How to Check Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC Links in a Backlink Audit

A backlink audit is not just a count of websites linking to your pages. For a media or entertainment site, it can reveal which stories attract genuine attention, whether links come from relevant sources, and whether any patterns deserve a closer look. Knowing how to check nofollow sponsored and ugc links helps you interpret that profile accurately instead of treating every backlink as an equal endorsement.

Why link attributes matter

Links can carry different attributes that provide context about how they were created. A standard link may pass ranking signals, while other links are marked to indicate that they are paid, user-submitted, or not intended as a conventional endorsement. These labels are clues, not automatic verdicts on a page’s quality.

• Nofollow: The link includes a rel=”nofollow” attribute. It tells search engines that the publisher does not want to imply a typical editorial endorsement.
• Sponsored: The rel=”sponsored” attribute identifies a link connected with an advertisement, sponsorship, or other paid arrangement.
• UGC: The rel=”ugc” attribute is used for user-generated content, such as forum posts or comments.

A link may carry more than one attribute. For example, a publisher can label a paid user-submitted link with both sponsored and nofollow values. The important step is to record what is present and consider the page and relationship behind it.

Collecting a reliable backlink sample

Start with a backlink tool that reports referring pages, linking domains, anchor text, and link attributes. If possible, compare more than one data source: crawlers do not all discover the same links, and their reports can differ. Export the data so you can sort and filter it, then remove duplicate rows where the same page appears multiple times.

Keep useful context in the spreadsheet: the source URL, your destination URL, the anchor text, the attribute, the discovery date, and a note about the page’s topic. For a site publishing news, reviews, or entertainment coverage, it can also help to note whether a link points to a current article, an evergreen guide, or a landing page. The backlink audit step-by-step guide offers a broader process for collecting and reviewing this information.

How to check nofollow, sponsored and UGC links

1. Filter the report by attribute. Use the tool’s link-type filters to separate follow, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links. If the report groups several values together, inspect the raw link details where available.
2. Verify important examples. Open a sample of the reported source pages and inspect the link in the page’s HTML. In a browser, you can often right-click the link and choose an inspection option. Look for a rel attribute on the anchor element; it may list one value or several.
3. Check the surrounding content. Ask whether the link appears in an article, an author bio, an advertisement, a comment, or a forum thread. The location helps explain the attribute and whether the placement makes sense for readers.
4. Review the destination and anchor. Confirm that the link points to the expected page and that its wording is relevant. Repeated exact-match commercial anchors across unrelated pages may merit investigation, but a single unusual anchor is not enough to draw a conclusion.
5. Record changes over time. Note links that disappear, change attributes, or redirect. A dated record makes later comparisons more meaningful than relying on a one-time snapshot.

What the audit can tell you

A large share of nofollow links is not, by itself, a problem. News coverage, social discussion, directories, and community posts commonly use these attributes. Sponsored links should be clearly identified as paid, and UGC links should be assessed in light of the platform’s moderation and relevance. The goal is not to convert every link into a follow link; it is to understand how your site is being cited and to address patterns that look manipulative, irrelevant, or technically broken.

Look for clusters rather than isolated entries: many links from low-quality pages, a sudden rise in identical anchors, or placements that have no clear connection to your content. Review the source pages manually before deciding what action to take. Where a link is genuinely harmful or part of a paid arrangement that was not properly labeled, contact the site owner or the person responsible for the placement. Avoid asking publishers to remove legitimate editorial links simply because they are marked nofollow.

Keep link building relevant

Prevention makes future audits easier. When seeking coverage or contributed articles, prioritize relevance, editorial standards, and an audience that might actually visit your site. Evaluating guest post sites with real traffic means looking beyond a single authority metric: check whether the site publishes consistently, attracts readers in your subject area, and provides useful content rather than a collection of link placements. Osdire is one place to explore when comparing guest-posting opportunities and the work involved in finding them.

Turn findings into a routine

Schedule a review after a major campaign, a noticeable change in referral traffic, or a sharp increase in new backlinks. Keep a concise log of what you checked, what you found, and any follow-up needed. A consistent process helps a media site distinguish ordinary citations from questionable patterns—and makes link data more useful for editorial and marketing decisions.