Link Management
How to Add Nofollow and Sponsored to Short Links
Need to tell search engines not to pass ranking value through a short link, or to flag it as a paid placement? URL Shortify adds rel="nofollow" and rel="sponsored" to your links with two free per-link toggles — No Follow and Sponsored — on the link form. You can also set them as global defaults under Settings → Links so every new link gets them automatically. Both options are in the free version.
What do nofollow and sponsored mean?
rel="nofollow" and rel="sponsored" are HTML link attributes that tell search engines how to treat a link. By default, a link is a signal — search engines may treat it as a "vote" that passes ranking value (link equity) to the destination. These attributes change that signal.
| Attribute | HTML | Tells search engines |
|---|---|---|
| Nofollow | rel="nofollow" |
Don't count this link as an endorsement; don't pass ranking value through it. |
| Sponsored | rel="sponsored" |
This link is a paid placement, advertisement or other compensated arrangement. |
Google introduced nofollow in 2005 to fight link spam, and added sponsored (and ugc, for user-generated content) in 2019 to describe why a link shouldn't pass value. Since 2020 Google treats these as hints rather than strict directives, but they remain the correct, expected way to mark paid and untrusted links.
When to use each
- Sponsored — apply to affiliate links, advertisements, advertorials and any link you were paid to place. Marking paid links is required by Google's guidelines; unmarked paid links risk a manual penalty.
- Nofollow — apply to links you reference but don't endorse, and to links where you don't want to pass ranking value. It's also safe to pair with sponsored for broader compatibility.
A single link can carry both: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow sponsored">example</a>.
How to add nofollow or sponsored to a single link
Both attributes are per-link toggles on the link form.
- In the WordPress admin, go to URL Shortify → Links.
- Click Add New (or edit an existing link).
- Turn on the No Follow and/or Sponsored toggle.
- Click Save.
URL Shortify then outputs the matching rel attribute on that short link.
How to set nofollow and sponsored as global defaults
To apply these attributes to every new link automatically, set the defaults:
- Go to URL Shortify → Settings.
- Open the Links tab.
- Under Default Link Options, enable Nofollow and/or Sponsored and save.
New links inherit the defaults, and you can still override either one per link with its toggle. Nofollow is enabled by default; Sponsored is off by default.
Conclusion
Marking short links with rel="nofollow" and rel="sponsored" keeps you within search engine guidelines and protects your site's SEO — and in URL Shortify both are free per-link toggles, with global defaults under Settings → Links. Next, learn how to create a short link or organise related links with link groups.
FAQs
What is the difference between nofollow and sponsored?
rel="nofollow" tells search engines not to pass ranking value through a link and not to treat it as an endorsement. rel="sponsored" specifically identifies a link as a paid placement or advertisement. Sponsored is the precise label for paid links, while nofollow is the broader "don't count this" signal; you can apply both to the same link.
How do I add nofollow to a short link in URL Shortify?
Open URL Shortify → Links, add or edit a link, turn on the No Follow toggle, and save. URL Shortify then outputs rel="nofollow" on that short link. To apply it to every new link automatically, enable Nofollow under URL Shortify → Settings → Links → Default Link Options.
Should affiliate links use nofollow or sponsored?
Use Sponsored for affiliate links, because they are compensated placements, and Google's guidelines require paid links to be marked. Pairing it with Nofollow adds compatibility with engines that don't yet recognise the newer attribute. In URL Shortify, simply enable both the Sponsored and No Follow toggles on the link.
Are the nofollow and sponsored options free in URL Shortify?
Yes. Both the per-link No Follow and Sponsored toggles and their global defaults under Settings → Links are included in the free version of URL Shortify. No upgrade is required to add rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" to your short links.
Does nofollow guarantee search engines ignore the link?
No. Since 2020 Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict directive, so it may still crawl the link while giving it little or no ranking weight. Nofollow remains the correct way to signal that a link isn't an endorsement, but it isn't an absolute block on crawling or indexing.