An independent citation, a paid feature and a customer comment can all link to the same page. The rel attribute tells Google which relationship applies. It does not tell readers whether the destination is useful.
Here is when to use nofollow, sponsored and ugc. If the basic terms are unfamiliar, start with backlinks and referring domains.
What Does a Link's rel Attribute Mean?
In HTML, a normal link can be written as <a href="https://example.com">example</a>. It does not need a special rel value. When the link is paid, user-submitted or otherwise not an editorial endorsement, the publishing site adds the appropriate value to that <a> element. A paid link, for example, can use rel="sponsored".
The publishing site chooses the value. If another website links to yours, you cannot change that link's attribute from your own site. A normal link does not need rel="dofollow"; that is not one of Google's link-qualification values.
When Do You Use Nofollow, Sponsored or UGC?
| Value | Use it when | Example |
|---|---|---|
rel="sponsored" | The link is an ad, sponsorship, commission-based promotion or other paid placement. | A kitchen-appliance retailer pays a publisher to feature a product. |
rel="ugc" | A user adds the link in content they created. | A reader posts a link in a repair forum comment. |
rel="nofollow" | The other values do not fit and the publisher would rather Google not associate its site with the destination. | An article discusses a questionable page without endorsing it. |
Google prefers sponsored for paid links but still accepts nofollow. It recommends ugc for links in comments and forum posts. Multiple values can appear together, for example rel="ugc nofollow". The attribute describes the relationship; it is not a quality score for the page.
How Does Google Treat These Labels?
Google treats all three values as hints when deciding which links to consider or exclude in Search. A marked link does not promise ranking credit or guarantee that Google will never discover the destination. It can still bring readers; Google may also find the target through other links or a sitemap.
These values do not remove a page from Google. If you need to keep your own page out of search results, use an appropriate indexing control, not a link attribute.
How Do You Choose the Right Attribute?
Imagine a Malaysian kitchen-appliance retailer publishes a cleaning guide. A home-care writer independently cites it to answer a maintenance question: that is a regular editorial link. A publisher links to it in a paid feature: the publisher should mark that link sponsored. A customer shares it in a public forum post: the forum can mark that link ugc.
- Identify who placed the link. Was it an editor, an advertiser or a user?
- Identify the arrangement. Was money, a product, a service or a commission exchanged for the placement?
- Set the attribute on the published anchor. Use
sponsoredfor paid placements,ugcfor user-added links, ornofollowwhen neither category fits and you do not want to endorse the destination. - Check the output. Inspect the rendered
<a href>element, not only an editor setting or a plugin label.
Do not add nofollow to every ordinary external citation by default. These values are not a shortcut for managing your site's internal navigation.
Can a Paid Link Still Be Useful?
Yes. An ad can send interested readers to a useful page. But buying or selling an unqualified link primarily to manipulate Google rankings is link spam under Google's policy. Qualifying the paid relationship makes the marketing purpose clear; it does not turn the placement into an independent editorial recommendation.
For broader decisions about which references are worth pursuing, see our link-building guide. To assess a link already pointing to you, use the backlink quality checklist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are Nofollow Links Good for SEO?
It can bring relevant visitors and put your page in front of people who may later cite it. Google treats the attribute as a hint; the label alone does not establish its ranking effect.
What Is a UGC Link?
It is a link placed in user-generated content, such as a public comment or forum post. The publisher can mark it with rel="ugc" to tell Google where it came from.
Do Sponsored Links Count as Backlinks?
A sponsored link is still a link from another site, and it can send visitors. The sponsored value tells Google it is a paid placement. Do not count on it as a ranking endorsement.
Can You Combine Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC?
Yes. Google accepts more than one value in the same rel attribute, separated by spaces or commas. For example, rel="ugc nofollow" can describe a user-added link that the publisher also does not want to endorse.