How And When To Use The Rel=”Ugc” UGC Links Attribute For Modern SEO Success?

If you’ve managed a blog or built an online community, you already know how fast a comment section can spiral out of control.  

One day you get thoughtful feedback from real readers. The next, you are drowning in automated pitches for sketchy software, diet pills, and shady essay-writing services. 

For years, site owners used a single weapon to fight back: the rel=”nofollow” attribute.  

Introduced way back in 2005, it told search engine crawlers, “I don’t trust this link, so don’t count it.”  

But the internet evolved, and a one-size-fits-all tag stopped making sense. 

That is why Google introduced ugc links as a specific attribute subset back in September 2019.  

This micro-update fundamentally changed how search engines read human interactions across the web.  

To keep your site clean while protecting your rankings, you need to understand how to handle these tags properly. 

Quick Summary: Key Takeaways For Busy Marketers 

What Are UGC Links? 

UGC is short for User Generated Content. UGC Links are simply links that are generated by your visitors/users/community. 

When you apply the rel=”ugc” attribute to a link, you’re telling your search crawlers that this link was added by the user. 

If you don’t apply the attribute, then the search engines will assume the link was manually added by your editorial team. This can cause issues if the link goes to a low-quality site. 

Why Did Google Stop Using Nofollow? 

This is all down to machine learning and how the search landscape has evolved.  

Over the last decade, rel=”nofollow” was very strict. If a search engine saw a link with the attribute, it would completely disregard the link from the link graph. 

This caused major issues. Many large communities (Reddit, Quora, Wikipedia, etc.) added the attribute to all their outbound links to protect themselves.  

This meant valuable user recommendation links were lost. 

Google changed this and now treats the attributes as hints. Search engines will now use UGC links alongside other signals to determine whether they should pass link authority.  

The algorithm will consider the context, user history, and destination site to provide a more accurate view. 

How UGC Links Fit Into Modern Link Building 

If you’re running a digital pr campaign to build your links, you should always consider using your communities. However, you should manage expectations. 

Trying to write comments on random blogs to include a backlink to your homepage will not make you any progress.  

If you’re using a modern strategy, you’ll need a variety of tactics. 

While guest posting or running a broken link building campaign can provide high-value editorial links, UGC links can boost your traffic and brand awareness. 

If you’re using the web and see a good solution to an issue on a forum with a link to a useful tool, you will click through.  

Even if the link doesn’t pass much link equity, it can provide you with direct traffic and therefore potential customers. 

When Should You Use The UGC Attribute On Your Site? 

You don’t need to manually add the attribute. Instead, you can set up your backend to apply it automatically. 

• Blog Comments 

Firstly, if you allow users to comment and include their website URL, then you must apply this attribute.  

WordPress has had native support for this since version 5.3. This means all links in the comment section will automatically include the UGC attribute. 

• Discussion Forums 

Secondly, if you run a discussion forum using services like vBulletin, XenForo, or Discourse, then users will regularly share resources.  

Adding the attribute will help prevent your platform from being used for black-hat link building. 

• Product Reviews/Testimonials 

Thirdly, if customers are leaving reviews, they may also mention a complementary tool/accessory.  

Adding the attribute to these links will ensure your e-commerce site is fully compliant. 

Pros & Cons Of Managing UGC Links 

Managing a site where users can contribute can be tricky. Below are the pros and cons. 

How To Protect Your Site From UGC Spammers 

Allowing users to contribute without protection is an operational mistake. Below are the steps I take to protect my clients’ sites. 

• Mandatory Moderation 

Never allow users to comment instantly. Set up your content management system to require manual moderation for new commenters. 

• Spam Filters 

Use spam filters like Akismet or CleanTalk to analyze any submissions.  

These will analyze against a global list of known spam IP addresses and block them before they enter your database. 

• Remove Links From Guest Comments 

If you don’t require users to include links in their comments, remove the link tag from your comment section.  

Moreover, this will mean users will have to write the name of your brand but will not create any UGC links. 

Technical Auditing And Backlinks Management 

As your site grows, run a competitor backlink audit and analyze your own backlink profile.  

So you will need tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. This will allow you to easily filter backlinks by type. 

Don’t worry if your dashboard shows a large increase in user-generated backlinks.  

This shows you have a natural backlink profile. If you only have clean editorial backlinks, then this will look unnatural.  

Moreover, a mixture of editorial links, resource page link building, podcast link building as well as UGC links shows people are talking about your brand. 

Common Mistakes – Incorrectly Applying The Attributes 

People often incorrectly apply the rel=”sponsored” and rel=”ugc” attributes when migrating sites. 

Never use both attributes together. If you are paying an influencer to write a post and they include links, these must be rel=”sponsored” or rel=”nofollow”.  

So, if you are adding a paid advertisement and marking it as UGC, that goes against Google’s policies because it was paid for. 

If you are doing HARO link building or creating high-value image link-building assets, you want clean editorial links.  

Moreover, if you’re quoted by a major news site and they have mistakenly marked your backlink as UGC, politely contact their editorial team to see if they can change this.  

So, many large media outlets have policies in place that can’t be changed. 

Final Thoughts 

There’s no need to guess what to do with your search updates. Always consider the intention behind the link.  

If a human found value in the link and shared it with their peers, then it should be on the web. 

By setting up your platform correctly to handle UGC links, you can protect your hard-earned SEO rankings while letting your community thrive.  

Moreover, you need to ensure you set up your filters, monitor your backlink profile, and focus on creating content people want to share.

Additional Resource: How To Do Google Advanced Search? Improve Your Research And Analyze Better With Google’s Advanced Search