Goodbye Dofollow, hello to Sponsored and UGC. Google's new SEO attributes.

[edgtf_dropcaps type="normal" color="#fec000" background_color=""]G[/edgtf_dropcaps]ogle, with its constant changes and ways to improve the content of its links , brings to light two new link attributes, Sponsored and UGC, as a way to improve the old “dofollow” attribute. As you know, the “nofollow” attribute was introduced no less than 15 years ago , in 2005, as a response to the continuous spam that occurred in its links. Its main function was to fight against all the comments considered as spammers. It also served to link a page without the need to promote it or transfer positioning credit to it, that is, to be able to put external links to your website without passing the positioning authority of your page to the linked one. On September 10th, this will be left behind; the authority will begin to be transferred and the ranking effects will begin to count. Google now reserves the right to decide what it wants or doesn't want to follow when ranking , regardless of the attribute used. Links are now suggestions , not a path to better ranking.

Why do you want to leave the “dofollow” attribute behind?

When this attribute was introduced, Google wanted to combat spam comments by restricting certain poorly differentiated links. Now, Google aims to provide better context about the content of its links in order to help its own crawler better understand the nature of the links displayed. This, therefore, will significantly change all the criteria it uses to rank links, as well as differentiate links to weight them more specifically. Google has decided to change the way it analyzes links so that they are not a guide to positioning your website . This means that blogs or pages with "dofollow" will no longer be a gift for your web positioning, but rather a "clue," since Google obviously doesn't want to give you that priority on a silver platter , but rather improve the quality of the content you offer on its platform. On the other hand, although they are not prohibited nor is it recommended to change the system for now, the old attribute is not expected to remain in operation for much longer. The new formulas must be gradually adopted, and while the process finally stabilizes, "dofollow" will be used as a clue, and can be combined with the two new ones.

So, what are the famous new attributes? When will they be implemented?

The new attributes are " Sponsored " and " UGC ," and we'll explain each of them below. But the first thing you need to know is that they were implemented this week, so they're now in effect. As we mentioned, until "dofollow" disappears, it will be used as a clue, while the others are the predominant and future kings of link ranking.

What is the “Sponsored” attribute?

First, we have the so-called Sponsored link; this refers to all links created for a sponsorship or advertisement , identifying which ones are sponsored and which ones are not. Thus, all ads that are part of these lucrative purposes for SEO or others through advertising or similar are flagged and can be monitored. For example, if a website tells you and provides information about several vacuum cleaners for comparison purposes and, in addition to the information, provides a direct link to a website that sells that product, they are using links for their own benefit, in which an agreement has been reached to redirect you to that page.

What is the “UGC” attribute?

On the other hand, UGC identifies links that appear in user-generated content. That is, it marks links within content generated by the user on the website, just as Sponsored links mark sponsorships. For example, a user who posts a comment or message on a forum, group, or any other website about a related topic.

Are you an SEO or webmaster? How does it affect you?

Although the use of "nofollow" will increasingly decline, Google still considers link attributes important—all of them. Flagging ads and potential penalties can prevent future penalties on your website . Even so, Google emphasizes that it's not necessary to change attributes, as it's still in place for now, although it recommends switching to "sponsored" in the long run. However, it's not necessary to choose a single attribute for your website, as these can be combined in a single link. The only incorrect way to use a link is to use sponsored links, especially when it's already part of an ad. If you want to create a paid or sponsored link directly, you must use the "sponsored" or "nofollow" attribute (preferably "sponsored" for Google) to be flagged. Otherwise, you risk a penalty.