Definition

A UGC link is an HTML anchor that carries the `rel="ugc"` attribute, signalling to search engines that the link was placed inside user-generated content rather than by the site's editorial team.

Google introduced `rel="ugc"` alongside `sponsored` in 2019 as a more specific alternative to blanket `nofollow`. The attribute applies to links inside forum posts, blog comments, Q&A answers, reviews and similar areas where any visitor can publish. Links with `rel="ugc"` will generally not be followed by Googlebot, which helps reduce the value of spammy comment placements while letting the host site stay transparent about authorship.

Examples

• Blog comment with an outbound link

  A reader leaves a comment on a blog post that includes a link to their own site. The commenting system renders the link as `<a href="https://reader-site.com" rel="ugc">`, so Google knows the host site did not editorially place it.

• Forum post citing a source

  A user on a discussion forum posts a reply with a citation link. The platform automatically applies `rel="ugc"` to outbound anchors inside posts.

Sources

• Google Search Central — Qualify your outbound links to Google

Related terms

• Nofollow
  A link attribute (`rel="nofollow"`) telling search engines not to associate the source page with — or pass ranking credit to — the linked page.
• Sponsored Link
  A link marked with rel="sponsored" to indicate it was created as part of an advertisement, sponsorship, or other paid placement.
• Dofollow Link
  A regular HTML link with no rel qualification, which search engines crawl and treat as a standard endorsement of the destination page.
• Link Spam
  Links created primarily to manipulate search rankings, which Google's spam policies treat as a violation that can affect a site's visibility.
• External Link
  An HTML link that points from one website to a different domain, also called an outbound link from the source site's perspective.
• Backlink
  A hyperlink on one website that points at another. Search engines treat backlinks as one signal of how the wider web vouches for a page.

Where QueryCatch uses this

• SEO Audit
• Page Optimisation