“Nofollowdation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous marketing plot we have ever had to face.”
– General Jack D. Ripper, Dr. Strangelove (slightly modified)
This was me a few years ago:
Get a link to my site
Highlight link to my website
Right click > view selection source
“DANGIT!!! Nofollowed!!!”
My dreams completely shattered; how would I ever explain this to my boss? That initial excitement and celebration had now faded, as I sulked deeper and deeper into my chair, disgruntled, believing that all my work had amounted to nothing.
To try and prevent such a travesty from every happening again, I went on a crusade. Before outreaching to a site owner or editor, I would double and triple check their sites to make sure external links weren’t nofollowed, and if they were, I would cast the site off, never to be considered again.
But over time I noticed how thinking in such a way created a really interesting and perverse incentive…
How many times have you searched “write for us” [insert blog niche] knowing that it greatly increases the odds that you will get a dofollow link? I’m not saying there’s anything inherently wrong with that; plenty of great contacts to be made by doing so. But if you check the “writer guidelines” page for sites that actively are looking for guest authors, you’ll likely notice a common theme: “We allow one dofollow link in the author bio.”
In this day and age, this should now be setting off an outreach siren (or at least putting up a yield sign). It’s certainly time to be critically analyzing where we are getting links to our sites and making proper assessments as to whether or not the value exists.
When I was first starting out, I would salivate over the possibility of any link I could get my hands on, thinking “Wow, the opportunity for a real published DOFOLLOW link, now that’s what I’m talking about! Surely my rankings will rule supreme!”
But I learned quickly this was a ridiculous way to think about what we’re trying to actually accomplish as online marketers, and I would really encourage folks to start thinking differently about their true objectives.
So what to do?
Eliminating a site from a prospect list just because it nofollows links is focusing far too much on the minimal value one link provides. I would argue that in any online marketing campaign, nofollows not only have a place but should be sought after as part of the overall strategy.
To be clear, I’m not talking about trying to maintain some healthy ratio of link types in a site’s profile; I’m talking about actively pursuing nofollows with the intention of gaining the benefits they bring almost entirely unrelated to organic search.
Some examples:
In the first image below, you will see the referral data (or lack thereof) from a placement where the website I wrote for allowed me to link to my website in the author bio section.
You’re reading that correctly, in case you’re wondering. An article on a decent site sent exactly zero referral traffic to my blog. This isn’t uncommon.
I know what you might be thinking. “But Rob, surely the link in and of itself still has value! And isn’t that what a good outreacher should be targeting in the first place? The almighty link!”
I agree that links will likely always have their place, but I have started thinking a lot about why search engines value links, and it changed the way I target placements. The reason a link has value is because it is used to cite a source or refer readers to external resources and information. If the readers of a site aren’t actually ever clicking this link, then why should search engines give it any value?
I’m not saying we’re there yet, but wouldn’t doubt it’s only a matter of time.
Here’s another example, where we gave a blogger a product to review, the links in the article were appropriately nofollowed to adhere to search engine guidelines:
The links in the article sent some fantastic traffic that hung around on the site, visiting multiple pages as well as talking about the product in the comments of the article and on social. In the top-right corner you can see that the blogger ran a giveaway for the product as well, resulting in increased engagement on all of the website’s social channels, creating buzz for the product.
In the long term, who would you rather work with? The first example or the second?
These are not unique examples. I have noticed an upward trend where nofollow links can often times present the absolute best and immediate return when proper site metrics are measured.
So what’s the takeaway here?
This is going to sound a little funny, so hear me out. You can be a bit reckless with nofollow. Here’s why:
You don’t have to worry about breaking search engine guidelines, and countless bloggers are happy to take your money or products to promote your brand or service to their audiences (ones that might otherwise have little interest in working with you).
In other words? You can become an advertiser overnight!
To be clear though, I’m not recommending you just go after promoted content type posts; those tend to have little value. Focus on how you can use your contact’s influence and audience in a more engaging way, and respectfully “pay to play.” The creative possibilites are often endless.
The lines between digital advertising and marketing are continuing to blur, and incorporating a “nofollow strategy” into your marketing efforts can easily prove fruitful when proper analysis is applied. Treating bloggers more like business owners is a far more respectful way to work with their audiences to build brand awareness. And if this two-way partnership continues to grow, there is certainly an opportunity to create an influential brand ambassador, one of the most powerful things we can hope for.
