Field Tests Show Nofollow Links Can Pass Authority From Ranking, Clicked Pages

Why do some rel="nofollow" backlinks move search rankings while others do nothing?

Edward Sturm notes that field tests and the May 2024 Google API leak indicate nofollow links can transfer ranking authority when the source URL satisfies Kyle Roof's two criteria: the linking page ranks well on Google and receives organic clicks.

Ranking alone is insufficient without user clicks.

According to Joy Hawkins, the May 2024 Google API leak supports this observation by showing that Google tracks user behavior, clicks, and engagement on a page; as visitors interact with the URL, it accrues authority that can transfer to outbound links regardless of whether they carry a nofollow attribute.

In 2024, Hawkins tested Roof's criteria at Sterling Sky by locating a local search forum page that ranked for multiple keywords and received organic traffic, then posting a comment with a nofollow link pointing to an unranked Sterling Sky page.

The next day, search results shifted for the target keyword, and both the destination page and an embedded YouTube video began ranking on Google.

Follow-up tests placing nofollow links on other high-traffic pages produced consistent ranking gains, debunking the myth that nofollow backlinks pass zero SEO value.

Furthermore, 2025 findings from Link Research document site-wide algorithmic shifts from single high-authority nofollow placements.

Acquiring one nofollow backlink from the BBC caused the target brand to appear frequently in Google's PASF (People Also Search For) box, pushed several supporting blog posts up 3 to 5 positions without any new backlinks, and accelerated Google's indexing speed for new pages.

A separate single nofollow backlink from gov.uk improved rankings for compliance-related keywords.

Separately, a 2025 study by Semrush and Kevin Indig analyzing 1,000 domains across five AI platforms found that backlinks correlated strongly with AI visibility, with nofollow backlinks showing a slightly stronger correlation with AI mentions than followed links.

This gap could stem from AI-generated answers frequently pulling content from high-citation platforms such as Reddit, Wikipedia, and Quora, all of which use nofollow links.