"noopener" attribute

noopener is a value for the rel attribute on a link, used alongside links that open in a new tab, that is used for security, not search.

When a link uses target="_blank", the page that opens gets a JavaScript reference back to the page that launched it via window.opener. Without protection, the new page can potentially use that reference to manipulate the original tab — for example, silently redirecting it to a phishing page. This attack is called tabnabbing.

Adding rel="noopener" severs the window.opener connection, so the destination page cannot reach back and touch the page that opened it. Like so:

<a href="https://example.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Visit site</a>

Why it's rarely added manually anymore

Most modern browsers (e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) now treat target="_blank" as if noopener were already applied, by default. So most external links are protected automatically. Adding the attribute explicitly is still good practice for older-browser coverage and for being unambiguous, but it's no longer the glaring vulnerability it once was.

SEO impact

In short, there is none. noopener has no effect on crawling, indexing, or link equity. Google does not treat a noopener link any differently from a normal link. It is not a substitute for, nor related to, nofollow, sponsored, or ugc.

A common mistake is assuming that because noopener lives in the same rel attribute as nofollow, it somehow influences how PageRank flows. It does not. You can have a fully "followed", equity-passing link that also carries noopener:

<a href="https://partner.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Partner</a>

This link would still pass ranking signals normally.

Where noopener indirectly touches on SEO is through the broader signals search engines care about:

• Security and trust. Severing the opener reference removes a tabnabbing vector. A safer site is better for users, which aligns with what search engines reward.
• Performance. Without noopener, the browser may be forced to keep the new tab in the same renderer process as the opener page to maintain the window.opener reference. Adding noopener allows the browser to allocate a separate process, which can marginally improve responsiveness*.

*Note: This is a ***very*** minor, user-benefit rather than a ranking lever. While technically valid, the performance difference would be imperceptible to a user in any practical sense. There is no need to spend time updating existing _blank links to also include noopener for the purpose of performance gains.

False SEO claims regarding "noopener"

Some false claims about noopener and SEO occasionally surface, but these typically stem from confusion with related but separate attributes.

"noopener passes more link equity / PageRank" rel="noopener" is a browser security directive — it has no meaning to Googlebot or any other crawler. It does not affect how link equity flows.

"noopener is the same as nofollow for SEO purposes" nofollow tells crawlers not to follow a link or pass authority. noopener tells the browser not to give the new tab access to window.opener. They operate at completely different layers — one is a crawler hint, one is a runtime security control. Mixing them up leads people to either mistakenly add noopener thinking it affects crawl behaviour, or mistakenly omit nofollow thinking noopener covers it.

"Adding noopener improves Core Web Vitals or page speed scores" Occasionally floated in SEO content. noopener does not improve CWV scores. The marginal performance benefit mentioned above — that the browser doesn't need to maintain the opener reference — is real, but so negligible that it has no measurable effect on Lighthouse scores or field data.

"Google recommends noopener for SEO on outbound links" Google does recommend adding rel="noopener" (often used as rel="noopener noreferrer") to external links that use target="_blank", but this is entirely in the context of security, not SEO.

Practical guidance

• Use rel="noopener" (or noopener noreferrer) on target="_blank" links — it's free, safe, and best practice.
• Do not use it to control link equity, it doesn't. Use nofollow, sponsored, or ugc as appropriate for the link.

In summary

noopener is a security attribute that closes a tabnabbing vulnerability for older browsers on _blank links, not for SEO. Treat it as good front-end hygiene, not as part of your link strategy.

Bots, crawlers, and linking

Disclaimer: All information contained herein is for informational purposes only. It is not advice or instructional.