Rank Math automatically adds the UGC attribute to the links in comments. But if you prefer to stop Rank Math from adding this attribute to links, then in this knowledgebase article, we’ll show you how to do that.
Let’s begin by understanding what the UGC attribute is.
What is the UGC attribute?
The UGC (user-generated content) attribute allows search engines to understand that certain hyperlinks are not editorially endorsed. The UGC tag also informs Google that the link is included within user-generated content, such as a user comment or a forum post, and clarifies that the link is not an advertisement.
This is how a UGC (‘user-generated content’) attribute looks like:
<a href="http://www.example.com/" rel="ugc">Example UGC text</a>
UGC links work similarly to nofollow links. They also inform Google not to follow or vote for that particular link.
Effect of UGC attribute on SEO
Both the UGC attribute and nofollow attribute do not pass any authority and will not affect SEO ranking.
The UGC attribute allows webmasters to prove that they don’t control or endorse specific hyperlinks on their site, particularly from user-generated content such as comments and forum posts.
How to Stop Adding rel=”ugc” to Links in Comments?
As per Google’s announcement on Sept 10, 2019, we added the UGC attribute since the links in the comments are user-generated. WordPress 5.3 has introduced new functions to add UGC attribute to links and implements them in comments, and hence there’s no need to worry about this attribute anymore.
If you still want to remove the attribute, then please add the following filter code to your theme:
add_filter( ‘rank_math/frontend/add_ugc_attribute’, ‘__return_false’ );And, that’s it! If you still have any questions about how to stop adding rel=’ugc’ to the links in the comments – you’re always more than welcome to contact our dedicated support team, and we’re available 24/7, 365 days a year…