Impact of Nofollow vs. Dofollow Links on Your Website’s SEO

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), backlinks play a vital role in determining a website’s credibility and authority. However, not all backlinks are created equal. One of the most important distinctions in the realm of backlinks is the difference between nofollow and dofollow links. Understanding how each of these impacts your website’s SEO can help you craft a more effective link-building strategy and improve your search engine rankings.

What Are Dofollow Links?

A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that allows search engine crawlers (bots) to follow the link and pass “link juice” or SEO value from one website to another. When a reputable website links to your site using a dofollow link, it signals to search engines that your site is trustworthy and relevant.

Example of a dofollow link:

<a href="https://yourwebsite.com">Your Website</a>

Unless otherwise specified, all hyperlinks are considered dofollow by default.

What Are Nofollow Links?

A nofollow link, on the other hand, tells search engines not to follow the link or pass SEO value to the linked site. This is achieved by adding a rel="nofollow" attribute to the link.

Example of a nofollow link:

<a href="https://yourwebsite.com" rel="nofollow">Your Website</a>

Nofollow links were introduced by Google in 2005 to help combat spam, especially in blog comments and user-generated content, where low-quality or irrelevant links were often posted for manipulative SEO purposes.

Key Differences Between Dofollow and Nofollow Links

Why Dofollow Links Matter for SEO

Dofollow backlinks are a cornerstone of SEO strategy. When a trusted site links to your page, it’s essentially casting a vote of confidence. The more high-quality dofollow backlinks you earn, the more likely your site will be viewed as authoritative by Google. This can lead to higher rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs).

Here’s how dofollow links benefit your SEO:

1. Improve Domain Authority
   Dofollow links from reputable domains can boost your domain authority, making your site more competitive in organic search.
2. Increase PageRank
   Google’s PageRank algorithm evaluates the quantity and quality of links pointing to a page. Dofollow links directly influence this metric.
3. Enhance Crawling and Indexing
   Search engine bots use dofollow links to discover and index new content, improving your site’s visibility.
4. Drive Targeted Traffic
   Besides SEO benefits, dofollow links from relevant websites can bring in referral traffic that converts.

Are Nofollow Links Useless?

Absolutely not. While nofollow links do not directly influence your site’s rankings, they still offer significant value:

1. Diversify Your Link Profile
   A natural backlink profile includes both dofollow and nofollow links. If all your backlinks are dofollow, it may look suspicious to search engines.
2. Drive Referral Traffic
   Links from popular platforms (e.g., Quora, Reddit, Wikipedia) are usually nofollow but can still generate significant traffic and brand exposure.
3. Increase Brand Visibility
   Getting mentioned on high-traffic sites—even with a nofollow link—builds trust and visibility in your niche.
4. Potential Indirect SEO Benefit
   Google has stated that nofollow links are considered “hints” rather than directives. This means they might still pass some SEO value depending on context and authority.

When to Use Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links

Use Dofollow When:

• Linking to high-quality, trustworthy content
• Linking to your own content within guest posts
• Linking to partners or affiliates with whom you have direct relationships

Use Nofollow When:

• Linking to untrusted or user-generated content
• Linking to sponsored or paid content (to comply with Google’s guidelines)
• Posting links in blog comments, forums, or press releases

Google’s Perspective on Link Attributes

In addition to nofollow, Google has introduced two new link attributes:

• rel="sponsored": For paid or sponsored content.
• rel="ugc": For user-generated content (e.g., comments, forum posts).

These help Google better understand the nature of the link and how to treat it in ranking algorithms.

How to Check if a Link is Dofollow or Nofollow

To check the link type:

1. Right-click on the link and select “Inspect” (in Chrome).
2. Look for the rel attribute in the anchor tag:
   • If it says rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored", it’s not passing link juice.
   • If there’s no rel attribute or it’s set to dofollow, it is.

You can also use browser extensions like:

• MozBar
• NoFollow (Chrome extension)
• Ahrefs SEO Toolbar

How to Earn High-Quality Dofollow Links

1. Create Valuable Content
   Publish research, infographics, guides, and tools that others want to reference.
2. Guest Blogging
   Write for reputable websites in your niche and include relevant links back to your site.
3. Outreach Campaigns
   Reach out to webmasters, journalists, and bloggers with link-worthy content.
4. Get Featured in Directories and Resources
   Submit your site to industry directories, resource pages, and professional networks.
5. Leverage Broken Link Building
   Find broken links on websites in your niche and suggest your content as a replacement.

Conclusion

Both nofollow and dofollow links serve important purposes in the SEO ecosystem. While dofollow links have a direct impact on rankings by passing link equity, nofollow links contribute to a balanced link profile, drive traffic, and support brand visibility.

The key is not to chase only dofollow links, but to focus on earning links naturally through quality content, smart outreach, and a diversified backlink strategy. In today’s SEO landscape, authenticity and relevance are more important than ever.