Types of SEO Links Explained: What Google Counts and What It Ignores

Not all links are created equal:  some pack a serious SEO punch, and others… not so much.

“Follow” links are the gold standard. These are the ones that pass on authority from one site to yours. They’re like a thumbs-up from another website approving your content to be legit. Unless a link is marked otherwise, it’s usually a follow link by default.

Then you’ve got “nofollow” links, which tell Google not to pass on ranking authority via a rel="nofollow" attribute. That said, Google’s a bit more relaxed about this now - they treat “nofollow” as more of a suggestion than a hard rule, especially if it’s coming from a big-name site. So while these links might not directly boost your rankings, they can still drive traffic and visibility. And that’s never a bad thing.

Sponsored and UGC Link Attributes

If a link’s been paid for,  either as part of a sponsorship or an ad, then it should be marked as sponsored with rel="sponsored". This helps Google know you’re not trying to sneak in paid links while pretending to be promoted naturally.

And when it comes to things like blog comments, forum replies, or anything users can submit themselves – those links should be marked as rel="ugc", which just means User-Generated Content.

This helps Google understand who put what where, and keeps the search results clean by stopping people from trying to bring down your SEO results through manipulation. 

Editorial vs Self-Created Links

Now this bit’s important - editorial links are links other people give you because your content genuinely helped them. These attributions are pure gold. That’s what Google loves.

Self-created links, like dropping your own URL into directories, blog comments, or profile bios… are fine in moderation, but they don’t carry as much weight. And if you overdo it, Google might just ignore them altogether.