Is “noreferrer” Bad for SEO? Understanding Its Role in Links

The HTML attribute noreferrer is often a point of discussion among webmasters and SEO professionals. This tag, when added to links, prevents the browser from sending referral information to the target website, effectively keeping the originating page anonymous. While this feature is useful for certain types of security and privacy needs, it raises questions about its impact on search engine optimization (SEO). Does the use of noreferrer negatively affect SEO, or are there specific scenarios where it is beneficial?

In this article, we’ll examine the role of noreferrer, its effects on SEO, and when it makes sense to use it for your website.

What is the noreferrer Attribute?

The noreferrer attribute is part of the HTML rel attribute family, often used with external links to dictate how they interact with the target destination. When included, noreferrer serves two main functions:

1. It Blocks Referral Data: The originating site does not pass any information about the referrer (your site) to the destination site.
2. Enhances Security and Privacy: By keeping the referring URL hidden, noreferrer helps protect user data, which can be particularly relevant in sensitive industries.

The noreferrer tag is often used alongside noopener, another link attribute that prevents the new page from gaining access to the window object of the referring page. Together, noreferrer and noopener enhance security, particularly in cases where third-party or external links are involved.

When is noreferrer Useful?

• Preventing Referrer Leaks: For privacy-sensitive websites, such as those in healthcare, legal, or financial industries, noreferrer can prevent sensitive referral information from being passed to third-party websites.
• Avoiding Data Sharing with Competitors: If linking to a competitor’s content, companies might use noreferrer to avoid giving them access to traffic data originating from their site.
• Reducing Security Risks: It mitigates certain vulnerabilities in browsers, especially when combined with noopener, by reducing the possibility of malicious exploitation.

However, these benefits come with a caveat: the noreferrer tag’s potential impact on SEO and how search engines perceive the relationship between websites.

How Does noreferrer Affect SEO?

The impact of noreferrer on SEO primarily revolves around its effect on referral data and, indirectly, link equity (often referred to as “link juice”).

1. Impact on Link Equity (PageRank):
   • In SEO, backlinks are a crucial ranking factor. They signal to search engines that other websites find a page valuable enough to link to. Link equity flows from one page to another through backlinks, contributing to higher rankings.
   • Although there is no official confirmation from Google that noreferrer disrupts the transfer of link equity, there is concern that blocking referral data might limit the effectiveness of backlinks. However, it is essential to differentiate between noreferrer and nofollow, as the latter directly instructs search engines not to pass ranking value to the linked page.
   • SEO experts generally believe that noreferrer does not inherently prevent the transfer of link equity, but it makes it difficult for analytics tools to track traffic sources.
2. Loss of Referral Data for Analytics:
   • When using noreferrer, you lose access to valuable referral data in analytics. This loss makes it challenging to determine which sites are driving traffic to your page, limiting the insights into which content performs well in terms of referrals.
   • Referral data is valuable for content strategy and partnership decisions, helping webmasters understand where their traffic originates. Without this data, you might lose the ability to gauge the success of external links in driving traffic.
3. User Trust and Transparency:
   • Search engines value transparency in linking practices. Excessive use of noreferrer could raise questions about link intent. For example, using noreferrer across all external links could indicate a lack of transparency, which may seem suspicious to both users and search engines.
   • While no direct penalties are associated with noreferrer, some SEO professionals suggest using it sparingly to avoid creating a pattern that might appear unnatural or manipulative.

When Should You Avoid Using noreferrer?

• On Valuable Backlinks: When linking to high-authority websites or valuable resources that you want search engines to notice, avoid noreferrer to ensure proper tracking and potential link equity flow.
• Affiliate or Partnership Links: If you’re part of affiliate programs or partnerships that rely on referral tracking, avoid using noreferrer, as it could interfere with tracking conversions.
• Internal Links: Internal links help structure your website and guide both users and search engine bots through your content. Using noreferrer on internal links is generally unnecessary and could limit tracking within your own analytics setup.

Common Misunderstandings about noreferrer and SEO

There are a few misconceptions around noreferrer, and understanding these can clarify how it might impact your SEO.

1. Does noreferrer Block Link Equity?
   • The noreferrer attribute does not explicitly tell search engines to ignore the link in the way that nofollow does. While noreferrer may prevent referral data from being passed, it does not necessarily prevent search engines from following the link or considering it valuable.
2. Is noreferrer Considered Manipulative?
   • Search engines do not currently penalize the use of noreferrer. However, overuse, particularly when combined with other restrictive attributes like nofollow, could make your linking patterns appear less transparent.
3. Does noreferrer Impact Crawling?
   • noreferrer does not interfere with a search engine’s ability to crawl links or index content. This tag purely influences referral data and does not block search engine bots from accessing or following the link.

Best Practices for Using noreferrer

1. Use noreferrer for Privacy-Driven Content:
   • In privacy-focused industries where confidentiality is essential, using noreferrer protects user privacy without compromising SEO significantly.
2. Combine with nofollow When Necessary:
   • If you want to avoid passing link equity, such as in paid or sponsored links, combine noreferrer with nofollow. This combination ensures compliance with Google’s guidelines while also maintaining user security and privacy.
3. Limit Use on Valuable Content:
   • If you are linking to content you believe adds value to your site, avoid noreferrer to ensure link equity flows naturally. Avoid noreferrer on high-authority or relevant links that can strengthen your SEO through association.
4. Monitor Referral Data Regularly:
   • If you are concerned about losing referral insights, use tools like UTM tracking codes for non-noreferrer links to monitor traffic sources. This strategy allows you to track traffic while preserving referrer data.
5. Consider the User Experience:
   • In scenarios where user trust is paramount, transparency in linking practices is critical. Use noreferrer thoughtfully, particularly in contexts where users may want to know the source of a referral.

Conclusion

The noreferrer attribute plays a unique role in web security and privacy but has a mixed impact on SEO. While it doesn’t prevent search engines from following or considering links, it blocks referral data, which can hinder analytics and potentially limit insights into traffic sources. In general, noreferrer is not inherently “bad” for SEO but should be used strategically based on the specific needs of your site, privacy concerns, and SEO goals.

For most websites, it’s advisable to reserve noreferrer for cases where privacy is a priority, or the security of user data is a concern. Understanding the scenarios in which noreferrer benefits user experience and data protection, without detracting from SEO goals, allows webmasters to make more informed decisions. By using noreferrer with intention, you can maintain a balance between privacy and SEO performance, ultimately supporting both your users’ interests and your site’s visibility.