Nofollow

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. A directive attribute used in HTML to instruct search engines not to follow a specific hyperlink; indicating that the linked page should not receive any ranking credit; often used to avoid passing SEO value
2. An annotation in web coding applied to links to prevent the passing of search engine authority; signaling that the target URL should not influence page rankings; commonly utilized to control spam or paid link effects
3. A metadata tag added to hyperlinks that tells web crawlers to ignore the link for ranking purposes; conveying to search engines that the destination should not impact indexing; typically employed to manage link reputation and SEO strategies

Etymology: Nothing about this term predates the web. It is a plain compound of "no" and "follow," and its meaning depends on how crawlers handle hyperlinks. A crawler normally follows a link and treats it as a sign that the target matters. A link marked this way tells the crawler to skip it and give it no ranking credit. Search engines introduced the convention to counter comment spam, where people posted links on blogs to inflate their own rankings. In a page's HTML, the marking appears as rel="nofollow" on the link. Because it names a behavior rather than an object, the term is used as a verb among web developers and marketers, who speak of nofollowing a link.