Vandelay Website Design Blog

Removing the NoFollow Tags

Update: This post is no longer accurate. Links in comments are now nofollow. 

The DoFollow plugin is now installed and active on this blog, which means comments no longer include the NoFollow tag in links! If you’re not familiar with NoFollow tags, they are a way of preventing search engines from following and indexing links.

Almost all blogs by default include NoFollow tags on any links left by readers in the comments. Removing the NoFollow tags means that readers who actively participate by leaving comments are rewarding with a link to their website that search engines will follow and recognize.

Part of the reason NoFollow tags are used by default is an attempt to prevent spam comments. If you have a blog you know that this is not the case, and spammers leave comments regardless of NoFollow or DoFollow.

If you’re interested in removing NoFollow tags from your blog, check out the DoFollow plugin (for WordPress users). Andy Beard started a DoFollow community at BUMPzee that has grown quickly and includes a lot of great blogs.

We’ll also be adding links to those who leave the most comments by installing the Show Top Commentators plugin in upcoming days. Hopefully readers will benefit from these changes.

Originally Published August 2nd, 2007

15 comments from readers

  • 1 TheAnand Aug 3, 2007 at 1:59 am

    thats a good move to make. But you better keep an eye on your comments. It can get spammy at times. .

  • 2 Vandelay Design Aug 3, 2007 at 5:56 pm

    Yeah, I’m sure it can. Thanks for the advice.

  • 3 Average Joe Blogger Aug 5, 2007 at 7:52 pm

    I’ve also removed the NoFollow Tags. I am using the LinkLove plugin that allows you to set the number of comments required for a user before removing the tag. I’m hoping this will help keep some of the spammy comments down.

    So far so good.

  • 4 Vandelay Design Aug 5, 2007 at 9:14 pm

    Yeah, I think the LinkLove plugin looks pretty good. I’m not using it, but I may consider it in the future - probably only if I feel like I’m getting more spam comments than I can handle.

  • 5 TheAnand Aug 6, 2007 at 9:23 pm

    I am also using the link love plugin. But spam as usual is unbearable…

  • 6 Vandelay Design Aug 7, 2007 at 9:36 pm

    Yeah, I guess there’s no good way to stop it. Akismet does a good job, but it’s the human-entered spam that you can’t really stop.

  • 7 cooliojones Aug 14, 2007 at 9:44 pm

    Hey! I’m glad you are a part of the movement! Say no to the big guys, and yes to flexibility on the web!

  • 8 nicusor Aug 16, 2007 at 12:55 am

    Hi,

    I’m keeping an updated Do Follow List on my site and since yours is do-follow as well, I want to ask you if you want to join my list too.
    There are over 240 websites featured here, so go on and start commenting on those appealing to you.

    Let me know!

    Thanks,
    Nick

  • 9 nicusor Aug 16, 2007 at 12:57 am

    I also started a Link Directory with Do Follow categories. :)

  • 10 Vandelay Design Aug 16, 2007 at 4:56 pm

    nicusor,
    I added my site to the directory and left a comment to be added to the Do Follow List. Thanks!

  • 11 nicusor Aug 16, 2007 at 4:59 pm

    Welcome! :)
    Cheers

  • 12 Math Worksheets Aug 21, 2007 at 9:12 am

    The DoFollow plugin encourages people who want an easy backlink to leave a comment. The problem is, they have to use their desired anchor text as their name (as in my case here) because there’s no specific field for anchor text. Nick.

  • 13 Vandelay Design Aug 22, 2007 at 5:17 pm

    Math Worksheets/Nick,
    Thanks for reading and for your feedback. I wouldn’t really agree that readers “have to” use desired anchor text as their name. If you look through the comments on my site you’ll see very few people who do that. Some incorporate their name along with some type of keyword for their site. Leaving only keywords doesn’t sit well with a lot of bloggers and some of them will delete your comments for that reason. As you can see, I haven’t deleted your comment, but you may be wasting your time leaving comments just to get links with this method if they’re getting deleted.

  • 14 Give Your Linkbait a Boost << Vandelay Website Design Sep 12, 2007 at 10:17 pm

    […] To get the most out of this method, leave some comments on Do Follow blogs (those that have removed “no followâ€? tags from links in the comments. I have removed the no follow tags on this blog, and you can find a great list of Do Follow blogs on Courtney Tuttle’s D-List. […]

  • 15 Creating a More Valuable Blog for Your Readers << Vandelay Website Design Oct 28, 2007 at 2:22 pm

    […] Consider Removing the “NoFollow” Tag on […]