What the nofollow, sponsored and ugc attributes do

What a link attribute is

A normal link is read as a small vote of trust. You point at a page, and the engine takes that as a sign you think it is worth visiting. Link attributes let you change what that link says.

They live in the rel part of the link, and the visitor never sees them. The link works the same for a person. Only the signal sent to the search engine changes.

Our overview of internal linking covers links within your own site, where these labels are almost never needed.

Sponsored, for links that were paid for

Use the sponsored label on any link that exists because money or goods changed hands. That includes ads, paid placements, and links you were given in exchange for a product or a fee.

Google asks for this label on paid links. A paid link left unmarked can be treated as an attempt to buy influence, which is a policy problem.

Telling readers is a separate job from labeling for search engines. Our page on affiliate and sponsorship disclosure covers the part that is addressed to people.

UGC, for links other people write

The ugc label stands for user-generated content. Use it on links inside comments, forum posts, reviews and similar pieces where a visitor, not you, chose to add the link.

If your site lets people post, unlabeled links invite spam. Marking them tells the engine you do not endorse each one, and it can reduce the reason to spam you.

A site that does not accept user posts will rarely need this label at all.

Nofollow, the general label

Nofollow is the original and the broadest. It says you do not want to vouch for the target, and it fits links you are unsure about or cannot judge.

Before sponsored and ugc existed, nofollow covered both jobs. It still works as a fallback, and you can combine labels on one link when more than one applies.

Do not scatter nofollow across ordinary links to your own pages. That wastes the signal and helps no one.

Choosing the right one

Ask who put the link there and why. The answer points to the label. The list below covers the common cases for a small business site.

When unsure, ask whether you would be comfortable if a reader knew exactly why the link is there. If not, a label is the honest choice.

• You were paid, or received a product, for the link: sponsored.
• A visitor added it in a comment or post: ugc.
• You link to a page you cannot vouch for: nofollow.
• You link to a trusted partner or source you chose yourself: no label.
• You link to your own pages: no label.
• An affiliate link to a partner you earn from: sponsored.

What these labels cannot do

Google describes these as hints. It may still use a labeled link for discovery or as a signal. Do not rely on a label to hide a link from search.

They also do not replace good judgment. If you would be embarrassed to explain a link to a customer, the label will not fix that.

Linking out to good sources with no label is normal and healthy. It shows readers where your facts came from.

Check what you already have

Look at your own site for links added over the years. Old comment sections, guest posts and partner pages are the usual places for unlabeled links that should carry a label.

Many platforms let you list the outbound links on a page. Review them once a year and tidy as needed.

Other sites may label links that point at you. A mix of labeled and plain links pointing at your site is normal and does not mean something is wrong.