How to Add a Nofollow Attribute on All External Links for Specific Domains or URLs

Last Updated: 2 days ago by BrodNeil

Yesterday, we found a faster way to add a nofollow attribute to all external links for certain (specific) domains.

This is applicable for the following scenarios:

• When you need to apply nofollow attribute to external links of specific domains or URLs because they are sponsored links.
• When you need to apply nofollow attribute to external links of specific domains or URLs having a domain authority of maybe less than 10.
• When you need to apply nofollow attribute to external links of specific domains or URLs because you need to file a manual penalty reconsideration request in Google.

There are still more scenarios where you need to apply a nofollow to specific URLs or domains.

How did we implement the nofollow on certain domains or URLs?

We started doing it manually; and realized it took us a bit of time.

So we decided to use a plugin called: External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window.

There is a lot you can do with the plugin, more than what I mentioned above.

For this post, let me just settle on how we apply the nofollow attribute quickly to all our external links on certain or specific domains.

1. Install and activate the plugin: External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window.

2. Click WP External Links on the sidebar of the Dashboard.

2. Click Exceptions > Check All contents (the whole page).

3. Under Exclude external links by URL, type all the domains or specific URLs you want to apply the nofollow attribute to. One item per line or use comma per item. Select Own settings for excluded links, so you can set it on the next step on what to apply on the domains or URLs inside the exclude external links by URL box. We keep the skip settings below as they are.

4. Click Excluded Links and check the box for Settings for excluded links.

4. We opt to use a new tab or window to all the external links we added in the Excluded Links. We also opt to add the noopener and the noreferrer. The most important item is to choose nofollow under the Set follow or nofollow setting. All the rest, we leave them as they are. Then click the Save button.

That is all.

Check those specific domains or URLs if the nofollow attribute has been applied. Check also the other external links, not in the excluded links list, if indeed the nofollow attribute is not applied.

Thanks to the author of the plugin for making a very useful plugin: https://www.webfactoryltd.com/