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Use when auditing internal link structure or reviewing link attributes. Applies to any site using rel=nofollow on links pointing to pages within the same domain.
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| name | nofollow-internal |
| description | Use when auditing internal link structure or reviewing link attributes. Applies to any site using rel=nofollow on links pointing to pages within the same domain. |
| metadata | {"category":"seo","priority":"medium","difficulty":"intermediate","estimatedTime":"10","source":"frontendchecklist.io","url":"https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/seo/nofollow-internal"} |
Adding rel=nofollow to internal links prevents PageRank from flowing to those pages—reducing their ability to rank—while providing no benefit over simply omitting the attribute.
Scan all internal links ( tags pointing to the same domain) for the presence of rel='nofollow' or rel containing 'nofollow'. List each instance with its source page, anchor text, and target URL.
Remove rel='nofollow' from internal links. If the goal was to prevent indexing of the target page, add to the target page instead. If the goal was to prevent crawling, use robots.txt Disallow for that path.
The rel=nofollow attribute was originally designed for untrusted external links. When applied to internal links, it blocks PageRank from flowing to your own pages without any benefit. Google has stated that PageRank sculpting via nofollow does not work—the PageRank that would have passed is simply lost, not redistributed.
Query all elements. For each link, check if rel contains 'nofollow'. Determine if the link is internal (same domain) or external. Flag every internal link with rel='nofollow'. Check if the flagged links are in navigation, header, footer, or body content. Look for rel='nofollow new-tab' patterns that may have been applied blanket to all links.
For full implementation details, code examples, and framework-specific guidance,
see references/rule.md.
Rule page: https://frontendchecklist.io/en/rules/seo/nofollow-internal
