User-generated content (UGC) backlinks are external links that are created by site users and not page authors. UGC links are similar to nofollow backlinks since they do not pass link equity. You can check UGC backlinks to any domain using backlink-checking tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs.
Although UGC links do not help you increase your SEO rankings, they let you build a natural link profile. An organic link profile should have a mix of dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links. Among these, the largest percentage of links should be dofollow, and a very small percentage of links should be UGC.
To acquire UGC links, you should craft user-first content that is well-written and original. Also, you should interact with your community and participate in active discussions to drive value for every participant.
Whenever you build UGC links to your domain, you should make sure to acquire them from sources that have UGC or nofollow attributes added to UGC links. This will help your site remain safe from negative SEO impacts and Google penalties.
This article discusses in detail the role of UGC links in search engine optimization. You will learn when to use the UGC link attributes in content and how to use them.
The UGC link attribute (rel=“UGC”) tells Google that the hyperlink is created by the website user and not the administrator or the editor.
Community content links are placed in user-generated content, which has not been reviewed by moderators. This attribute was introduced in 2019 as an extension to the rel=”nofollow” attribute to prevent user-generated spam.
Google uses the UGC link attribute to understand the relationship of links and whether proper ranking weightage should be given to them or not.
Here is an example of a hyperlink with the UGC value:
<a rel="ugc" href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-TripUSAFrance.html">User reviews</a>
Links from user-generated content are not directly helpful for SEO. They do not improve your site authority since they do not pass link juice from the host site to the user’s site.
However, search engines might still follow these links and associate them with your domain. The primary purpose of obtaining UGC links is to add variety to your link profile since a large number of dofollow links might look unnatural.
A mix of dofollow, UGC, sponsored, and nofollow inbound links look natural and contribute to healthy organic rankings.
Here is how you would add the UGC value in HTML:
<a href="https://www.outreachlabs.com" rel="ugc" target="_blank" > Visit Outreach Labs</a>
Here:
UGC links are great for acquiring relevant referral traffic from niche-specific websites. For example, user-generated articles on platforms like Medium and LinkedIn rank highly in organic search.
You can publish your content on user-contributed content platforms like Medium to get your content ranked for relevant search queries and then divert that traffic back to your website through your UGC link. Here are some websites that let you publish authentic content:
Apart from referral traffic, user-generated links help to keep your link profile organic and natural.
Organic UGC links with generic, branded, and naked URL anchors help to keep a mix of dofollow and nofollow inbound links in your link profile.
A natural link profile boosts your website’s credibility. However, you should make sure not to acquire spammy UGC links with keyword-rich anchors, as they might lead to algorithmic and manual penalties in the future.
For search engines, links with the UGC attribute help to distinguish between the types of nofollow links. There are two types of nofollow links: UGC and sponsored. Links with the UGC attribute tell Google that the link is user-generated with no editorial review. Sponsored links tell search engines that the link is paid and advertorial in nature.
UGC links do not directly impact SEO. However, they are useful for maintaining a diverse link profile, which is useful to avoid search engine penalties in the future. The different types of content that should have a UGC link are:
Also, links from UGC can drive traffic from the community or platform where the content is posted. This referral traffic not only increases direct visits but can also boost SEO indirectly through increased user interaction and engagement metrics.
As a site owner, it is important to monitor and manage audience-generated links carefully. Since these incoming links are public-contributed, there is always a risk of spammy or low-quality links, which can harm SEO.
Implementing proper moderation and using attributes like rel="ugc" helps to manage these risks by informing search engines that the links are user-generated, which should be assessed differently from editorially placed links.
You can check a link with a UGC attribute using a tool like Ahrefs or SEMrush. You can also check it manually by looking at the source code.
To check manually, open the page where the link is present. Hover over the hyperlink, click inspect, and look for the UGC attribute within the <a> tag.
A UGC link will have rel="ugc" included in its attributes. It will look something like this: <a href="https://mysite.com" rel="ugc">UGC Link</a>.
If you want to know all the UGC links to a website, the process of finding each link manually will be tougher. You can use a backlink checker like Ahrefs or SEMrush to accomplish this task.
For example, SEMrush detects all the UGC links to a domain:
Similarly, the Ahrefs Site Explorer finds all the domains with UGC links pointing to your site.
The rel="ugc" link attribute should be used in specific scenarios where links are included in content generated by users, rather than by the site's owners or content creators.
Here are the key situations when it's appropriate to use the UGC link attribute:
Apart from adding the UGC value, you should effectively manage and prevent spam on your website or platform. You can communicate a clear anti-spam policy during user sign-up and enable users to report spammy content.
You should also monitor interactions to identify spam patterns, such as rapid form completions or repeated requests from the same IP addresses. For enhanced protection, you can use manual moderation for suspect interactions and use tools like reCAPTCHA to block automated account creations.
You can add a UGC link to your content using two ways. The first method is using a plugin (if your site is in WordPress), and the second method is manually.
To add user-generated content links in WordPress, you can use the AIOSEO plugin. Here are the steps to follow:
Search for the AIOSEO plugin and click on ‘Install Now’. This will install the plugin on your website.
The second method uses the HTML code to include a UGC attribute directly in your content. Here are the steps to follow:
The quality of a backlink profile is certainly one of the most important ranking factors, and it is analyzed based on the types of backlinks. Here are the prominent rel attributes that decide the quality of inbound links pointing to your domain:
Dofollow links are the default state for hyperlinks. They are the most important links for SEO as they allow search engines to follow the link and pass on link equity to the linked page.
A large number of editorially-earned dofollow inbound links using natural anchors increase the PageRank and domain authority. Higher website authority scores lead to improved search rankings.
Compared to the UGC attribute, dofollow incoming links suggest a higher level of endorsement by the site owner for the linked content. When acquiring dofollow links, you should ensure the links come from relevant and niche-specific websites containing high-quality content. Dofollow links from low-quality sites like PBNs do more harm than good and might lead to search engine penalties.
The rel="nofollow" attribute is used to specify that search engines should not follow the link or pass along link equity. Not following the link does not essentially mean not crawling or indexing the link. Search engines still crawl and index links that are set to nofollow. The only point to consider is that they do not pass the link juice from the host domain to the linked site.
As a website owner, you should set the nofollow link attribute for links that you don’t trust. A decent number of naturally earned nofollow links are good for your link profile because they balance your backlink profile. UGC links are an extension of the nofollow links. The primary difference is that UGC links are user-generated, while nofollow links can be both user-generated and editorially-given.
The rel="sponsored" attribute is used to mark external links that are advertisements or paid promotions. They maintain transparency and compliance with search engines' guidelines about paid links.
Paid advertorial backlinks are essential for distinguishing paid relationships from organic endorsements, which is crucial to maintaining trust with both users and search engines.
Unlike UGC links, which indicate content generated by users, sponsored links explicitly denote commercial relationships. One disadvantage is that, like nofollow links, they do not pass on link equity, which means they won’t help in improving the linked site’s ranking in search results.
Outreach Labs offers specialized services like blogger outreach, editorial guest posts, and media outreach, all designed to secure authentic, high-quality links from difficult-to-access sources within your industry.
We work with a diverse range of clients, from SaaS to ecommerce to affiliates, providing efficient service that frees you to focus on other business priorities. Our commitment centers on transparency and effectiveness, avoiding black hat SEO tactics, and focusing on strategic, value-driven link building that genuinely enhances your SEO and complements your content.
We are not just about building links; we're about building trust and providing value. Are you looking for a partner who aligns with your content's integrity while pushing for tangible SEO gains? Sign up for our services.
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