Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What's the Difference?
Understand how each link type affects your SEO and when to use them.
Dofollow Links
Passing link equity (PageRank) to the target page. The primary way to build domain authority
Nofollow Links
Links you don't want to vouch for — user comments, paid links, untrusted sources
Sponsored (rel=sponsored)
Marking paid or sponsored links per Google's guidelines. Required for advertorials
UGC (rel=ugc)
Tagging user-generated content links — forum posts, blog comments, community submissions
Natural Editorial Links
The gold standard. Earned organically when other sites reference your content as a source
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What Are Dofollow and Nofollow Links?
How Search Engines Treat Each Link Type in 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
- Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
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Yes. While nofollow links do not pass link equity directly in most cases, Google now treats them as hints and may choose to credit them. They also drive referral traffic, increase brand visibility, and contribute to a natural backlink profile that Google trusts.
- Can I check if a link is dofollow or nofollow?
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You can right-click the link in your browser, select Inspect, and look for rel=”nofollow” in the HTML code. If there is no rel attribute, the link is dofollow by default. Alternatively, SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz, or Screaming Frog can audit your entire backlink profile and categorise each link type automatically.
- Should I only focus on building dofollow links?
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No. A natural backlink profile contains a healthy mix of both dofollow and nofollow links. Focusing exclusively on dofollow links can look manipulative to search engines and misses the referral traffic and brand-building benefits that nofollow links provide. Aim for quality and relevance over link type.
- How many backlinks do I need to rank on the first page of Google?
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There is no fixed number. It depends entirely on your industry competition, keyword difficulty, and the authority of the linking sites. A handful of links from highly relevant, authoritative domains often outperforms hundreds of low-quality links from irrelevant sites. Analyse what your top-ranking competitors have and aim to match or exceed that profile.
- Are all dofollow links equally valuable?
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No. A dofollow link from a high-authority, topically relevant site is significantly more valuable than one from a low-authority, irrelevant site. Google evaluates the linking domain’s authority, the topical relevance of the linking page, the placement context within the content, and the naturalness of the anchor text. Quality varies enormously between dofollow links.