Nofollow versus data-href

[LoyensT]

We have a couple of Tier-1 websites that contain a lot of affiliate links. These outgoing affiliate links currently have the rel="nofollow" element.

Yet, I am seeing a lot of other websites and competitors, use data-href="" instead of nofollow.

Is the latter better for SEO purposes or are they just using data-href for better tracking?

[Saijo.George]

Apparently it won't be considered as a link according to John Muller

https://twitter.com/Errioxa/status/1005024345650094080?s=19

Also that was from a few months ago, thing might have changed.

[RuthBurrReedy]

I can't speak to why the other websites are using data-href; it could be for better tracking, or it might just be a function of their CMS that their links are coded that way. For affiliate links, I strongly recommend using rel="nofollow", as that is the best way to disclose, as it were, to Google that these links are paid for, and not editorial. Using data-href may functionally serve the same purpose, in that data-href links typically don't pass PageRank (to my knowledge), but they don't carry the same weight in terms of demonstrating to Google that you're not trying to hide the nature of the links. It may not matter much one way or the other but rel=nofollow is the best practice.