Internal linking plays an important role in the website’s SEO. It helps Google understand your website structure, find new pages, and pass link value between pages.
But most of the websites make a common mistake by using nofollow internal links without knowing their impact.
When internal links are marked as nofollow, Google may not treat them the same way as normal links. This can affect websites’ crawling, indexing, and sometimes even Google rankings as well.
If your website’s Google ranking dropped suddenly or important pages are not getting indexed properly, nofollow internal links could be one of the hidden reasons.
In this blog, you will learn what nofollow internal links are, how they can harm our website SEO, and how to fix them step by step using the following simple methods.
What Are Nofollow Internal Links in SEO?
No-follow internal links are those links that point from one page of your website to another page on the same website but include a (rel=”nofollow”) tag. This tag tells search engines not to pass any link value through that link.
Earlier, nofollow was mainly used for external links, sponsored links, or user-generated content. But many websites also use it internally by mistake, especially because of CMS settings or some SEO plugins.
For example, if a blog post links to another important blog but the link is marked as nofollow, Google may not fully follow that link or not pass any value to the dedicated page. This can reduce the importance of the linked page in Google search results.
Why Nofollow Internal Links Can Harm Your Website Ranking
Using no-follow internal links in the wrong places can quietly damage your website’s SEO. Here are the following reasons:
- Basically, NoFollow links block the natural flow of link value inside your website. Internal links are meant to share authority between pages. When you stop this flow, important pages may lose strength and not receive any values.
- Google may crawl those pages less often. If your site already has crawling issues (Crawl Budget), this can make the problem worse. You need to check and fix it with appropriate solutions.
- If you use too many internal nofollow links, you can confuse Google about which pages matter most. This may lead to poor indexing, especially for large websites.
How to Fix Nofollow Internal Links Issues in SEO (Step-by-Step)
Fixing no-follow internal links is not difficult, but it needs a clean and simple approach. Please check the following steps carefully:
Step 1: Find All Internal Nofollow Links
Use SEO tools like Screaming Frog, Ahrefs, or Sitebulb to scan your website. Filter internal links and check which ones are marked as nofollow. Please check the following points, where now follow internal links that may be used:
- Blog posts
- Category pages
- Service pages
Step 2: Identify Important Pages
Not every page needs to receive link value, but your main pages do. Pages that bring organic traffic, conversions, or rankings should always be linked with dofollow links.
Step 3: Remove Nofollow from Key Internal Links
Once you find unnecessary nofollow tags in your webpages, remove them from important internal links. This allows Google to crawl and understand those pages properly. This step will help you improve crawl flow and internal authority distribution.
Step 4: Improve Overall Internal Link Structure
Fixing nofollow links is most effective when combined with a robust internal structure. Use logical linking between related topics. You can easily understand this with the following example:
- AI SEO articles should link to ranking guides, like how to rank your website in AI search
- Technical SEO topics should connect with crawl-related content, such as crawl budget and crawl depth in SEO
How to Fix Internal Nofollow Links in WordPress
If your website runs on WordPress, fixing internal nofollow links is very simple:
Step 1:
Start by checking your SEO plugin (for example: Yoast or Rank Math) settings. Some plugins automatically add nofollow to internal links, comments, or category pages.
Step 2:
Next, switch to the block editor or HTML view and manually inspect links. Remove (rel=”nofollow”) from internal links that point to useful pages.
Also, review your theme files and navigation menus. Header Menu links should always be dofollow unless there is a strong reason to block them.
Step 3:
After making the above changes, clear the website cache and re-crawl your site in the Google Search Console to confirm the issues.
Nofollow vs Noindex vs Disallow: What’s the Right Choice?
Many website owners or SEO professionals confuse with these three terms, but they have used for very different purposes. Here is the primary difference in these terms:
- Nofollow tells Google not to pass link value through a link.
- Noindex tells Google not to show a page in search results.
- Disallow blocks Google from crawling a page entirely
If you don’t want a webpage to rank but still want links to flow, noindex is a better option than nofollow. If you want to control crawling because of crawl limits, disallow can be useful. Choosing the wrong option can damage your website’s SEO, so always decide based on your goal.
Conclusion
NoFollow internal links should be used carefully. When used without purpose, they can block link flow, reduce crawl efficiency, and sometimes even cause ranking issues. The best approach is to allow Google to freely crawl and understand your website’s important pages.
Always audit your internal links on a regular basis, remove unnecessary nofollow tags, and maintain a clean internal site structure. Small fixes like these can make a big difference in long-term SEO performance, especially when dealing with AI-driven search systems.
FAQs About Nofollow Internal Links SEO
Do nofollow internal links affect rankings?
Yes, sometimes they can. If important pages receive no-follow internal links, they may get less link value, which can indirectly affect Google rankings.
Does Google ignore nofollow completely?
Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a rule. However, relying on it internally is still risky and not recommended for key pages.
Should internal links ever be nofollowed?
Only in special cases like login pages, filter pages, tag pages, or low-value content pages. Important content pages should always be dofollow.
Can nofollow internal links cause indexing issues?
Yes. A lot of internal nofollow links can slow down crawling and may delay or prevent proper indexing.
Is it bad to use nofollow on category or tag pages?
In most cases, yes. Category and tag pages help with internal linking and topical relevance, so nofollow should be avoided.
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