Short answer. Nofollow links aren’t a reliable way to improve your rankings, but they aren’t worthless. Google treats nofollow as a “hint”, not a strict rule. A nofollow link on a relevant blog can still bring you visitors and put your brand in front of the right readers. And for paid posts, a nofollow or sponsored link is what Google asks for.
What we found when we asked for rates
In October 2026 we asked UK family, parenting, travel and pet blogs for their sponsored post rates. Ten sent us prices.
Prices ranged from £30 to add a link to an old post, up to £500 for a post the blogger writes themselves. Traffic didn’t always match the price. Some smaller blogs quoted near the top of the range.
These were the bloggers’ own rates. RAVOA’s quotes, from £125, include finding the right blog, handling the outreach and checking the live post.
The link types surprised me. Of the ten:
- Five offered followed (“dofollow”) links as standard.
- One offered nofollow only.
- One let us choose followed, nofollow or sponsored.
- Three didn’t say.
One blog even offered to leave the post unlabelled. We don’t book unlabelled posts.
So if you’re buying sponsored posts, you’re likely to be offered followed links. Below is why that matters, and what we do about it.
What is a nofollow link?
A nofollow link is a normal link with one extra instruction in its code: rel="nofollow". Readers see and click it like any other link. Only search engines read the difference:
<a href="https://example.co.uk" rel="nofollow">Example</a>
Google says to use nofollow “when other values don’t apply, and you’d rather Google not associate your site with, or crawl the linked page from, your site.”
What is a dofollow link?
“Dofollow” isn’t real code. It’s the everyday name for a link with no nofollow, sponsored or ugc value:
<a href="https://example.co.uk">Example</a>
Google may count a link like this when ranking pages. That’s why some buyers ask for them, and why paying for them carries risk.
What does rel="sponsored" mean?
In 2019 Google added two values alongside nofollow:
rel="sponsored"is for adverts and paid placements.rel="ugc"is for user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts.
For paid links, Google prefers sponsored, but says nofollow “is still an acceptable way to flag them”.
So, are nofollow links good for SEO?
Not as a ranking tool you can count on.
Google used to ignore nofollow links for ranking. In 2019 it said sponsored, ugc and nofollow “are treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search”. It doesn’t say how often it uses them, or how much they count. Nobody outside Google can promise a nofollow link will lift your rankings.
But rankings aren’t the only reason to be on a good blog. Readers can still click a nofollow link. People who read about you on a blog they trust may remember your name and search for you later. And for a paid post, a nofollow or sponsored link keeps you and the blogger within Google’s rules.
My view: I tell buyers to judge the blog first and the link second. Is it read by your customers? Do real people comment? What will the post say? Those matter whatever the link type. For a fuller checklist, see how to assess a sponsored editorial placement before you pay.
What the rules say about paid posts
Google. Google lists “buying or selling links for ranking purposes” as link spam, including “exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links”. It also says paid links are fine for advertising “as long as they are qualified with a rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" attribute value”. Sites that break its spam policies “may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all”.
UK advertising rules. The CAP Code, enforced by the Advertising Standards Authority, says marketing “must be obviously identifiable as such” (rule 2.1). For advertorials, it gives the example of “heading them ‘advertisement feature’” (rule 2.4).
The label is for readers. The link attribute is for search engines. A paid post needs a clear label either way.
Should you pay extra for a dofollow link?
Many blogs will offer one, as our quotes showed. Before you pay, know the trade-off: by Google’s own definition, a paid link meant to pass ranking credit is link spam. The risk falls on your site as well as the blog’s.
At RAVOA, each blog sets its own link policy, and we show it to you before you book. Google asks for paid links to be marked sponsored or nofollow. We don’t promise rankings. Every placement we book is labelled “Advertisement feature” as a condition of booking. See how it works.
How to check whether a link is nofollow
- Open the page in Chrome, Edge or Firefox on a computer.
- Right-click the link and choose Inspect.
- Look at the highlighted
<a>code. If it hasrel="nofollow",rel="sponsored"orrel="ugc", the link is marked. If not, it’s a normal followed link.
We check every live post this way, alongside the label and the content.
Quick answers
Is a sponsored link the same as a nofollow link?
Both tell Google the link isn’t an editorial endorsement. Sponsored is more specific: it says the link was paid for. Google prefers it for paid links but accepts nofollow.
Can a nofollow link hurt my site?
Google doesn’t describe nofollow links as harmful. Problems come from paid links that aren’t marked.
Sources
- Google Search Central: Qualify your outbound links to Google
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
- Google Search Central Blog (September 2019): Evolving “nofollow”: new ways to identify the nature of links
- ASA / CAP: CAP Code, section 2: Recognition of marketing communications
Rate figures are from quotes UK blogs sent RAVOA in October 2026; blogs are not named. This article is general guidance, not legal advice. Sources checked on 22 October 2026.