{"id":34947,"date":"2013-08-18T18:59:45","date_gmt":"2013-08-18T13:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=34947"},"modified":"2026-10-12T15:53:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T10:23:37","slug":"add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Add Nofollow Links in WordPress (Block Editor, 2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>I often need to add <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2020\/04\/nofollow-links\/\">nofollow to post links<\/a>, and for years that meant switching to the text editor and typing rel=&#8221;nofollow&#8221; by hand. In 2013 I even requested a nofollow checkbox for the WordPress link dialog in WordPress Ideas. WordPress core still doesn&#8217;t have one, but adding <strong>nofollow links in WordPress<\/strong> is now easy with the block editor and an SEO plugin. Here&#8217;s how in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64692\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Nofollow links in WordPress\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/nofollow-links-wordpress.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Install an SEO plugin like Rank Math, AIOSEO or Yoast SEO, then in the block editor select the link text, click the link, and switch on the &#8220;nofollow&#8221; (or &#8220;sponsored&#8221;) toggle the plugin adds to the link popup. Without a plugin, choose the block&#8217;s three-dot menu &gt; Edit as HTML and add <code>rel=\"nofollow\"<\/code> to the link.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_88 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6accd66ae3355\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6accd66ae3355\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#When_to_use_nofollow_sponsored_and_ugc\" >When to use nofollow, sponsored and ugc<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Method_1_SEO_plugin_toggle_in_the_block_editor\" >Method 1: SEO plugin toggle in the block editor<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Method_2_Edit_as_HTML\" >Method 2: Edit as HTML<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Method_3_Bulk_add_nofollow\" >Method 3: Bulk add nofollow<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Does_WordPress_have_a_built-in_nofollow_option\" >Does WordPress have a built-in nofollow option?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Should_all_external_links_be_nofollow\" >Should all external links be nofollow?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/08\/add-nofollow-links-in-wordpress-posts\/#Do_nofollow_links_help_SEO\" >Do nofollow links help SEO?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"When_to_use_nofollow_sponsored_and_ugc\"><\/span>When to use nofollow, sponsored and ugc<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>rel=&#8221;sponsored&#8221;:<\/strong> affiliate, paid and sponsored links.<\/li>\n<li><strong>rel=&#8221;ugc&#8221;:<\/strong> user-generated links, such as in comments and forums (WordPress adds nofollow and ugc to comment links automatically).<\/li>\n<li><strong>rel=&#8221;nofollow&#8221;:<\/strong> any other link you don&#8217;t want to vouch for.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Since 2019 Google treats these as hints rather than strict rules, but using them correctly keeps you within its link guidelines.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_1_SEO_plugin_toggle_in_the_block_editor\"><\/span>Method 1: SEO plugin toggle in the block editor<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Install and activate <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/seo-by-rank-math\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rank Math<\/a> (or AIOSEO or Yoast SEO; check which version includes link toggles).<\/li>\n<li>Select text in a paragraph and add a link.<\/li>\n<li>Open the link settings and turn on <strong>Add rel=&#8221;nofollow&#8221;<\/strong> or <strong>Add rel=&#8221;sponsored&#8221;<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Rank Math can also nofollow all external links automatically under General Settings &gt; Links, with exceptions for trusted domains.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_2_Edit_as_HTML\"><\/span>Method 2: Edit as HTML<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Click the block, open the three-dot menu and choose <strong>Edit as HTML<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Change <code>&lt;a href=\"https:\/\/example.com\"&gt;<\/code> to <code>&lt;a href=\"https:\/\/example.com\" rel=\"nofollow\"&gt;<\/code>.<\/li>\n<li>Switch back to Edit visually.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>In the Classic Editor, use the Text tab the same way.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Method_3_Bulk_add_nofollow\"><\/span>Method 3: Bulk add nofollow<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>For hundreds of existing links, use a link management or search-and-replace plugin, or an SEO plugin&#8217;s automatic external link settings. We covered an earlier approach in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2012\/03\/manage-outbound-links-wordpress\/\">managing outbound links in WordPress<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Does_WordPress_have_a_built-in_nofollow_option\"><\/span>Does WordPress have a built-in nofollow option?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. The block editor only offers &#8220;Open in new tab&#8221;. Use an SEO plugin or edit the HTML.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Should_all_external_links_be_nofollow\"><\/span>Should all external links be nofollow?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. Link normally to helpful, trustworthy sources. Use nofollow or sponsored for paid, affiliate or untrusted links.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_nofollow_links_help_SEO\"><\/span>Do nofollow links help SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>They pass little or no ranking credit but can still bring traffic. See the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2020\/04\/nofollow-links\/\">benefits of nofollow links<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I often need to add nofollow to post links, and for years that meant switching to the text editor and&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-34947","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34947","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34947"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34947\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64693,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34947\/revisions\/64693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34947"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34947"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34947"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}