Understanding Link Attributes#
When a website links to another, that link can carry different attributes that tell search engines how to treat it. The two most important types are dofollow and nofollow links.
What Is a Dofollow Link?#
A dofollow link is a standard HTML link that passes SEO value (often called "link juice" or "link equity") from the linking page to the linked page.
By default, all links are dofollow unless specified otherwise. They look like this in HTML:
<a href="https://example.com">Link Text</a>
When search engines crawl a dofollow link, they:
- Follow the link to discover the destination page
- Pass authority and ranking signals to that page
- Use the anchor text as a relevance signal
What Is a Nofollow Link?#
A nofollow link includes a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass ranking signals through the link.
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Link Text</a>
Google introduced the nofollow attribute in 2005 to combat comment spam. Since then, it's become a standard way to indicate that a website doesn't endorse the linked content.
When Are Nofollow Links Used?#
Paid Links and Advertisements#
According to Google's link spam policies, paid links must use nofollow (or the newer rel="sponsored" attribute) to prevent manipulation of search rankings.
User-Generated Content#
Comments, forum posts, and other user-generated content typically use nofollow to prevent spam from affecting SEO.
Untrusted Content#
When you can't vouch for the quality or reliability of a linked page, nofollow is appropriate.
Additional Link Attributes#
Google has introduced additional link attributes beyond nofollow:
rel="sponsored"#
Specifically for paid placements, ads, and sponsored content. This is now Google's preferred attribute for any paid links.
rel="ugc"#
For links in user-generated content like comments and forum posts.
How Google Treats These Attributes#
Since 2020, Google treats nofollow as a "hint" rather than a directive. This means Google may choose to follow these links and pass some value in certain cases, though it's not guaranteed.
Do Nofollow Links Have Any Value?#
Yes! While nofollow links don't directly pass SEO authority, they offer several benefits:
1. Referral Traffic#
Nofollow links can still drive significant traffic if they're on high-traffic pages.
2. Brand Awareness#
Being mentioned on authoritative sites increases your brand visibility, regardless of link type.
3. Natural Link Profile#
A healthy backlink profile includes a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. An unnatural ratio can look suspicious. Learn more about evaluating backlink quality.
4. Potential for Future Dofollow Links#
Visibility from nofollow links can lead to dofollow links from other sources who discover your content.
SEO Best Practices#
For Your Website#
- Use nofollow for paid links, ads, and affiliate links
- Apply nofollow to untrusted or unverified links
- Don't overuse nofollow on internal links
For Link Building#
- Focus primarily on earning dofollow links for SEO value
- Don't ignore nofollow opportunities on high-traffic sites
- Maintain a natural mix of link types
The Difference in Practice#
| Attribute | Passes SEO Value | Best For | |-----------|------------------|----------| | Dofollow (default) | Yes | Editorial links, organic mentions | | Nofollow | Hint only | User comments, untrusted content | | Sponsored | No | Paid placements, ads | | UGC | Hint only | Forum posts, comments |
How to Check Whether a Link Is Dofollow or Nofollow#
Most free backlink checkers let you filter by link attribute, so you can quickly see which of your backlinks are dofollow and which carry nofollow, sponsored, or UGC tags. This is useful for understanding your link profile distribution.
Conclusion#
While dofollow links are the primary currency of SEO link building, nofollow links still play an important role in a complete digital marketing strategy. Focus on earning quality links of both types from relevant, authoritative sources.
Ready to start building your dofollow backlink profile? Check out our guide on link building strategies for actionable tactics.
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