Every time you earn a link — from a blog mention, a forum reply, a directory, a bookmarking site — that link carries a hidden instruction to search engines. It either says "count this as a vote for the page I point to" or "see this link, but don't pass my credit through it." That instruction is the whole nofollow-vs-dofollow question, and it decides whether a link nudges your rankings or simply sends visitors your way.
The short version: a dofollow link can pass ranking credit (often called "link equity") to the page it points to; a nofollow link asks search engines not to. Neither is "good" or "bad" on its own. A profile made only of follow links looks unnatural, and a nofollow link from the right place can be worth more to your business than a dofollow link from a dead page nobody reads. This guide explains what the difference actually is, how to check any link in seconds, and how to think about the two without falling for the myths.
What "dofollow" really means
Here's the first thing that trips people up: there is no dofollow attribute in HTML. "Dofollow" is just the community's name for a normal, ordinary link — one with no special instruction attached. When you write a plain link like <a href="https://example.com">example</a>, it's already a follow link by default. Search engines are free to crawl it and to let it pass ranking credit to the destination.
So a "dofollow link" is simply a link that hasn't been told not to count. That's the default state of the web. Most links you'll ever place or receive — inside articles, in your site's navigation, in a genuine editorial mention — are follow links unless someone deliberately changed them.
What "nofollow" really means
A nofollow link is a normal link with one extra instruction added: the rel="nofollow" attribute. In HTML it looks like this:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">example</a>
That rel="nofollow" is a signal to search engines that means, roughly, "I'm linking here, but I don't want to vouch for this destination — don't pass my credit through." Google introduced nofollow back in 2005, originally to fight comment-spam: if links dropped in blog comments and forums couldn't pass credit, there'd be less incentive to spray them everywhere.
Crucially, a nofollow link is still a real, working link. A human clicks it and lands on your page exactly like any other. It can send you genuine referral traffic, put your brand in front of new readers, and get your content discovered. What it (typically) doesn't do is hand over the ranking signal that a plain follow link can.
The newer "hint" attributes
In 2019 Google refined the picture. Alongside nofollow, two more specific values appeared:
rel="sponsored"— for paid or advertising links (an ad, an affiliate link, a sponsorship).rel="ugc"— for user-generated content, like links inside comments and forum posts.
At the same time, Google said it would treat all three — nofollow, sponsored, and ugc — as hints rather than strict commands. In plain terms: instead of always ignoring a nofollow link, Google now reserves the right to consider it if it judges the link meaningful. The takeaway isn't to overthink the exact attribute — it's that the old, rigid "nofollow links do absolutely nothing" belief is out of date.
How to check whether a link is nofollow or dofollow
You don't have to guess. Two quick ways:
- View the source. Right-click the link (or the page) and choose Inspect or View Page Source, then find the
<a>tag. If you seerel="nofollow"(orsponsored/ugc), it's not a standard follow link. If there's noreltelling it not to follow, it's dofollow by default. - Use a browser extension. Free SEO extensions can highlight every nofollow link on a page in one click — handy when you're evaluating a directory or bookmarking site and want to know, at a glance, what kind of link a submission would earn.
Checking follow status is a habit worth building. When you're deciding where to spend an hour submitting content, knowing in advance whether a platform gives follow or nofollow links stops you from expecting ranking credit that was never on offer.
Do nofollow links help SEO?
This is the question everyone actually wants answered, and the honest reply is: yes, in ways that matter — just not always the way people mean.
- They send real traffic. A click is a click. A nofollow link on a busy, relevant page can deliver more engaged readers than a follow link buried where nobody looks.
- They build discovery and awareness. People find you, remember you, and sometimes link to you later from their own sites — those later links are often follow links you didn't have to ask for.
- They keep your profile natural. A backlink profile made entirely of follow links is a red flag. Real sites accumulate a messy mix — comments, social posts, mentions — and a big share of those are nofollow. That natural blend is what a healthy profile looks like.
- They may count as hints. As noted above, Google no longer promises to ignore them outright.
What nofollow links don't reliably do is pass the direct ranking equity a follow link can. So if your only goal for a particular placement is "pass authority to my page," a nofollow link is the wrong tool. For almost every other goal — traffic, reach, credibility, a natural profile — it's genuinely useful. This is the same logic behind why social bookmarks still count for something even when they're nofollow: the link's value isn't only in the ranking signal.
Where each type usually shows up
Knowing the typical pattern saves you from false expectations:
- Usually dofollow (follow): editorial links inside articles, resource-page listings, genuine mentions on other sites, links between pages on your own site.
- Usually nofollow: blog-comment links, most forum and community posts, many social-media links, large user-submission platforms, and a good share of bookmarking and aggregator sites.
- Should be sponsored/nofollow: any paid placement, advertisement, or affiliate link — marking these correctly keeps you on the right side of search-engine guidelines.
Note the word usually. Every platform sets its own policy, and plenty of high-profile domains hand out nofollow links from thin pages. That's exactly why a big domain score can be misleading — a point worth remembering when you read about what Domain Authority actually measures. The domain's strength tells you nothing about the strength of the individual link you'd receive.
The mistake to avoid: chasing follow links only
It's tempting to sort the whole web into "dofollow = worth it" and "nofollow = worthless." Don't. That mindset pushes people toward two bad habits: ignoring valuable placements just because they're nofollow, and hunting for sites that promise easy dofollow links to anyone — which is precisely the pattern search engines have learned to distrust.
A durable strategy treats follow status as one input, not the verdict. Weigh it alongside relevance (is this the right audience?), reach (does anyone actually see this page?), and quality (is the site moderated and real?). A relevant nofollow link that sends engaged readers beats an easy dofollow link from a farm every time. If you want the full picture of earning links that genuinely move rankings, the white-hat playbook for getting backlinks covers how the follow ones are actually won.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is dofollow better than nofollow?
Not automatically. A dofollow link can pass ranking credit, which nofollow typically can't, so for pure link equity it has the edge. But "better" depends on your goal: a relevant nofollow link that sends real, engaged traffic often does more for your business than a dofollow link on a page nobody visits. Judge each link on relevance and reach, not just its follow status.
Do nofollow links count as backlinks?
Yes — they're still real links that appear in your backlink profile and can send referral traffic. What they usually don't do is pass the direct ranking signal a follow link can. Since Google now treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict rule, some nofollow links may carry limited weight, but you shouldn't count on it. Value them for traffic, discovery, and a natural profile.
How do I make a link nofollow?
Add the rel="nofollow" attribute inside the anchor tag: <a href="URL" rel="nofollow">text</a>. For paid links use rel="sponsored", and for user-generated links like comments use rel="ugc". Many content platforms and plugins add these automatically, so check your tools before editing HTML by hand.
Should my backlink profile be all dofollow links?
No — an all-follow profile looks unnatural and can raise suspicion. Real sites earn a messy mix of follow and nofollow links from comments, social posts, mentions, and editorial links. Aim for that natural blend rather than filtering out every nofollow opportunity; the variety itself is a sign of genuine, earned links.
Are nofollow links bad for SEO?
No. Nofollow links don't harm your site — at worst they simply don't pass ranking credit. They can still deliver traffic, build awareness, and keep your profile looking natural, and they may occasionally count as a hint. Treating them as "bad" leads people to skip valuable placements, which is the real mistake.
Next step
Follow status is a useful label, not a scorecard. A link's real worth comes from where it sits, who sees it, and whether it sends people who care about your topic — and a healthy profile naturally holds both follow and nofollow links. Before you write off a placement because it's nofollow, ask what it actually does for you. To keep building on this, read how to get backlinks the white-hat way and see how the follow links that move rankings are genuinely earned.
