The secrets of site optimization are not only in their promotion by key queries, taking care of usability and increasing traffic, but also in the correct use of the html code. Proper application of tags and their attributes often helps to avoid multi-day work. There are popular and effective techniques. Probably, in SEO optimization, it is impossible to separate the rel nofollow attributes and the noindex tag from each other. Therefore, this article will discuss both, as well as why they are needed, whether they should be placed side by side and in what cases they should be used, and when it should not be done.
Indexing pages and their weight
One of the most important parameters for getting a site into the TOP 10 search engines is the weight of its pages. It is they who fall into the first issue of Yandex and Google, followed by Internet portals. The weight of each of them is increased by links - both external and internal. It is important for every webmaster to understand how the process of distributing this parameter between the pages of his site and Internet projects, links of which are placed on his own resource.
Where does the weight go
Let's consider an elementary example. Let's say that in the main text there are two links leading to other publications. Initially, we will assign a weight equal to 1 to each page. When indexing, the search robot will take into account both links. In this case, the weight of the main page will decrease by a factor equal to 0.85. It is easy to calculate how many publications that are linked to will receive: 0.85/2=0.425.
This algorithm is not an exact and official calculation of search engines. It is presented so that the reader can understand in general terms the distribution of such a parameter as page weight. When its meaning is clear, it is easier to understand what the rel nofollow attribute is.
Hide links from search engines
Of course, any site is created in order to get some profit from it. And the weight of each page is appreciated by the webmaster. But it is impossible not to place external links in your publications. There are reasons for this, and here are a few of them:
– buying and selling links makes a profit;
– citing on authoritative resources adds weight to the site;
– Internet project traffic is increasing.
There is an opinion that the attribute of the tag a - rel nofollow will help hide anchors from search robots and at the same time the page weight will remain. But this statement is only possible if the code is written correctly. The exact spelling of this attribute is:
a href="URL">anchor
Proper linking only adds weight to the site and increases its ranking. Needless to say, there is no need to use a href rel nofollow for internal links.
Use example
Explanation in general terms does not always reveal the full picture of the importance of applying certain tags and their attributes. Hide the link, do not give the weight of the page of your site to another. What's this? Just greed? No, this is far from true. For example, many sites have social media buttons. Agree that their trust is already great. Codes of social buttons with saving the weight of their own pages are written using the attributes target blank, rel nofollow. The first of them, after clicking, will lead the visitor to third-party Internet resources, opening another browser tab. The second - will not allow to reduce the weight of the page. For example, for a Twitter social network button, this would look like this:
a make a reservation about the validity of the code - compliance with all technical requirements of html markup. The rel external nofollow tag not only replaces the target_blank attribute no worse, but is also better perceived by search engine robots.
A rel href nofollow, or When you still need it
Not only social networks do not need a scarce weight for a young Internet project. Typically, the attribute is used for:
– hiding links to "bad" or non-thematic sites from search engines;
– in order to hide a large number of addresses on third-party resources;
– hiding links if the webmaster sells them;
– not transferring weight to mega-popular portals such asYandex or Google;
– hide links in comments.
Nofollow saves websites, especially blogs, from spam. Unverified links closed with this attribute will appear less and less in comments.
Noindex and why it's worth talking about
Prohibition of indexing by search robots can be set not only for external and internal links, but also for individual elements of texts, as well as entire pages. To do this, webmasters use the noindex tag. It hides only texts. Does not apply to pictures and photographs. Links that rel nofollow successfully hides, noindex cannot hide from search engines. The robot will not see the anchors, but it will index the addresses. Noindex is usually used to hide some content:
– with obscene language;
– with non-unique text;
– in sidebars and mailing lists.
The tag should definitely be used. But it does not work on every engine. The fact is that noindex is not valid, that is, it does not meet the standards. This is why one of the most popular blogging platforms, WordPress, "throws out" the tag from its code. The secret of validity lies in the use of multiple characters.. By writing the code in this form, you can be sure that Yandex blog pages on WordPress will not be indexed.
Sharing
Should I write both the tag and the attribute in the page code? Nothing prevents you from using noindex and a rel nofollow together. The tag does not interfere with the attribute, and vice versa. Put themside by side because search engines see the site code differently. For example, when using both the tag and the attribute, the webmaster can be sure that the Yandex anchor robot will not recognize it, nor will it see the link itself. Google will see the text, but the weight will not be transferred to third-party pages of other sites.
Especially for beginners
Website optimization is a new job on the labor market and an interesting job. The lack of systematically planned information resources for newcomers greatly complicates their activities. And naturally, young webmasters make mistakes. Someone fills the content with an insane amount of links, someone leaves pages without one at all. The same picture in the case of the arrangement of the noindex tag and the nofollow rel attribute.
The desire to bring the site to the TOP of search engines is the reason for making a critical mistake. The fact is that beginners often close external links with both a tag and an attribute. This, to some extent, really saves the weight of each page of the site. But the truth is that the same external links increase the credibility of the search engines. You can compensate for weight loss by promoting low- and mid-frequency requests.
Any optimizer should remember that any information will be perceived by readers with great confidence if it is possible to follow the link to its source. Surely webmasters themselves are unlikely to adopt a book or brochure that does not have a list of references used.
More and more Internet users rely on authoritative sources. And if the young site will not link to themopinion, it will be much more difficult for him to retain readers and attract subscribers. Of course, this will negatively affect the optimization of the resource by the behavioral factor. So should you blindly use rel nofollow attributes?
A good webmaster cares about his reader. Remember that one of the foundations of the Internet is links to authoritative resources that provide reliable information. Sites made for people are “liked” by search engines. And page weight is not the only parameter by which pages with content get into the TOP. Yandex evaluates Internet projects by 800 parameters.
After all, page weight only matters for posts that get it from third-party links. As experience shows, donors, leaving this ranking parameter to themselves, do not climb higher in the "eyes" of search engines.
