What is nofollow and dofollow?

Nofollow and dofollow are properties of links that determine whether a link passes on SEO value. A dofollow link passes authority to the target page and counts towards ranking. A nofollow link contains an instruction telling search engines not to follow the link (largely) for ranking purposes.

The difference between nofollow and dofollow

By default, links are dofollow: they pass on link value. A nofollow link has an attribute (rel=”nofollow”) indicating that the link should not count as a recommendation. For building authority, dofollow backlinks are the most valuable.

When do you use nofollow?

Nofollow is meant for links you do not want to endorse, such as paid links, ads and links placed by users (for example in comments). Google also offers rel=”sponsored” for paid links and rel=”ugc” for user content, but nofollow remains acceptable for both. This way you avoid accidentally passing ranking value to pages you do not take responsibility for.

Effect on your link building

A natural link profile contains a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. Having only dofollow links can actually look unnatural. In link building you therefore aim for relevant links, not just dofollow ones.

Do nofollow links never pass value?

Google now treats nofollow as a hint, not a strict rule. Indirectly, they can still bring traffic and visibility.

How can I see whether a link is nofollow?

The source code then shows rel=”nofollow” on the link.