? My dear Google
I got the wordpress plugin dofollow and am going to install that to get around nofollow. I agree, it doesn’t discourage comment spam, but it does discourage real comments. Lets face it, people do comment when they know they’ll get a little link love.
On the topic of weblogs on the other hand, I’d have to agree that rel=nofollow is becoming more and more irrelevant by the day. As you’ve rightly mentioned in your post, anti-comment spam plugins have matured enough that virtually all spams get caught almost effortlessly.
Thanks
Hey Hi everyone here being present!!!
Excuse me I bad know the English.
Say please. Where find program of the check false pr
FAKE PAGERANK Tools free
thank you
I think that nofollow is good if u can use that….
I think nofollow is good for blog comments, but it isn’t good for sites like Wikipedia.
The answer is to use rel=”external”
Very useful article, thanks.
Good job, thanks.
First, using rel=”nofollow” in a paid link will keep you from getting in trouble with Google since it can’t be seen as trying to sell PageRank. Second, it seems like using rel=”nofollow” on a page full of useful links would let Google know that you aren’t trying to be a link farm. I also link to many web sites as clarification and for definitions, but to keep Google from thinking I’m being paid to link to those sites, I’m going to add rel=”nofollow” to the links. Google might flip the other direction and start punishing me for using rel=”nofollow” so many times, but Google is already punishing me for not using it, so I’m adding rel=”nofollow” to almost all of my external links and I’ll see what happens.
Fantastic article! Very useful informations. I really love it, can I recommend it to my friends?
The only way to better block comment spam is to make people jump through a bunch of hoops before they can click submit. Maybe a few math questions, CAPTCHA and a few shape id’s. Only problem is it would deter the normal folks from posting. I guess the answer is unclear still…
Thanks for this very good article … Can i translate this and insert on my site in Poland? … Thanks
Fantastic article covering some points I really needed. Thanks
Random Terrain’s points are exactly what I’m wondering about… Does Google penalize the site for not doing “no follow”? Might they “reward” the site, as a result of perceived trust, if one does use “no follow”?
It’s understandable to want to give “link love” in exchange for comments that contribute to a site’s content. But what about in a directory of gathered links that the site is just wanting to provide its visitors “for more information”? Should those links be “no follow”?
We have designed sites without the no-follow tag, and in the end, a moderated comment system rewards good posters and helps promote more interaction with your site by visitors. Thanks.