WordPress by default, just like other blogging platforms, has automatically been adding the “nofollow” microformat extension to all links from user generated content such as comments and trackbacks. To support the growing rejection of NoFollow for blog comments, I have compiled this list of plugins that help you remove nofollow from your blog forever.
* DoFollow – many look on this as the granddaddy of NoFollow plugins – you just switch it on and it works, all nofollows are removed from comments and trackbacks.
* Dofollow (WP Plugin) – Sometimes I wish this one has been given a better more descriptive name. It includes the ability (optional) to remove nofollow from comments after a period of time.
* Link Love – this is a brand new plugin that removes nofollow after a certain number of comments have been made – this rewards regular commenters – one thing I like is that the detection is based upon email address and not domain or URL, so it allows a commenter to spread the links how they like.
* GoodLinks – This plugin looks extremely useful for many people who have layout problems when people post long URLs – it also removes NoFollow as an option
* Blank Target Comments – Another multi-purpose comment link plugin – it removes nofollow from only the comment author links, and adds target=”_blank” – no link because it doesn’t seem to be available for download any more which is a shame.
* Remove Nofollow – Cristian Mezi from SeoPedia’s plugin – I am not sure of the history or features, but it is probably similar to the original DoFollow plugin.
* NoNofollow – Including this link for historical reasons – Bronski’s plugin doesn’t work with newer versions of WordPress, but credit where credit is due.
* WP-Nofollow – Again included for historical reasons – one of the first plugins for WP 1.2 based on the original MT plugin code
For those that like hacking core files Rob has a simple guide to removing nofollow, though I prefer to avoid hacking any core files as it makes keeping WordPress up to date easier.
Other Platforms
MoveableType users can find information on how to remove nofollow as well.
Some Plugins Not Included?
I did find a few other Nofollow plugins available, but they appear on sites that are using nofollow for links in their own comments, seemed to be copies of the same code others provided, or were just dead links so I didn’t include them here.
Add Nofollow
If you want to do the opposite, and add NoFollow to certain types of links, here are some resources. There are some great and totally legitimate reasons you might want to do this.
* Add Link Attribute – this plugin is extremely powerful in the hands of someone who wants to control the flow of Google Juice around their site. Some links are purely navigational, or link to forms or other pages both on or offsite that do not contain content. This plugin allows you to zap them without modifying core files.
* Wikipedia NoFollow – want to reclaim the Google Juice you send to Wikipedia that currently stops flowing, and turns Wikipedia into a black hole – this plugin is the perfect answer – if Wikipedia turn the flow back on, you can reciprocate just by switching the plugin off.
* WP Temp Nofollow – I am not sure how up to date this one is, but if you have hacked WordPress to remove the nofollow code, you could use something like this plugin to add nofollow back for a period of time. It was designed for older WordPress versions that didn’t have nofollow as standard.
* NoFollow from Home – This one is interesting from an SEO perspective in that it adds nofollow to links in your content on the home page
Add NoFollow Other Platforms
* NoFollow List (Drupal) – Allows you to add a list of sites to nofollow (such as Wikipedia)
Lots of people in the last few day have proclaimed (finally) an end to using Nofollow on their blog and many of them are friends or regular readers. Now whilst I would like to link to them all, there are far too many of them (plus I have something else planned). Instead I am going to link to the one that I feel is most significant. Dougal Campbell has just installed a DoFollow plugin, and as a core developer of WordPress, this is a major development. Maybe we can see some optional features within WordPress and WordPress.com soon.
I would love to add more to this list, so if you know of other plugins, especially for platforms other than WordPress, please let me know in the comments and I will add them to the list.
*Originally published at AndyBeard.eu
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About the Author
Andy Beard – Niche Marketing – Blog search engine perfomance, WordPress and general niche and affiliate marketing tips
