How to Fix: Comment links nofollow

Comment links nofollow is an important SEO check in the WordPress Specific category. This is a medium-priority issue. While not urgent, fixing it will improve your overall SEO health.

What is This Check About?

This check verifies that links inside your comments — the commenter’s website link and any URLs they drop in the comment body — carry the rel="nofollow ugc" attribute. WordPress has added this automatically for years, but themes, custom comment templates, and a surprising number of “enhancement” plugins strip it back out. When this check fails, your comment section is passing link equity to whoever wants it, which is exactly the invitation spammers spend their days looking for.

My position on this is not subtle: an open, do-follow comment section is a standing offer to every automated link-dropper on the internet. Close it.

Why Does This Matter for SEO?

Search engines like Google evaluate hundreds of factors when ranking websites. Correctly attributed comment links are one of these important factors because:

• Do-follow comment links leak your site’s authority to pages you do not vouch for
• An unprotected comment section attracts spam, which drags down content quality signals
• It affects how search engines evaluate the outbound link profile of your pages
• It impacts user experience when spam accumulates
• Ignoring it can associate your domain with link schemes you never intended to join

Nofollow, UGC, and What Each One Signals

Worth understanding what you are actually declaring. rel="nofollow" tells search engines “I do not vouch for this link.” rel="ugc" means “this link came from user-generated content.” WordPress applies both to comment links because a comment is, by definition, content you did not write and cannot fully stand behind. This is not you being stingy with authority — it is you telling Google the truth about where the link came from, which is precisely the honesty its guidelines ask for.

The nuance I want you to keep: nofollow on comment links is the right default, but it is not a substitute for moderation. The attribute stops link equity from flowing; it does nothing to stop the spam itself from cluttering the page and eroding trust with real readers. You need both — the attribute and a spam filter.

How to Check This Issue

You can identify this issue by:

1. Running an SEO audit using the SEO Roadmap tool
2. Opening a commented post, right-clicking a commenter’s link, and inspecting it for rel="nofollow ugc"
3. Using browser developer tools (F12) to check the rendered rel attribute on comment links
4. Checking whether a theme or plugin has overridden the default comment link markup

How to Fix This in WordPress

Difficulty Level: EASY – This fix is straightforward and can typically be completed by anyone with basic WordPress knowledge.

Estimated Time: 5 min

Follow these steps to fix this issue:

Step 1: Confirm the Default Is Intact

On a stock WordPress install this already works. Inspect a comment link first — if it already carries rel="nofollow ugc", you have nothing to fix and the check is likely flagging a specific template. If it does not, something has overridden the default.

Step 2: Find the Culprit

The usual suspects are a custom comments.php in the theme, a comment-enhancement plugin, or an old “do-follow comments” plugin someone installed years ago to attract engagement. Deactivate or correct whichever is stripping the attribute. If a theme template is rebuilding comment markup by hand, restore the standard WordPress comment functions that apply the rel attribute for you.

Step 3: Add a Spam Filter While You Are Here

Since the real goal is a clean comment section, pair the fix with active moderation — Akismet or an equivalent, plus comment approval for first-time authors. The attribute and the filter solve two halves of the same problem.

Step 4: Verify the Fix

After making changes:

1. Clear your WordPress cache if you’re using a caching plugin
2. Inspect a live comment link to confirm rel="nofollow ugc" is present
3. Re-run the SEO Roadmap audit to confirm the issue is resolved
4. Check Google Search Console after a few days to ensure Google has recognized the fix

Recommended Tools & Plugins

These tools can help you fix and prevent this issue:

• Yoast SEO – Comprehensive SEO plugin with built-in checks
• Rank Math – Feature-rich SEO plugin with detailed analysis
• Google Search Console – Free tool to monitor your site’s search presence
• SEO Roadmap – Complete SEO audit and action plan tool

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Running a “do-follow comments” plugin to boost engagement — it boosts spam instead
• Assuming nofollow alone keeps the comment section clean without moderation
• Letting a custom theme template quietly drop the rel attribute
• Making changes without testing in a staging environment first
• Not verifying the fix was successful after implementation

Need More Help?

If you’re still having trouble fixing this issue, consider:

• Consulting with a WordPress developer or SEO specialist
• Checking the WordPress support forums for similar issues
• Reviewing your theme and plugin documentation
• Running a complete site audit with SEO Roadmap for a prioritized action plan

This guide is part of the SEO Roadmap knowledge base – your complete resource for WordPress SEO optimization.