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Free Plugin by Stefano v1.4

Rel Nofollow

Adds rel="nofollow" to posts external links unless specified otherwise.

Rel Nofollow

The facts

Rating
5★ from 4
Active installs
700+
Price
Free
Last updated
16 Aug 2026
Added
Jan 2014
Requires WP
3.7
Tested up to
WP 7.1
Downloads
37,074

Our analysis

AI-assisted

Rel Nofollow is a WordPress plugin designed to add the rel='nofollow' attribute to external links in posts when they are saved. It includes an option to exclude specific posts from this action and ignores links that already have a rel attribute, allowing for some links to remain as dofollow.

The plugin primarily operates on posts but can be configured to work with pages and other custom post types by adding a specific code to your theme's functions.php file. This tool is suitable for users looking to manage external link attributes for SEO purposes.

Best for: This plugin is best for WordPress users focused on SEO management of external links.

What it does well

  • Adds rel='nofollow' to external links in posts
  • Excludes specified posts from the action
  • Ignores links with existing rel attributes
  • Can be configured for pages and custom post types

Where it falls short

  • Limited to posts by default, requiring configuration for other post types

Verdict

Rel Nofollow offers a straightforward solution for managing external link attributes in WordPress posts. It is useful for those who want to enhance their site's SEO without complex setups.

From the developer

Stefano's own description of Rel Nofollow, lightly tidied.

When a post is saved, the plugin adds the rel=”nofollow” attributes to post external links. The plugin also provides an apt checkbox to exclude a post from plugin’s action.

Links which already have a rel attribute are just ignored, so you can set some dofollows are well.

By default, the plugin will only act on posts, no pages or other custom post types. To include (some of) them, use a code like the following, for ex. by putting it in your theme’s functions.php:

add_filter( 'rnf_post_types', function( $post_types ) {
    return array( 'post', 'page' ); #specify all desired CPTs, comma-separated
});

Read the full description on the official page →

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