Noreferrer is an HTML link attribute that prevents referrer information from being sent to the destination page when a user clicks a link. Referrer data normally includes the URL of the page where the click originated. By applying noreferrer, this information is withheld, protecting privacy and limiting data exposure.
When noreferrer is used, it also implicitly applies the same security protection as noopener. This means the destination page cannot access the originating page through the browser window object. As a result, noreferrer serves both privacy and security purposes when linking to external websites.
Noreferrer does not affect how users navigate or how search engines index pages. Its role is limited to browser behaviour and data handling. It is commonly used when linking to third party sites where referrer data sharing is unnecessary or undesirable.
Advanced
Noreferrer operates at the browser level by suppressing the HTTP referrer header entirely. This prevents analytics systems on the destination site from seeing traffic source details. It is often paired with noopener for comprehensive control over external link behaviour.
From a governance and compliance perspective, noreferrer supports privacy focused implementations and can help align with internal data handling policies. While it does not influence rankings or crawling, excessive use may reduce visibility in referral analytics, which should be considered when measuring outbound link impact.
Relevance
- Protects referrer data privacy.
- Prevents external sites from tracking source URLs.
- Enhances security when opening new tabs.
- Supports compliant outbound linking practices.
- Does not impact SEO visibility or rankings.
Applications
- External links to third party websites.
- Sponsored or affiliate references.
- Privacy sensitive content pages.
- User generated outbound links.
- Compliance driven web implementations.
Metrics
- Presence of noreferrer on external links.
- Referrer data visibility in analytics.
- Security audit compliance checks.
- Consistency across templates.
- Outbound link governance coverage.
Issues
- Loss of referral analytics data.
- Inconsistent use creates governance gaps.
- Misunderstanding reduces adoption.
- Overuse limits traffic attribution insights.
- Poor documentation causes implementation errors.
Example
A corporate website linked to multiple external vendors and partners. To limit data sharing and improve security, noreferrer was applied to outbound links. User behaviour remained unchanged, while referrer data was no longer exposed to third party platforms.