In September 2019, Google introduced two new link attributes – rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc" – alongside the existing rel="nofollow". These attributes help Google better understand the nature of links on a page.
Since March 2020, Google treats all three attributes as “hints” rather than strict directives. This means Google may choose to follow or ignore these links for crawling, indexing, and ranking at its own discretion.
In this post, I will explain what each attribute means, when to use it, and how this affects SEO.
The Three Link Attributes and When to Use Them
1. rel=”sponsored” – Use this to mark paid links, advertisements, sponsorships, affiliate links, and any link that is part of a compensation agreement.
2. rel=”ugc” – UGC stands for User Generated Content. Use this for links created by users, such as links in blog comments, forum posts, or community-generated content.
3. rel=”nofollow” – Use this when you want to link to a page but do not want to endorse it or pass ranking credit to it. This is the general-purpose attribute when sponsored or ugc do not apply.
The syntax is straightforward:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Link Text</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">Link Text</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Link Text</a>You can also combine attributes when multiple apply:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow sponsored">Paid Link</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow ugc">User Comment Link</a>Here is a summary from Google’s documentation:
| rel Value | Description |
|---|---|
| rel=”sponsored” | Mark links that are advertisements or paid placements (commonly called paid links) as sponsored. |
| rel=”ugc” | Mark user-generated content (UGC) links, such as comments and forum posts, as ugc. If you want to reward trustworthy contributors, you can remove this attribute from links posted by members who consistently make high-quality contributions. |
| rel=”nofollow” | Use nofollow when other values don’t apply and you’d rather Google not associate your site with, or crawl the linked page from, your site. For links within your own site, use robots.txt. |
Why Google Introduced These Attributes
When nofollow was introduced around 2005, it was designed to combat spam links in comments and user-generated content. It quickly became the standard for marking paid links and low-quality links as well.
However, major sites like Wikipedia and Forbes started applying nofollow to all outbound links as a blanket policy to avoid penalties. This made Google’s link graph less effective – valuable editorial links from authoritative sources were being discarded along with the spam.
By introducing sponsored and ugc, Google gives publishers a way to be more specific about why a link is marked. And by treating all three as hints, Google can decide for itself which links carry value.
If Google finds that you receive compensation for links not marked as
sponsoredornofollow, your site may be penalized. Always mark paid links.
Can You Be Penalized for Not Marking Paid Links?
Yes. Google expects paid and sponsored links to be marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Using rel="ugc" alone is not sufficient for paid links.
What about paid links inside user-generated content? If users add affiliate or paid links in comments, the safest approach is to mark all UGC links as rel="nofollow ugc".
How Nofollow Attributes Affect SEO
Before 2019, nofollow links were treated as directives – Google would not follow them for crawling, indexing, or ranking.
Since March 1, 2020, all three attributes (nofollow, sponsored, ugc) are treated as hints. In practice, this means:
- Crawling and indexing: Google may choose to follow and index a nofollow link if it determines the link is valuable.
- Ranking: Google may choose to count a nofollow link as a ranking signal in some cases, though it generally does not.
The shift from directive to hint does not mean nofollow links now freely pass link equity. Google states that in most cases, it continues to ignore nofollow links for ranking. The hint model gives Google flexibility, not a guarantee of value transfer.
Do You Need to Update Existing Links?
No. Google has stated that existing rel="nofollow" links do not need to be changed to sponsored or ugc. The nofollow attribute remains valid and continues to work as expected.
However, for new links, using the most specific attribute is good practice:
- Use
rel="sponsored"for any paid or affiliate link. - Use
rel="ugc"for links in user comments and forums. - Use
rel="nofollow"for everything else you do not want to endorse.
If you want extra safety on paid links, you can use rel="nofollow sponsored".
FAQs
Common questions about nofollow, sponsored, and UGC link attributes:
rel="nofollow" is a general attribute for links you do not want to endorse. rel="sponsored" is specifically for paid or affiliate links. rel="ugc" is for links in user-generated content like comments and forums. All three tell Google not to pass ranking credit, but sponsored and ugc give Google more context about why.rel="nofollow" attribute remains fully supported. For new links, using the more specific sponsored or ugc attributes is good practice but not required.rel="nofollow sponsored". This is useful if you want extra safety or if some tools or crawlers only recognize nofollow. Google supports any combination of these attributes.rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".Summary
Google’s sponsored, ugc, and nofollow attributes give publishers a way to communicate the nature of their links. Since March 2020, all three are treated as hints – Google may choose to follow or count them at its discretion.
Existing nofollow links do not need to be updated. For new links, use the most specific attribute: sponsored for paid links, ugc for user-generated content, and nofollow for everything else. Most importantly, always mark paid links to avoid penalties.
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