Why has BBB decided to “nofollow” outbound links?
BBB is a relevant resource for the public, logging over 29 million page views a day from people seeking out trustworthy partners for their commercial needs. Based on this activity, BBB uses industry standards for follow and nofollow links.
To avoid being penalized by Google's algorithm, BBB nofollows all outbound links in Business Profiles, Accredited Business Directories, Sponsorships and similar types of content. This is only for Google’s algorithm; people can still click on the link to get to a business’s website or wherever the hyperlink takes them.
This instruction tells the search engine “Hey - this link is only here to help my readers. Don’t credit me or the business with any juju – good or bad - because it’s here.”
Outbound links that appear organically in news articles, press releases, blog articles, and other editorial content are follow links.
With BBB using these industry standards, the SEO results benefit all (BBB, businesses, other websites, blogs, etc.).
Check out this infographic to learn more.