A cautionary tale from someone who learned it the hard way...
馃毃 Hard truth: Your user-generated content site is a MAGNET for link spammers if you're not using nofollow links. Here's why it matters.
鉁筹笍 What happens without nofollow:
- Spammers target your site relentlessly
- Your site's authority tanks
- Google starts giving you side-eye
- Manual penalties become likely
- Your reputation suffers
馃搶 Key fact: Every link without nofollow is you telling Google "I personally vouch for this random URL"
馃挕 Quick implementation guide:
- Add rel="nofollow" or rel="ugc"
- Apply to ALL user-submitted links
- Check your forums, comments, profiles
"But won't this hurt my SEO?" Nope. Clean link profiles > artificial link juice, every single time.
馃憖 Fun fact: Even Reddit and Wikipedia use nofollow. If the giants need it, you definitely do.
馃攽 Bottom line: Nofollow isn't optional for UGC - it's essential site hygiene.
Drop a 馃憤 if this helped!