🔗 Google Still Uses Link Attributes — Here’s Why It Matters
Google changed how it treats link attributes — but one thing hasn’t changed: these attributes are still meaningful and valuable.
Instead of ignoring them completely (as was the case with the old nofollow), Google now treats nofollow, ugc and sponsored as hints that help its systems understand links better.
This matters for SEO, quality signals, and backlink strategies — including the high-value NAP backlinks you create for your sites.
⭐ What Each Attribute Does — And Why It’s Valuable
🔹 rel="sponsored" — Paid and Commercial Links
This attribute clearly signals to Google that a link comes from a paid placement, sponsorship or commercial agreement.
By properly labeling these, webmasters help Google distinguish editorial, organic links from commercial ones — improving transparency and trust.
🔹 rel="ugc" — User-Generated Content
UGC stands for User-Generated Content. Use this on links inside comments, forums, reviews, community posts, and similar.
It tells Google: “This link was added by users, not editorial staff.”
This improves the search engine’s ability to assess link quality and reduces the risk of spam affecting ranking signals.
🔹 rel="nofollow" — Non-Endorsed Links
This classic attribute is used when you want to link out but not pass editorial endorsement or authority.
Under the updated system, this flag still tells Google not to treat the link as a strong endorsement — but the link itself can still provide context and help search systems understand content relationships.
🧠 Why Google Still Cares About These Attributes
Google explicitly states that all three attributes are now treated as hints, used to help the search engine “understand links on the web in a more nuanced way.”
That means Google no longer ignores nofollow completely — instead, it uses the information where it’s helpful.
Here’s what that does for Google:
Better context on what each link represents
Improved understanding of how content is connected
More precise spam detection
More accurate interpretation of anchor text and link patterns
This doesn’t turn nofollow or ugc into full ranking boosters. But the fact they are still used at all — and treated as intentional signals — proves they continue to hold real value in how Google processes links.
🧩 And What This Means for NAP Backlinks
Your NAP backlinks — which include consistent Name, Address, Phone citations with proper site linking — still deliver value because:
They provide clear, structured reference points that help Google match your business identity across the web.
They contribute to context and trust signals, which search systems use to evaluate relevance.
Even if not all pass direct ranking authority, they still support visibility, local relevance and overall site credibility.
In essence: high-quality backlinks with honest, contextually relevant link attributes are still valuable — and link attributes enhance how Google interprets them.