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SEO concepts compared

rel="nofollow" vs rel="sponsored"

What each one is, how they differ, when to use which, and how they should appear in a client report.

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rel="nofollow"

Use when: A link you don't want to vouch for, where there was no payment or sponsorship.

rel="sponsored"

Use when: Any placement where money, products or other value changed hands for the link.

Short answer

Use rel="sponsored" for any link that was paid for or is part of an advertising, sponsorship or affiliate deal. Use rel="nofollow" when you don't want to vouch for a link and no more specific value fits. Google accepts nofollow on paid links too, but sponsored describes them more precisely. Both are treated as hints. A paid link without either qualification risks being treated as link spam.

Reviewed October 30, 2026 against search engine documentation.

Definitions

rel="nofollow"

A link attribute telling search engines not to associate the linking page with the destination. Google treats it as a hint rather than a strict instruction.

rel="sponsored"

A link attribute that marks a link as paid, sponsored or part of an advertising or affiliate arrangement. It's what Google asks publishers to use on paid links.

Side by side

Aspectrel="nofollow"rel="sponsored"
MeaningDon't associate this page with the destinationThis link is paid or part of a commercial deal
Typical useUntrusted or unendorsed links, such as some commentsAdvertorials, sponsored posts, affiliate links
Acceptable for paid links?Yes, Google accepts itYes, and it's the preferred, more specific value
How Google treats itAs a hintAs a hint
Can be combined?Yes, e.g. rel="sponsored nofollow"Yes, with nofollow or ugc where accurate

When to use each

Use rel="nofollow" when

  • A link you don't want to vouch for, where there was no payment or sponsorship.
  • Older publishing systems that only support nofollow on paid links, which Google still accepts.

Use rel="sponsored" when

  • Any placement where money, products or other value changed hands for the link.
  • Affiliate links and links inside advertorials or sponsored content.

Common mistakes

  • Selling or buying paid placements promised as "dofollow" with no qualification at all.
  • Assuming nofollow or sponsored links have no value; relevant, read placements can still bring visitors and visibility.
  • Removing attributes from paid links after a report is sent, which misrepresents what was delivered.

How it should appear in a client report

Report each placement's link attributes exactly as published, alongside the live URL and date found. If a placement was paid, the report should say how the publisher labelled it. Clients should never discover that a link was described differently from how it appears on the page.

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Frequently asked questions

Is a sponsored link worthless for SEO?
Not worthless. It can bring referral traffic, brand exposure and context on a relevant site. It just shouldn't be sold as a way to pass ranking credit.
What does rel="ugc" mean?
It marks links in user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts. It's separate from sponsored and nofollow and can be combined with them where accurate.

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