nofollow
Link attribute that tells search engines not to pass PageRank or endorse the destination (rel="nofollow").
Definition
nofollow is a value for the rel attribute on links: <a href="..." rel="nofollow">. It instructs search engines not to pass PageRank to the linked page and not to treat the link as an editorial endorsement. Used for user-generated content, ads, or untrusted destinations. Similar: rel="sponsored" for paid links, rel="ugc" for user-generated content. The default is "dofollow" (no rel), which does pass PageRank.
Relevance to GEO
Backlinks with nofollow do not contribute to link authority in the same way as dofollow links. For GEO, earning dofollow links from trusted, relevant sites remains a strong signal for both SEO and AI citation likelihood.