What is PageRank sculpting?
PageRank sculpting was an SEO technique that used the "nofollow" attribute to strategically control the flow of PageRank and link equity within a website. The goal was to concentrate link juice on the most important pages by "blocking" PageRank from flowing to less important pages.
The idea behind "nofollow" was simple: It should be possible to link to something without necessarily endorsing what you're linking to. This makes particular sense on websites where users can create links themselves, and the website therefore doesn't have 100% control over outgoing links.
This is exactly what we know from comment sections, where users have the ability to insert links. But SEO specialists were quick to experiment with this new opportunity.
The SEO discovery
SEO specialists quickly discovered that by using "nofollow," they could channel link value away from less important pages on a website. This would leave more link juice for the remaining, more significant pages.
Google's reaction
But Google was quick to react. They changed their treatment of "nofollow" links so that link value simply "evaporated" instead of being redirected. This made PageRank sculpting through "nofollow" links ineffective.
The history behind nofollow and sculpting
Nofollow introduction
Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft launch rel='nofollow' to combat comment spam
Originally designed for user-generated content on blogs and forums
Sculpting golden age
SEO specialists discover PageRank sculpting opportunities
Nofollow links don't count in PageRank distribution, more juice to dofollow links
Matt Cutts' revelation
Google changes algorithm - PageRank 'evaporates' with nofollow
Links still count in calculation, but juice is lost instead of redirected
Toolbar PageRank shutdown
Google stops updating public PageRank values
Makes it harder to measure the effect of sculpting strategies
New link attributes
Google introduces rel='sponsored' and rel='ugc'
Treated as 'hints' rather than direct commands
Modern approach
Focus shifts to strategic internal linking and site architecture
Authority distribution through natural link structure is prioritized
How it originally worked
How PageRank sculpting worked (2005-2008)
PageRank was only divided among dofollow links
Original logic (2005-2008)
β’ Nofollow links don't count in PageRank calculation
β’ PageRank is only divided among dofollow links
β’ More concentrated link value to important pages
10 PageRank Γ· 3 dofollow = 3.33 PR per linkModern reality (2009+)
β’ All links count in the calculation
β’ Nofollow links "consume" PageRank without passing it
β’ Less total link value distributed
10 PageRank Γ· 5 total = 2.0 PR per dofollow (4 lost)Google's algorithm changes
Matt Cutts' revelation (2009)
"What happens when you have a page with 'ten PageRank points' and ten outgoing links, and five of those links are nofollowed? Originally, the five links without nofollow would have flowed two points of PageRank each. More than a year ago, Google changed how the PageRank flows so that the five links without nofollow would flow one point of PageRank each."
Why did Google change it?
- β’ Some sites excluded valuable content (e.g., user forums)
- β’ Manipulation of natural link signals
- β’ Better intention detection for link attributes
- β’ Focus on user experience over SEO tricks
Sponsored and UGC tags
In 2019, Google introduced two new link attributes to better understand the nature of links: rel="sponsored" and rel="ugc". At the same time, Google changed the treatment of all these attributes to be "hints" rather than direct commands.
rel="nofollow"
The original tag to signal "don't follow this link"
<a href="..." rel="nofollow">Link</a>rel="sponsored"
For links created as part of advertising or sponsorships
<a href="..." rel="sponsored">Ad</a>rel="ugc"
For user-generated content like comments and forums
<a href="..." rel="ugc">Forum link</a>"Hints" vs. commands
One of the most significant changes is that Google now interprets "nofollow," "sponsored," and "ugc" as hints rather than direct commands. This is similar to how Google handles the so-called "canonical tag."
This means Google can choose to ignore the attributes if they judge that the link still has value for users.
Why sculpting no longer works
The core problem
Today, very few people work with PageRank sculpting because link value simply "evaporates" instead of being redirected. You gain nothing and lose something - not a good idea.
Mathematical example
Google's reasoning
- β’ Prevents manipulation of natural link signals
- β’ Protects against excluding valuable content
- β’ Encourages natural site architecture
- β’ Focus on user experience over SEO tricks
John Mueller's statement (2019)
"I think it's a waste of time to do that" - about internal PageRank sculpting with nofollow.
Nofollow and anchor text myth
Do nofollow links transfer anchor text?
As a general rule, no. Anchor text from a "nofollow" link is not transferred to the linked website. In fact, the anchor text becomes part of the page that's linking out.
Personally, I believe that "nofollow" links from highly trustworthy sites can transfer some value, such as trust.
Test results
- β’ Several tests have been conducted on small test websites
- β’ The conclusion is clear: Anchor text is not transferred
- β’ The anchor text becomes part of the source page
- β’ The source page can rank for the anchor text's search terms
Practical example
<a href="cheap-flights.com" rel="nofollow">Cheap flights</a>Your own page can now rank for "cheap flights" - not the target page.
Modern internal linking strategies
While traditional PageRank sculpting no longer works, strategic internal linking is still one of the most powerful SEO techniques. The focus has shifted from manipulation to natural authority distribution.
Hub-and-spoke model
Organize content as central "hub" pages with links to detailed subpages. Hub pages rank for broad search terms, while spoke pages gain visibility for more specific queries.
"2024 SEO Guide" (hub) β "Advanced On-Page SEO", "Technical SEO Tips" (spokes)Site architecture focus
- β’ Flat site structure (few clicks from homepage)
- β’ Important pages in main navigation
- β’ HTML sitemap for link value distribution
- β’ Strategic breadcrumb navigation
Contextual linking
- β’ Links in content rather than navigation
- β’ Relevant anchor text to target pages
- β’ 2-5 internal links per 1000 words
- β’ Links early in the content
Matt Cutts' modern recommendation
"A better, more effective form of PageRank sculpting is choosing (for example) which things to link to from your home page."
Focus on which pages get links from authoritative pages like the homepage instead of blocking links.
Best practices 2024
β What you SHOULD do
Site structure:
- β’ Create flat navigation
- β’ Link important pages from homepage
- β’ Use descriptive anchor text
- β’ Ensure crawlable structure
Content strategy:
- β’ Link from high-authority pages
- β’ Contextual links in content
- β’ Relevant internal linking
- β’ Regular link structure audits
β What you should NOT do
Avoid these mistakes:
- β’ Nofollow on internal links
- β’ Over-optimization of anchor text
- β’ Too many links per page
- β’ Links to irrelevant content
Outdated techniques:
- β’ PageRank sculpting with nofollow
- β’ JavaScript link hiding
- β’ Artificial link hierarchies
- β’ Keyword stuffing in anchor text
Modern approach to authority distribution
Strategy: Instead of blocking PageRank, focus on distributing it strategically through natural link patterns.
Homepage (high authority) βββ Category A (medium authority) β βββ Product 1 (receives authority) β βββ Product 2 (receives authority) βββ Blog Hub (medium authority) β βββ Guide 1 (builds authority) β βββ Guide 2 (builds authority) βββ About us (low priority, minimal linking)
Tools and techniques
Analysis tools
Screaming Frog
Crawl your site and identify internal link patterns
Ahrefs Site Audit
Find orphan pages and internal link opportunities
Google Search Console
Monitor indexing and crawling issues
Internal PageRank calculation
Use tools to calculate internal PageRank distribution and identify optimization opportunities.
Internal PR = (1-d) + d Γ Ξ£(PR(i)/C(i))Where d = damping factor, PR(i) = PageRank of linking page, C(i) = number of outgoing links
Practical workflow
Common mistakes to avoid
Critical mistakes
Nofollow misunderstandings:
- β’ Nofollow on important internal links
- β’ Expecting PageRank concentration
- β’ Auto-nofollow plugins affecting internal linking
- β’ Nofollow on social media links
Site structure problems:
- β’ Too deep navigation (>3-4 clicks)
- β’ Orphan pages without internal links
- β’ Overuse of links on unimportant pages
- β’ Ignoring HTML sitemaps
Modern misconceptions
Myth: "More links always means better SEO"
Reality: Quality and relevance are more important than quantity. 100 irrelevant links can hurt more than they help.
Better: 5 relevant, contextual links than 20 random navigation links
E-commerce specific pitfalls
- β’ PageRank spread across too many product variations
- β’ Links to out-of-stock products in footers
- β’ Poor product categorization
- β’ Ignoring faceted navigation link issues
The future of link equity optimization
Evolution instead of revolution
While traditional PageRank sculpting is dead, link equity optimization continues to evolve. The future lies in understanding user intent and creating natural link patterns that serve both users and search engines.
AI and machine learning
Google increasingly uses AI to understand context and intention behind links. Naturalness becomes more important than manipulation.
Entity-based SEO
Links between related topics and entities gain more weight than generic authority transfers.
User metrics
Click-through rates, dwell time, and engagement signals become more important in link value evaluation.
Takeaways for the future
Focus on:
- β’ User-centered link design
- β’ Natural navigation patterns
- β’ Contextual relevance
- β’ Site architecture excellence
Avoid:
- β’ Artificial manipulation attempts
- β’ Over-technical optimization tricks
- β’ Ignoring user experience
- β’ Short-term tactical thinking
Want to master modern link building?
Now that you understand the history of PageRank sculpting and why it no longer works, you can learn the modern techniques that actually move the needle today.
Read The Link Building Guide