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Free Rel Attribute Generator

Build correct rel="nofollow sponsored ugc noopener" anchor tags in seconds, with one-click presets for affiliate, paid, comment, and external links.

Quick presets

Destination URL (optional, for a full anchor tag)

Link text (optional)

Open in a new tabAdds target="_blank" and auto-includes noopener noreferrer for security.

rel values

Tip: combine values freely, e.g. an affiliate link is usually rel="sponsored nofollow".

Live preview

link text

rel attribute

Select rel values above…

Full HTML anchor

Cloaking affiliate links?

Pair the right rel value with a clean branded short link, Flyn cloaks ugly affiliate URLs and tracks every click, while you keep full ad disclosure.

Brand your links free

How to Add a Rel Attribute in 3 Steps

Pick a preset or enter your link

Start from an affiliate, paid, comment, or external preset, or paste your own URL and link text.

Toggle the rel values

Turn on nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener, or noreferrer. Opening in a new tab auto-adds noopener noreferrer for security.

Copy the rel or full anchor

Copy just the rel="…" attribute to paste into an existing link, or grab the complete HTML anchor tag.

What Is the Rel Attribute?

The rel attribute ("relationship") sits inside an HTML anchor tag and tells search engines and browsers how to treat the link. It controls whether ranking credit flows to the destination, flags paid or user-submitted links, and adds security when a link opens in a new tab. For the full story of how equity flows through each value, and why Google downgraded nofollow to a hint in 2019, read our nofollow vs dofollow guide.

A link with rel attributes:

<a href="https://partner.com" target="_blank" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener">Our partner</a>

Which rel Value Should Your Link Use?

Short answer: use rel="sponsored" for paid or affiliate links, rel="ugc" for user-generated content, rel="nofollow" for links you cannot vouch for, and no rel for links you genuinely endorse. Use the first case that fits.

Decision guide: rel=sponsored for paid or affiliate links, rel=ugc for user-generated content, rel=nofollow for untrusted links, and dofollow (no rel) for links you endorse

Every Rel Value Explained

These are the rel values that matter for links you create. Combine them freely, the generator keeps the syntax correct.

rel value	What it does	Category
nofollow	Don't pass ranking credit. Use for links you don't editorially endorse.	SEO hint
sponsored	Paid, affiliate, or advertising links. Required by Google for paid placements.	Required for ads
ugc	User-generated content, comments, forum posts, profiles.	SEO hint
noopener	Stops a new-tab page from controlling your window. Anti-tabnabbing.	Security
noreferrer	Hides the Referer header; also implies noopener.	Privacy + security

Which Rel Value for Which Link?

A quick cheat sheet for the most common cases. Each row maps to a one-click preset in the tool above.

Link type	rel	Opens in
Affiliate / commission link	sponsored nofollow	new tab
Display ad / paid placement	sponsored	same tab
Blog comment / forum link	ugc nofollow	same tab
External link (trusted)	noopener noreferrer	new tab
Untrusted / unknown source	nofollow noopener	new tab

Pro tip

After you add rel attributes to a page, verify them live with our free NoFollow Link Checker and Outbound Link Checker, they flag any missing noopener or undisclosed paid links. For affiliate links specifically, see how to disclose affiliate links the right way.

Why Use Flyn's Rel Attribute Generator?

All 5 rel values

nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener, and noreferrer, combine any of them correctly.

One-click presets

Affiliate, paid, comment, and external presets apply the right combo instantly.

Safe new tabs

target="_blank" auto-adds noopener noreferrer so you never ship the tabnabbing footgun.

rel-only or full anchor

Copy just the rel="…" for an existing link, or the complete HTML anchor tag.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the rel attribute on a link?

The rel attribute on an HTML anchor tag describes the relationship between your page and the page you are linking to. Search engines and browsers read it to decide whether to pass ranking credit, how to treat paid or user-submitted links, and how to handle security when a link opens in a new tab. Common values are nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener, and noreferrer.

What does rel="nofollow" do?

rel="nofollow" tells search engines not to pass ranking credit (link equity) from your page to the linked page. Since 2019 Google treats it as a hint rather than a strict directive, but it remains the standard signal for links you do not editorially endorse. Use it for untrusted destinations and anywhere you do not want to vouch for the target.

When should I use rel="sponsored"?

Use rel="sponsored" for links that are paid for or part of an advertising or affiliate arrangement. Google explicitly requires that paid links be marked so they do not manipulate rankings, failing to disclose them can trigger a manual penalty. If a link earns you a commission or you were paid to place it, sponsored is the correct value.

What is rel="ugc"?

rel="ugc" stands for "user-generated content" and marks links created by your visitors rather than by you, blog comments, forum posts, profile fields, and reviews. It tells search engines the link was not placed editorially, which protects your site from being associated with spam that users might submit. Many sites combine it with nofollow.

Can I combine multiple rel values?

Yes. Multiple rel values go in a single space-separated attribute, for example rel="sponsored nofollow" or rel="noopener noreferrer". This generator lets you toggle each value and assembles them in the correct order automatically, so you never have to remember the syntax or worry about duplicates.

What rel value should an affiliate link use?

An affiliate link should use rel="sponsored" because it is a paid/commission relationship; many SEOs add nofollow as well for rel="sponsored nofollow". It is also good practice to open affiliate links in a new tab with rel="noopener noreferrer" for security. The "Affiliate link" preset in the tool applies all of this in one click.

Do I need rel="noopener" with target="_blank"?

Yes. When a link opens in a new tab (target="_blank") without rel="noopener", the destination page gets a reference to your page through window.opener and can redirect it, a tabnabbing attack. Modern browsers add noopener implicitly, but setting it explicitly is best practice and protects older browsers. This tool adds noopener noreferrer automatically whenever you enable "open in a new tab".

What is the difference between nofollow, sponsored, and ugc?

All three tell Google not to treat a link as a plain editorial endorsement, but they describe different reasons: nofollow is the general "do not vouch for this" signal, sponsored specifically flags paid or affiliate links, and ugc flags links your users created. Google recommends the most specific value, but you can combine them, and using sponsored or ugc instead of a bare nofollow gives Google clearer context.

Does rel="nofollow" stop a page from being indexed?

No. rel="nofollow" only affects whether ranking credit flows through that specific link, it does not stop the destination page from being crawled or indexed (Google can still find it via other links or your sitemap). To keep a page out of the index you need a meta robots noindex tag or an X-Robots-Tag header on that page, not a rel value on a link pointing to it.

What does rel="noreferrer" do?

rel="noreferrer" stops the browser from sending the Referer header to the destination, so the linked site cannot see which page the visitor came from. It also implies noopener, so adding noreferrer alone gives you the tabnabbing protection too. Note that it can hide your site from the destination's analytics, so use it when privacy matters more than referral attribution.

Where do I put the rel attribute in the HTML?

The rel attribute goes inside the opening anchor tag, alongside href: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">text</a>. Order among the rel values does not matter to browsers or Google, but keeping a consistent order (this tool uses nofollow, sponsored, ugc, noopener, noreferrer) makes your markup easier to audit.

Is the rel attribute case-sensitive?

The rel values themselves are case-insensitive to browsers and search engines, so rel="NoFollow" works the same as rel="nofollow". By convention they are always written in lowercase, which is what this generator outputs, and lowercase keeps your markup consistent and easy to scan in audits.

How do I audit the rel attributes already on my pages?

Use a crawler that reports link attributes. Flyn offers free checkers for exactly this: the NoFollow Link Checker lists every nofollow, sponsored, and ugc link on a page, the DoFollow Link Checker finds links that pass equity, and the Outbound Link Checker flags missing noopener on new-tab links. Generate links correctly here, then verify the live page with those tools.

Disclose, protect, and track your links

The right rel value keeps you compliant and safe, a Flyn short link adds clean branding and real click analytics on top.

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