Also known as: NoFollow, rel=nofollow, Nofollow attribute
A NoFollow link is a hyperlink carrying a `rel="nofollow"` attribute that tells search engines not to pass ranking authority to the destination. It effectively says, 'I link to this page, but I do not vouch for it for SEO purposes.' It is the counterpart to a default 'DoFollow' link, which does pass authority.
Google introduced NoFollow in 2005 to fight comment spam. In 2019 it added two more specific values: `rel="sponsored"` for paid and affiliate links, and `rel="ugc"` for user-generated content such as forum posts and comments. Since March 2020, Google treats all three as hints rather than strict directives when deciding what to crawl and index.
For a financial partner, this is a compliance issue as much as an SEO one. Google's policy is explicit: links that are paid for, or that exist because of an affiliate or advertising relationship, must be qualified with `nofollow` or, better, `sponsored`. Your broker tracking links fall squarely in that bucket.
The stakes are concrete. If an IB publishes affiliate tracking links as plain DoFollow, Google can read the pattern as a link scheme meant to manipulate rankings and apply a manual action. A penalty on a YMYL finance site can erase most of its organic traffic overnight, so the tiny `rel` attribute protects the whole business.
When a crawler reaches a link, it reads the `rel` attribute. A default link passes authority (often called link equity) to the target, helping it rank. A `nofollow`, `sponsored`, or `ugc` value signals the engine to discount that authority, so the destination gets the referral traffic but not the ranking boost.
Since 2020 Google treats these as hints, meaning it may still crawl a nofollowed URL, but it will not use the link as a ranking endorsement. For affiliates, the practical rule is unchanged: qualify every paid or tracking link, and rely on nofollow links for direct clicks and conversions rather than for SEO.
Determine whether the link is affiliate, paid, editorial, or user-generated. This decides which rel value applies.
Use rel="sponsored" for affiliate and paid links, rel="ugc" for comments and forums, rel="nofollow" as the safe catch-all.
Configure your affiliate-link plugin or link cloaker to add the attribute to every broker link automatically.
Crawl your site to find any DoFollow affiliate links and fix them before Google flags a pattern.
Why it matters for partnership: Google requires affiliate and paid links to be marked nofollow or sponsored. An IB who leaves tracking links as DoFollow risks a link-scheme penalty that can wipe out organic traffic, so tagging them correctly de-risks the entire acquisition channel.
An affiliate placing a 'Sign Up Here' button to a broker codes it as `<a href="trackinglink" rel="sponsored nofollow">Sign Up Here</a>`. The link still delivers every referred trader to the broker and pays out on conversions, but it signals Google that the endorsement is commercial, keeping the site clear of link-scheme penalties.
| Attribute | Passes SEO authority | Use for |
|---|---|---|
| dofollow (default) | Yes | Editorial links you genuinely endorse |
| nofollow | No | Untrusted or catch-all links |
| sponsored | No | Affiliate and paid links |
| ugc | No | Comments and forum posts |
If you buy banner ads or sponsored posts to promote your IB business, assume the links are nofollow and buy them for direct traffic and conversions, not for SEO authority.
Publishing affiliate tracking links as plain DoFollow can read to Google as a paid link scheme, exposing a finance site to a manual penalty that erases most of its organic traffic.
Yes. Google introduced sponsored specifically for affiliate and paid links, so it is the most accurate signal. nofollow remains acceptable, and you can combine both.
Yes. A nofollow link from a high-traffic site still sends real visitors who can register with your broker. It drives direct traffic and conversions even though it does not pass ranking authority.
No. Correctly tagging affiliate links protects your rankings by keeping you compliant with Google's paid-link policy. The risk comes from leaving them DoFollow, not from marking them nofollow.
Google now treats nofollow, sponsored, and ugc as hints rather than strict directives, so it may crawl the URL. It still does not count the link as a ranking endorsement.
Use a link-management plugin such as ThirstyAffiliates or Pretty Links, or your CMS link settings, to apply rel="sponsored nofollow" to broker tracking links by default.
Generally no. Nofollowing your own internal links wastes crawl signals. Reserve the attribute for external paid, affiliate, or untrusted links.