Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What Really Matters for SEO?

Have you ever heard of nofollow and dofollow links and wondered what they actually mean? You’re not the only one. These small terms can play a big role in how your website performs on search engines.

As someone working in SEO, I get asked about this a lot. And the truth is, you don’t need complicated tricks to improve your site. Understanding simple things like link types can make a real difference.

It sounds easy, but using both types the right way is important for building a strong and natural link profile.

Here’s what recent insights suggesths that 89.1% of experts say nofollow links still matter. 46.9% actively try to get them and 54% say a mix of both is best

So, what do these links actually do for your website? Which ones should you use, and when? Let’s break it down in a simple way.

What Are Dofollow Links?

The term “dofollow” can be a bit confusing. In reality, it doesn’t officially exist as a value in HTML. What people call a dofollow link is simply a normal link without any special attributes. The word is mainly used to compare it with nofollow links.

What Are Dofollow Links?

In simple terms, a dofollow (or just “follow”) link means there are no extra instructions added. It behaves like a regular link and passes value (often called link juice) to the page it points to.

To understand this better, think about how links look in code:

A regular link has no extra tag
A nofollow link includes a special rel attribute

This shows that there is no need for rel=”dofollow”—because normal links already work that way by default.

When no extra attribute is added, links do what they were designed to do. They act as signals of trust, helping search engines understand which pages are important.

In the early days of search engines, this idea became very important. When Google introduced its ranking system in 1998, it started treating links like votes. Pages with more strong and trusted links were seen as more useful and ranked higher.

Even today, although SEO has changed a lot, one thing remains the same:
Getting high-quality websites to link to you can help improve your rankings.

So, When to Use Dofollow Links?

The answer is simple: use it when you trust the website you are linking to.

A dofollow link is like saying: “This content is helpful and reliable.”

When you link to a good-quality page, you are showing both your readers and search engines that the content is useful and adds value to your own topic.

Easy Example

Imagine you are writing about digital marketing trends. If you find a trusted article, report, or study that supports your points, you should link to it using a normal (dofollow) link.

This helps in two ways:

Your readers get more useful information
Search engines see that you are connecting to quality content

What Are Nofollow Links?

In contrast, nofollow links are a bit more subtle in the world of SEO. When you add a nofollow link, you’re basically saying:

“I’m sharing this page, but I’m not officially endorsing it.”

It’s like lending a book to a friend without necessarily agreeing with everything the author wrote. Nofollow links tell search engines not to pass link juice, so the linked page doesn’t get the same SEO credit as a dofollow link.

Here’s how a nofollow link looks in code:

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text here</a>

Nofollow links are important because they let you share or reference content without directly affecting your SEO. They help keep your website’s link profile natural and balanced.

Even though nofollow links don’t pass link juice, they are not bad. They can still bring traffic, provide value to your readers, and maintain trust with search engines by showing that you aren’t just linking to anything randomly.

In short, nofollow links are your careful, thoughtful connections—sharing information while staying selective about endorsements.

When to Use Nofollow Links?

You’ll want to use nofollow links when you’re sharing something but don’t want to fully endorse it. For example, if you’re writing about a variety of products or services, nofollow links let your readers explore further without giving SEO credit to those sites.

Nofollow links are especially useful in places like comments, forum posts, or other user-generated content. With so many links appearing in these spaces, it’s impossible to vouch for every single one. Using nofollow here keeps your site safe from any potential SEO problems.

They’re also essential for sponsored content and ads. Adding nofollow links in these cases follows search engine rules and helps maintain transparency, showing that your website is trustworthy.

Are Nofollow Links Harmful?

Many people think that nofollow links are useless, but that’s not true at all. While they don’t pass SEO credit like dofollow links, they still play a very important role in a website’s growth. Nofollow links help your site look natural and trustworthy in the eyes of search engines. They show that you’re sharing information responsibly, without trying to manipulate rankings.

Even though they don’t give direct SEO value, nofollow links can still bring real visitors to your site. For instance, a link from a popular website can drive lots of traffic, which might turn into leads, customers, or loyal readers.

Think of nofollow links as the quiet supporters of your SEO strategy. They help your website stay safe from penalties, encourage genuine engagement, and support long-term, organic growth. So don’t underestimate them—they’re helping your site build trust and credibility every day.

Do Nofollow Links Damage Your Site?

Google has said for a long time that nofollow backlinks don’t hurt your website. The only time they can cause problems is if they come from spammy websites or shady link exchanges.

The best thing you can do is get links from trusted, high-quality websites. It’s also smart to check regularly if any spammy sites are linking to you.

In tools like Backlink Monitor, you can see a website’s Domain Trust score. This score tells you how strong and trustworthy a website is.

If you find harmful links, the safest way to deal with them is to contact the website owner and ask them to remove the link.

How to Identify Dofollow vs Nofollow Links?

There are several ways to see if a link on a webpage is nofollow or dofollow. Here’s a simple guide:

How to Identify Dofollow vs Nofollow Links?

1. Check the Page Manually

You can look at the link directly in the page’s code:

View the Page Source
- Right-click on the webpage and select “View page source” (or press Ctrl + U).
- Use Ctrl + F to search for the link text and check the <a> tag.
- If the tag says rel=”nofollow”, the link is nofollow; otherwise, it’s dofollow.
Use Inspect Mode
- Right-click on the page and select “Inspect” (or press Ctrl + Shift + I).
- Go to the Elements tab and find the <a> tag for the link.
- Look for the rel attribute to see if it’s nofollow.

2. Use the Mangools SEO Extension

The Mangools SEO browser extension makes it easy to check all outbound links:

Open the extension and go to On-page SEO.
Click the Outbound Links tab.
Check the Follow column to see which links are dofollow or nofollow.

Tip: Right-click on any webpage, select Mangools SEO, and you can see a quick overview of all dofollow and nofollow links on that page.

3. Use an SEO Audit Tool

Tools like Screaming Frog SEO Spider let you check links in bulk:

Open the tool in Spider mode and enter URLs.
Go to the Inlinks tab.
Filter links by follow or nofollow status.
Check the Rel column for specific tags like nofollow or ugc.

4. Use Mangools SiteProfiler

SiteProfiler helps you check backlinks from external websites:

Enter your domain in the search bar.
Scroll to the Backlinks section.
Check the pie chart labeled Dofollow links ratio to see the percentage of dofollow links pointing to your site.

5. Check with LinkMiner

LinkMiner gives a detailed look at backlinks:

Enter the URL you want to analyse.
Use the Do/NoFollow filter under the search bar.
Select Dofollow, Nofollow, or both.
The tool will show all backlinks with the chosen attribute.

Where to Use Nofollow Links?

Nofollow links have an important role in SEO, but knowing when to use them is key. Here are the best situations:

1. Sponsored or Partner Links

When you link to another website for sponsorships, endorsements, or partnerships, use rel=”nofollow” or rel=”sponsored”.

This tells search engines the link is commercial and prevents passing your site’s authority (PageRank) to the other site.
Example: If a blog post is sponsored by a brand, link like this:
<a href=”http://example.com” rel=”sponsored nofollow”>Example</a>
This keeps your site transparent and follows Google’s guidelines.

2. Links in User Comments or Posts

For comments, forum posts, or guest posts, add rel=”nofollow” or rel=”ugc” to links users add.

This protects your site from harmful or spammy external links.
Example: A user posts a link in your blog comment; marking it nofollow keeps search engines from giving that link your site’s authority.

3. Avoid Low-Quality or Spam Websites

Never use dofollow links for low-quality or irrelevant websites.

This avoids giving them PageRank or credibility from your site.
Sometimes no explanation is needed—just don’t link them with dofollow.

4. Duplicate or Auto-Created Pages

Use nofollow links for duplicate content or pages automatically created by filters or URL parameters.

This prevents search engines from wasting resources indexing near-identical pages.
Example: Linking every colour variant of a product with dofollow links could create unnecessary crawling.

✅ Key idea: Nofollow links help control which sites get authority from yours and keep your website’s SEO healthy.

When Not to Use Nofollow Links?

While nofollow links are useful, there are a few times you should avoid using them.

1. Most Internal Links

Internal links (links between pages on your own website) should usually be dofollow.
This helps with site navigation and SEO benefits.
Exception: Duplicate pages or low-value pages can still use nofollow.

Note: In the past, some used a tactic called “PageRank sculpting”—marking some internal links as nofollow to “redirect” authority.

This method has been ineffective since 2009.
Using it now can waste your site’s crawl budget and hurt overall SEO.

2. High-Quality External Websites

Don’t automatically nofollow all external links.
Linking to reputable, authoritative websites with dofollow links can boost your SEO.
It shows Google that your site shares valuable and trustworthy resources.

When to Nofollow External Links & Internal Links?

Use nofollow when you don’t want to associate your site with another website or give it authority.

If a link is useful and helps your visitors, there’s no reason to nofollow it.
For user-generated content, like blog comments, use the ugc attribute. Most CMS platforms do this automatically.
For paid or affiliate links, use sponsored, either alone or together with nofollow.

Advice from Alex Wright, SEO Director at Clicky Media:

“If a link is useful, don’t nofollow it. If it’s not useful, don’t add it at all.”

Nofollow for Internal Links

Most internal links should not be nofollow because they:

Help users navigate your site
Help search engines discover and index pages

Exceptions: You might nofollow internal links for:

Login or registration pages
Internal search results pages

For pages you don’t want indexed (like login pages or filtered pages), use noindex in the meta tag instead of nofollow.

Tip: Breadcrumb navigation improves both user experience and search engine crawling.

Using Dofollow and Nofollow Links for SEO

Balancing dofollow and nofollow backlinks is key to a strong SEO strategy. Here’s how to use both effectively:

Using Dofollow and Nofollow Links for SEO

1. Understand What Each Link Does

Dofollow links: Pass authority (link juice) and boost your site’s SEO.
Nofollow links: Don’t pass authority but add diversity, protect your site from penalties, and can still bring traffic.
Both types are important for a healthy link profile.

2. Mix Different Types of Links

A mix of dofollow and nofollow links looks natural to Google.
Avoid having only dofollow links, which can seem manipulative.
Use a link-building checklist to ensure your links are varied and authentic.

3. Use Nofollow Links for Traffic

Links from reputable websites, even if nofollow, can drive quality traffic.
Focus on engaging visitors and converting them into loyal followers, not just link juice.

4. Put Links in Good Content

Place dofollow and nofollow links within valuable, high-quality content.
Well-placed links improve user experience and enhance SEO impact at the same time.

5. Keep Track of Your Links

Use tools to track link performance.
Check which links are driving traffic, which are boosting SEO, and adjust your strategy as needed.

6. Find the Right Balance

Too many dofollow links can seem manipulative.
Too many nofollow links may limit your SEO growth.
A balanced, organic mix of both creates a strong, long-lasting SEO foundation.

How Search Engines Treat Nofollow Links?

When it comes to backlinks, not all links are treated the same way. Nofollow links don’t automatically pass authority, but search engines still pay attention to them. Understanding how Google and other search engines handle nofollow links can help you make smarter SEO decisions and get the most value from all your backlinks.

1. What Google Does with Nofollow Links

Google doesn’t completely ignore nofollow links.
Nofollow tells Google not to pass PageRank or authority through the link.
However, Google may still follow the link and consider it for ranking if it’s high-quality or relevant.
In short, nofollow is a hint, not a strict rule.

2. How Other Search Engines See Nofollow Links

Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo also look at links to judge site authority.
Exact details on how they treat nofollow links are less clear, but high-quality links always matter.

3. Bing’s Approach

Bing cares more about quality and relevance than dofollow vs nofollow.
A trusted link, even if nofollow, can still improve your Bing rankings.

4. DuckDuckGo’s Approach

DuckDuckGo prioritises links from trustworthy, relevant websites.
Whether a link is dofollow or nofollow, high-quality backlinks help your ranking.

Ideal Dofollow vs Nofollow Ratio

When building backlinks, it’s not just about getting links—it’s about balance. A mix of dofollow and nofollow links looks natural to search engines and strengthens your SEO.

Why Balance Matters

All dofollow links can seem unnatural and may trigger penalties.
All nofollow links don’t pass authority, which can slow down your SEO growth.
A healthy ratio signals to Google that your backlink profile is natural and trustworthy.

What Experts Suggest

There isn’t a strict “perfect ratio,” but a common recommendation is roughly:

70% dofollow links (pass authority and boost SEO)
30% nofollow links (add diversity and protect your site)
This can vary depending on your niche, link sources, and content type.

FAQs

1. What Is a Nofollow Link?

A nofollow link is a link that tells search engines not to pass authority (PageRank) to the website it points to. It’s like saying: “I’m linking, but I’m not endorsing this site.”

2. Do Nofollow Links Improve SEO?

Yes and no:

Directly: They don’t pass authority, so they don’t boost rankings like dofollow links.
Indirectly: They can bring traffic, visibility, and referrals, which can help your site in other ways.

3. What Is a Dofollow Backlink?

A dofollow link is a normal link that passes authority from your website to the linked site. These links help improve the linked site’s SEO and rankings.