Will Google finally utilize nofollow links to speed up the discovery of new domains?

Why is Google suddenly interested in nofollow links for discovery?

Since 2005, the rel="nofollow" attribute tells Google not to follow a link or pass PageRank. It is an anti-spam control mechanism that has become standard. But here’s the catch: a newly launched site or a new domain post-migration can remain invisible for days or even weeks if Googlebot does not discover any incoming links.

Gary Illyes mentions a project where nofollow links would serve as discovery tags, without counting as votes of popularity. The idea? Allow a webmaster to signal a new domain via a nofollow link from their old site, thereby speeding up the initial crawl without diluting their PageRank budget.

What’s the difference between discovery and indexing?

Let’s not confuse discovery and indexing. Discovery is when Googlebot encounters a URL for the first time — via a link, a sitemap, or a manual submission. Indexing is the decision to store and rank that page in the index.

A nofollow link could thus trigger a crawl of a URL without guaranteeing that it will be indexed or that it will receive link juice. It’s a signal of presence, not quality. For a new site, that can be enough to trigger Googlebot’s first visit — which, during a migration, is already a significant time saver.

In what context does this statement make sense?

The most obvious situation: a domain migration. You are transitioning from old-site.com to new-site.com. You set up your 301 redirects, but Googlebot must first discover the new domain to start following those redirects. If your old site is still temporarily online, a nofollow link to the new one could serve as a crawl trigger.

Another scenario: launching a satellite project or a sister brand. You want Google to quickly discover the new site without passing any PageRank from your main domain — either for SEO strategy reasons or to avoid any questionable interpretations of a site network.

• Nofollow links still do not pass PageRank — this rule remains unchanged.
• They could trigger the crawl of a URL even without any associated ranking value.
• No specific timeline has been communicated by Google regarding the deployment of this mechanism.
• Manual submission via Search Console remains the most direct method to force discovery.
• This approach could reduce the time until Googlebot's first visit to a new domain.

Is this statement consistent with observed practices on the ground?

Let’s be honest: we lack concrete data. Gary Illyes discusses an ongoing project, not a mechanism that has been broadly deployed. In practice, SEOs managing migrations continue to find that nofollow links do not systematically trigger rapid crawling. [To be verified]

Some anecdotal cases suggest that Googlebot sometimes follows nofollow links — especially in JavaScript files or when the attribute is poorly implemented — but there is no proof that this is an official policy. This statement could formalize an already existing internal practice or announce a forthcoming change. It’s impossible to draw a conclusion without large-scale testing.

What risks does this approach introduce for webmasters?

The first gray area: the confusion between discovery and ranking. If webmasters believe that a nofollow link will boost their SEO, they will be mistaken. It must be emphasized that this mechanism does not replace classic dofollow backlinks for ranking. It’s a crawl signal, plain and simple.

Second risk: misuse. Imagine a network of sites heavily using nofollow links to accelerate the indexing of low-quality or spammy pages. Google will likely have to introduce filters to prevent this system from becoming a vector for abuse. And that’s where it gets tricky: if Google filters too much, the mechanism loses its effectiveness for legitimate cases.

In what cases is this feature likely not applicable?

One can bet that Google will not use all nofollow links for discovery. A nofollow link in a spammy blog comment or in a footer on millions of pages has no reason to trigger a crawl. Google already applies context and trust filters to assess the relevance of a link.

Another likely limitation: the crawl volume. If you blast 10,000 nofollow links to 10,000 different URLs, Googlebot will not crawl everything in 24 hours. Crawl budget remains a real constraint, even with this new signal. Expect Google to prioritize nofollow links coming from trusted sites with a clean history.

What should you do concretely during a domain migration?

The first rule: don't rely solely on nofollow links. This feature is not yet verifiably deployed on a large scale. Continue to follow best practices: clean 301 redirects, updating all internal links, submitting the new sitemap in Search Console.

If you want to test the nofollow approach, add a clearly visible nofollow link from the homepage of your old domain to the homepage of the new one. Monitor server logs to see if Googlebot follows this link and triggers a crawl. But do not remove other discovery mechanisms — this is an addition, not a replacement.

What mistakes should you avoid keeping this statement in mind?

Do not turn your internal linking into nofollow believing it will speed up indexing. Internal links should remain dofollow to distribute PageRank and strengthen the site’s architecture. Nofollow remains an attribute reserved for external links that are not endorsed or for user-generated content.

Second classic error: believing that a nofollow link from a third-party site will boost your SEO. Even if Google uses this link to discover your site, it will not count in your backlink profile for ranking. If you’re doing link building, always aim for quality dofollow links.

How can you check if Google is discovering your new domain?

Use Google Search Console to track crawled and indexed URLs. Check the coverage reports to detect pages discovered but not indexed — a signal that Googlebot has indeed visited the URL without necessarily deeming it worthy of the index. Also, review server logs to track instances of Googlebot and identify sources of discovery.

If you want to go further, test the URL Inspection Tool on a few key pages of the new domain. Request manual indexing to prompt Google. And if nothing changes after 48-72 hours, return to the basics: improve content, enhance quality signals, and seek dofollow backlinks from trusted sites.

• Maintain a classic migration strategy: 301, sitemaps, Search Console
• Test a nofollow link from the old domain, but do not rely on it as the primary method
• Monitor server logs to detect crawls triggered by this link
• Never turn your internal linking into nofollow
• Always prioritize dofollow backlinks for ranking
• Use the URL Inspection Tool to force manual indexing if necessary