Managing External Links with `nofollow` and `noopener` — the Smart Way
When you're building modern websites, especially in ASP.NET Core, you don’t just need to make things work—you need to make them secure, performant, and SEO-conscious. Handling external links is a great example of where subtle best practices make a big difference.
🔹 The Difference Between nofollow and noopener
rel="nofollow"
Tells search engines not to pass ranking authority (“link juice”) to the linked page.
Useful when linking to:
- Affiliate links
- User-generated content
- Untrusted or paid content
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Example</a>
rel="noopener"
Prevents a security vulnerability that can occur when you open links in a new tab (target="_blank"). It stops the new tab from controlling the parent window via window.opener.
<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit Example</a>
Combining Both
Use this for external links opened in new tabs that you don’t want to pass SEO equity to:
<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Visit Example</a>
When and Why to Use Them
| Attribute | When to Use | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
nofollow | External links you don’t trust or endorse | Avoids leaking SEO value to questionable destinations |
noopener | Any link that opens in a new tab/window (target="_blank") | Prevents tab hijacking + improves performance |
| Both | Affiliate links or user-submitted URLs that open in new tabs | SEO safety + security best practice |
This is one of those small, easy-to-overlook things I’ve baked into DevStack—you don’t have to think about it.
Make It Automatic in Razor
If you want to add this logic to your Razor views:
@{
string rel = "noopener";
if (isUntrustedLink) { rel += " nofollow"; }
}
<a href="@url" target="_blank" rel="@rel">@linkText</a>
Or better yet, let me show you how to extend this as a custom TagHelper.
Why It Matters for Business
If you care about SEO, security, and reputation management, you should care about how you manage outbound links.
I’ve run commercial sites where one affiliate link mistake cost thousands in lost rankings. These things matter.
30 years of business-savvy web development means I bake these practices in so you don’t have to discover them the hard way.
Take a look at my business credentials or my CV, and if this kind of baked-in know-how appeals to you, I’ve got a whole stack waiting for you.
💬 Let’s Solve This—And More
These are just small parts of what my .NET stack automates by default. If you’re fighting these battles one at a time, let me help you skip ahead.