A dofollow link is a standard link that tells search engines you trust and recommend the target page; it needs no special code, as every link in HTML counts as dofollow by default. A nofollow link is a link with the rel="nofollow" attribute added, and it tells search engines "I'm pointing to this page but I don't endorse it". Since 2019, Google no longer ignores nofollow links entirely; it treats them as a hint. There are also two separate tags for sponsored and user-generated links: rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc".
In this article we explain the difference between these link types, when to use each one and how to apply them in a Shopify store.
Link types and when to use them
Tag | What it means | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
No tag (dofollow) | I recommend the target page | Pages on your own site, sources you trust and have chosen editorially |
rel="nofollow" | I don't endorse this link | External sources you don't trust or don't want to endorse |
rel="sponsored" | I received payment or a product for this link | Ads, sponsored content, affiliate links, promotions in exchange for free products |
rel="ugc" | This link was added by users | Blog comments, forum posts, customer reviews |
Tags can also be combined. For example, rel="nofollow sponsored" is valid.
How does Google treat these tags?
The nofollow tag appeared in 2005 to fight spam links in blog comments. For many years, Google ignored nofollow links entirely in ranking.
In September 2019, Google changed this approach: it introduced the sponsored and ugc tags and announced that it would treat all three tags as "hints". From March 2020, nofollow also began to be used as a hint for crawling and indexing decisions. This means a nofollow link still doesn't contribute directly to rankings, but Google can use these links to understand the link graph.
Why are dofollow links valuable?
Dofollow links you earn from other sites are one of the core signals Google uses to assess your site's authority. But that value depends on how relevant and trustworthy the linking site is. Lots of dofollow links from irrelevant or low-quality sites bring no benefit and can be a risk in some cases. We explain safe ways to earn links in our article on backlink strategies for e-commerce.
Are nofollow links useful?
Although their direct contribution to rankings is limited, nofollow links aren't worthless:
They bring traffic: nofollow links on social media, forums and news sites send real users to your site.
They build brand visibility: having your brand mentioned on different platforms increases awareness and brand searches.
They create a natural link profile: real sites' link profiles include both dofollow and nofollow links. A profile made up only of dofollow links may not look natural.
We cover how links on social platforms contribute to SEO in detail in our article on social pin strategy.
Correct use on e-commerce sites
Internal links should stay dofollow. Don't add nofollow to links between product, collection and blog pages on your own site. It makes it harder for Google to crawl your site and understand the relationships between pages.
Affiliate and influencer links should be sponsored. Links you give to another site, or that are given to you, as part of a partnership should be marked rel="sponsored".
Links in customer reviews should be ugc. Using rel="ugc" for links customers add to product reviews reduces spam risk. Most review apps do this automatically.
Give dofollow links to sources you trust. There's no need to nofollow editorial links in blog posts to official sources, research or your business partners.
How do you add nofollow on Shopify?
Shopify's rich text editor has no option to add a rel attribute to links directly. To do it:
In the product description, page or blog post editor, click the Show HTML (</>) button.
Add rel="nofollow" (or sponsored, ugc) to the relevant link's a tag.
Save the change.
For fixed links in theme files, you need to make the same change in the theme code. To see which tag a link has, right-click it on the page and use "Inspect" to check the HTML.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to add code for a dofollow link?
No. Every link in HTML counts as dofollow by default. There's no rel="dofollow" tag; dofollow is just the term used for links that aren't nofollow.
Do nofollow links contribute nothing to rankings?
Google treats nofollow links as a hint. Although they don't pass ranking value directly, they're useful for traffic, brand visibility and a natural link profile.
What happens if I give a sponsored link as dofollow instead of nofollow?
Not marking links given in exchange for payment or products as sponsored or nofollow violates Google's link spam policies. It can create a risk for both the linking site and the site receiving the link.
Let's review your link strategy together
Using the right link types protects your site's authority and builds a trustworthy relationship with search engines. If you'd like to review your site's link profile and SEO strategy together, get in touch through our SEO and GEO consulting page.
