What are nofollow links and how to use them for SEO

Today, not only the number of inbound links is important in SEO, but also their variety. One of the tools that help to build a natural link profile is nofollow links. In this article, we will take a closer look at what is, how these two types of links differ, what are the benefits of using them, and how to implement them correctly in your SEO strategy.

Nofollow links: what are they?

Naked links or bare URLs are hyperlinks that use the URL itself as an anchor text.

For example:

This approach ensures maximum transparency: you can immediately see where the link goes without any additional interpretation. You can insert a clean URL without any extra steps, which is especially valuable when sharing links in comments, chats, or social media.

Long full addresses in technical documentation help to easily reproduce the query structure – for example, https://api.example.com/v1/users immediately shows the path to the corresponding resource. Unlike shorteners (bit.ly, etc.), direct links retain all the semantics of the path and do not hide any useful context.

Differences between anchor and nofollow links

Anchor links contain a keyword or phrase in their anchor text that immediately indicates the topic of the page to which the link leads. This allows users and search engines to understand what the link is about even before they click on it. However, the overuse of identical anchors can look like manipulation: too many identical keyword phrases in a link profile can trigger algorithmic sanctions.

On the contrary, anchorless links show the URL without any descriptive text. This creates the impression of maximum transparency – you can immediately see what resource will be opened. They are less likely to be perceived as spam, as the lack of semantic load reduces the likelihood of keyword overload.

Advantages of nofollow links

A combination of different link formats keeps your profile natural and protects you from search engine penalties. Clean URLs bring the necessary diversity and balance, as well as a number of additional benefits. Let’s take a look at all the advantages.

Naturalness of the profile

Google algorithms give preference to resources whose profile contains both descriptive markers and clean URLs. It is the presence of «bare» addresses in the structure of external links that indicates the natural development of the resource and reduces suspicions of artificial link building.

Reducing the risk of oversaturation

Excessive use of the same descriptive markers can lead to algorithmic penalties. According to OutreachMonks, «Anchor Text Optimization: What It Is and How to Do It Right!»,

In practice, this means that if the analytics shows that the exact match of keyword phrases exceeds 15-20% of the total volume of anchors, you should gradually replace some of these links with full URLs. This makes the overall profile more natural and reduces the risk of penalties from Google.

Increase the trust of the audience

Another advantage is increased transparency for the visitor. Seeing the full URL in front of them, users immediately understand what site they are going to visit. This is especially important for an audience that values openness and control over their own actions online.

Flexibility for different types of content

Clean URLs work equally well in press releases, research reports, technical documentation, forum comments, and social media posts – without the need for additional formatting.

Fast placement

To paste a URL, you just need to copy the address itself, which saves time when working with dynamic communication channels (chatbots, messengers).

When and how to use nofollow links

To use anchorless links correctly, you should follow the following steps.

1. First of all, you should audit the current profile of your website’s external links: analyze the sources of inbound links, types of descriptive markers, and the share of existing «bare» URLs. Next, we determine the optimal balance between text links and clean addresses – usually a ratio of about 70% descriptive formats to 30% bare URLs.

2. Based on this data, a content plan is created with a smooth alternation of formats. In blog posts, it’s enough to replace some text links with clean URLs, and in press releases and reports, emphasize full paths (for example, https://example.com/news/2025-update). It is recommended to distribute three posts per month as follows: two with descriptive markers and one with «bare» addresses.
3. After launching the strategy, you need to check your website’s position in search engines and analyze traffic several times a month. This allows you to adjust the percentage of links in time – for example, if it turns out that the direct URL indicator has gone beyond 20-30%, you should return to more active use of descriptive links or, on the contrary, add a few more «bare» URLs.

For more clarity, let’s take a look at the table below:

Examples of use

Sometimes direct URLs work unexpectedly well even outside of standard web content. Let’s look at a few additional scenarios.

• E-mail newsletters and signatures.

Short emails or signatures from company employees sometimes don’t have enough space for long descriptions. Here, a clean URL helps the recipient navigate immediately and get to the right link:

No unnecessary words – just a clear path to the promotional offer.

• Internal FAQ and help on the website.

When creating a FAQ section, anchors are often used to quickly navigate within the page. Instead of anchor text, you can insert a direct URL with a hash mark:

This saves time for developers and readers by eliminating the need to write HTML tags.

• Infographics and presentations.

If a presentation or infographic is printed on a poster or flyer, a clean URL becomes the only option to redirect the user to an online resource. A short, clear link ensures that even when manually entered into the browser, the address is broken with a minimum number of errors.

• Offline QR codes.

Direct URLs are usually used to generate QR codes because it is necessary to avoid unnecessary characters. The direct path allows you to quickly read the code and go directly to the desired page without intermediate redirects.

• Mobile apps and push notifications.

In push notifications or SMS, where HTML support is limited, a clean URL is the only way to convey the «clickable zone» to the user. For example:

Clicking on it immediately opens a mobile browser or app.

Each of these examples demonstrates that bare URLs not only remain relevant in standard blogs and reports, but also easily adapt to a variety of communication channels where anchor text is not possible or inefficient.

Conclusion and next steps

Anchorless links are a key element of a balanced SEO strategy, combining transparency and naturalness of a link profile. They reduce the risk of keyword oversaturation, increase user trust, and are easily integrated into a variety of content formats – from technical documentation to offline materials.

To achieve maximum effect, you should follow these recommendations:

Following these steps will help you build a natural, diverse, and sustainable link profile that ensures steady growth in organic traffic and resilience to changes in search engine algorithms.

Oleksandr Shmidko

SEO Specialist

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