The UGC (User Generated Content) link attribute is a rel attribute value that can be added to HTML links (anchor tags) to indicate that the link is pointing to user-generated content.
It was introduced by Google in September 2019 to provide webmasters with a way to identify links within user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts, which may not necessarily be editorially placed or endorsed by the site owner.
The UGC attribute helps search engines understand the nature of the link and can prevent potential manipulation of search rankings through spammy or low-quality user-generated links.
To use the UGC link attribute, you can add the rel=”ugc” attribute to the anchor tag in your HTML code. For example:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">User-generated link</a>
By using the UGC attribute, you’re signaling to search engines that the link may not have the same level of endorsement or trustworthiness as other editorial links on your website. This can help protect your site’s reputation and maintain the integrity of your link profile.
External resources:
- Google’s announcement of UGC attribute – Official Google announcement introducing the UGC attribute, along with other link attributes.
- Moz’s guide to UGC attribute – A detailed explanation of the UGC attribute and its implications for SEO.