E-commerce
September 17, 2026
Are you wondering why you should avoid nofollow link attributes for your SEO strategy?
The answer is simple: using nofollow excessively or inappropriately can deprive your e-commerce store of part of its authority and harm your ranking in search results. Google now considers these links as mere hints, not absolute commands.
The pitfall? Many merchants still apply nofollow to high-quality internal or external links, believing they are protecting their PageRank. In reality, this practice can send negative signals to Google and weaken the trust placed in your site.
So why avoid nofollow link attributes for your SEO strategy? On the agenda:
What is the nofollow attribute and how does it work?
Why is PageRank sculpting a mistake for your store?
What are the risks of nofollow on links to your social networks?
How can nofollow on editorial links harm your credibility?
When should you actually use nofollow, sponsored, or ugc?
Let's get started.
Summary
What is the nofollow attribute and how does it work?
The nofollow attribute was introduced by Google in 2005 to allow sites to control the transmission of PageRank from one URL to another. In practice, it tells search engines to ignore a link when calculating the organic ranking of the target page.
Originally, this attribute was used to block the propagation of link equity from user-generated content, such as comments or sponsored posts. Other search engines quickly adopted this practice.
In 2019, Google announced a major change: nofollow links would now be treated as "hints" rather than "directives". The company can therefore choose to ignore the attribute when assigning link equity. Still, many sites continue to use it, hoping to control the flow of authority to their key pages.
For your e-commerce store, understanding this evolution is essential. Incorrect use of nofollow can cause you to lose valuable ranking opportunities.
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Why is PageRank sculpting a mistake for your store?
PageRank sculpting is an outdated technique that involves adding nofollow to internal links pointing to pages like legal notices or terms of use. The goal? To "preserve" link equity for pages with organic ranking potential.
In 2009, Matt Cutts, then a Google engineer, explained why this approach was flawed. If you have 10 dollars of authority to distribute across ten links and you block five, the remaining five will not receive 2 dollars each. They will still receive 1. The 5 dollars you thought you were saving are simply lost.
Sculpting made no sense back then, and it makes no more sense today. A better approach is to ensure that search engines can access every corner of your site.
If you absolutely must block bots from accessing certain internal pages, use the robots.txt file, which is a definitive directive. This method is more reliable than nofollow for controlling crawling.
What are the risks of using nofollow on links to your social networks?
Another common practice is to add nofollow to links leading to your social media profiles. This is a more serious mistake than PageRank sculpting. It can prevent your social pages from ranking for your brand name.
Ranking your official entities for your brand allows you to control more organic search results. The best way to achieve this is to send link equity to these entities, including your social channels.
By adding nofollow to these links, you send misleading signals to Google, which may not be certain that these social pages belong to you. As a result, you miss an opportunity to strengthen your online presence and dominate the search results for your own name.
For an e-commerce store, brand visibility is crucial. Do not let the misuse of nofollow compromise this visibility.
How can nofollow on editorial links harm your credibility?
Many sites hesitate to link to external pages due to Google's efforts against low-quality and paid links. Today, many respected articles contain no external links, even to relevant brands or channels.
When links do exist, they are often marked as nofollow, regardless of their quality. This practice can hurt your ranking rather than help it. The absence of reliable citations can suggest weaker content.
Google would see the absence of citations if it honors nofollow attributes on external links. Links to quality editorial content inform Google's algorithm about the trust and value of your site.
Never put nofollow on these links. Help Google see them and understand that your content is trustworthy and well-referenced.
When should you really use nofollow, sponsored, or ugc?
In practice, the nofollow attribute should only be used in two cases: user-generated links and affiliate or sponsored links. For these two situations, Google has introduced more specific attributes: "ugc" and "sponsored".
The "ugc" attribute is intended for user-generated content, such as blog comments or forums. The "sponsored" attribute is designed for paid or sponsored links. According to Google, nofollow remains acceptable in these cases, but the new attributes are more precise.
Outside of these situations, there is no reason to use nofollow. For internal links, links to your social networks, or quality editorial links, let Google follow and pass link equity naturally.
This simple approach will prevent you from losing authority and harming your overall SEO strategy.
How to identify nofollow links on your e-commerce site?
Google Search Console does not tell you which incoming or outgoing links are marked nofollow. To identify them, you must use third-party tools like Ahrefs or Semrush. These tools can analyze your link profile and spot nofollow attributes.
For an e-commerce store, it is important to know where these links are located. A nofollow link on a strategic page can cause you to lose an opportunity to pass authority to an important product or category page.
Start by auditing your internal links. Verify that your key pages are not marked nofollow by mistake. Next, examine your external links to ensure that you are not unnecessarily blocking equity to quality sources.
A regular audit of your links will allow you to correct errors and optimize your linking strategy.
What is the difference between nofollow, sponsored, and ugc?
Understanding the difference between these attributes is essential for an effective SEO strategy. Nofollow is the generic attribute that tells Google not to follow a link. Sponsored is specific to paid or sponsored links. Ugc is intended for user-generated content.
Google introduced sponsored and ugc in 2019 to provide more precision. By using the appropriate attribute, you help Google understand the nature of your links and process them correctly.
For affiliate links, use sponsored. For comments or forums, use ugc. For other cases, do not use any attribute. This clear approach improves Google's understanding of your site.
By adopting these best practices, you avoid common mistakes and optimize the transmission of link equity on your store.
Why not nofollow internal links to your important pages?
Internal links are a powerful lever for your e-commerce store's SEO. They allow you to pass authority from your strongest pages to your product or category pages. Adding nofollow to these internal links is a mistake.
This prevents Google from following the link and passing equity. Your important pages thus lose a valuable source of ranking. PageRank sculpting, as explained above, does not work the way we thought.
Instead of nofollow, focus on a coherent internal linking strategy. Create contextual links from your most popular pages to your strategic pages. Use descriptive and relevant anchor text.
A good internal link structure helps Google understand the hierarchy of your site and rank your pages more effectively.
How does nofollow affect your brand's Google ranking?
Your brand's ranking on Google is crucial for consumer trust. If your social media pages or official profiles do not rank for your name, other sites may take that spot.
By adding nofollow to the links to your brand entities, you send weak signals to Google. The search engine may not associate these pages with your business, which weakens your online presence.
To strengthen your brand ranking, let Google follow the links to your social profiles, your Wikipedia page, or your other official entities. Pass link equity to them to help them rank.
This approach allows you to control the search results for your name and boost your store's credibility.
What are the common pitfalls with nofollow links in e-commerce?
Common pitfalls with nofollow in e-commerce include link sculpting, links to social networks, and editorial links. Each of these pitfalls can harm your SEO strategy in a different way.
Link sculpting causes you to lose authority. Links to social networks weaken your brand ranking. Nofollow editorial links reduce your credibility in the eyes of Google.
Another pitfall is using nofollow on internal links to category pages or product sheets. This prevents the transmission of authority and limits your ranking potential.
To avoid these pitfalls, adopt a minimalist approach: only use nofollow for user-generated links and sponsored links. For everything else, let Google follow naturally.
How does Qstomy help optimize your link strategy?
Qstomy, the Shopify AI agent, helps merchants improve their customer experience and conversion. Although Qstomy does not directly manage your link attributes, it contributes to your SEO strategy by improving customer engagement and satisfaction.
By guiding your customers to the right products, offering personalized recommendations, and optimizing the cart, Qstomy increases the time spent on your site and interactions. These positive signals can indirectly strengthen your authority in the eyes of Google.
Qstomy also facilitates package tracking and customer service, reducing frustration and negative reviews. A seamless customer experience encourages positive reviews and shares, which are trust signals.
By combining a clean link strategy with a customer experience optimized by Qstomy, you maximize your chances of ranking well in search results.
What is the checklist before removing nofollow attributes from your site?
Before removing nofollow attributes from your site, follow this checklist to avoid mistakes:
In brief
Audit: identify all nofollow links using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush.
Priority: start with internal links to your strategic pages.
Social media: remove nofollow on links to your official profiles.
Editorial links: remove nofollow on links to high-quality sources.
Specific attributes: use sponsored for paid links and ugc for comments.
FAQ
Should I remove all nofollows? No, keep them for user-generated links and sponsored links.
How do I check my nofollow links? Use third-party tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to analyze your link profile.
Can removing nofollow harm my site? No, if done correctly, it can improve your rankings by passing more authority.
To go further: Searchandising e-commerce: optimizing internal search with customer words - Qstomy, E-commerce SEO Strategy for Category Pages - Qstomy, How Does SEO Work for E-commerce Sites? - Qstomy, What is Google Shopping for E-commerce? Definition, Feed, and Value for a Store - Qstomy, E-commerce Internal Linking Strategy for SEO - Qstomy, Using AI in Your SEO Strategy: Google Framework, Shopify Magic, and Governance - Qstomy, How to Deploy Digital Marketing on an E-commerce Site? - Qstomy.
Enzo
September 17, 2026
