Nofollow links are essentially used so Google does not see your link. Google originally brought in these tags so black hat SEO wouldn’t spam links across blog comments and social media. While many SEOs may dislike nofollow links because they do not provide “linkjuice,” there are actually a few benefits.
1. Word-of-Mouth Marketing
A majority of word-of-mouth marketing is accomplished through nofollow links. When your links appear on social media or in a forum, they are actually nofollow links. This doesn’t add SEO value to your website but people are still discussing your links.
2. The Domino Effect
When a link is featured somewhere, it is bound to get featured somewhere else. For instance, while looking for your next blog topic you may stumble upon a relevant blog and click on other websites they’ve linked to. From there, you’ll find yourself linking to several different websites! When someone links to your content, you’ll become the content they link to.
3. They May Actually Improve Search Results
Nofollow links can actually indicate to Google that you’re building your links naturally because there isn’t a rapid surge of sites linking to you. This can improve your trust flow which may improve rankings. This isn’t definite but it certainly won’t hurt.