Dofollow vs Nofollow Backlinks — What’s the Difference?
When it comes to backlinks, not all links are created equal — and the dofollow vs nofollow distinction is the first thing every SEO beginner needs to understand.
This guide explains both link types clearly, which one actually moves your Domain Authority, and why you need both for a healthy backlink profile.
What Is a Dofollow Backlink?
A dofollow backlink is a standard hyperlink that passes link equity — also called “link juice” — from the linking page to your page. When a website links to you with a dofollow link, it is telling search engines: “I vouch for this page, and I am sharing my authority with it.”
Dofollow is the default state of any hyperlink. If a website publishes a link without any special tag, it is automatically dofollow.
What it looks like in HTML:
html
<a href="https://yoursite.com">anchor text here</a>No special attribute needed — this is a dofollow link by default.
What dofollow links do:
- Pass link equity from the linking page to your page
- Directly contribute to Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) growth
- Tell Google to follow the link and index the destination page
- Signal topical relevance between the two pages
Every strong backlink profile is built primarily on dofollow links from authoritative, relevant websites.
What Is a Nofollow Backlink?
A nofollow backlink contains a rel="nofollow" attribute that instructs search engines not to pass link equity through the link. It tells Google: “I am linking to this page, but I am not vouching for it or sharing my authority.”
What it looks like in HTML:
html
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow">anchor text here</a>Google introduced the nofollow attribute in 2005 primarily to combat comment spam — spammers were flooding blog comments and forums with links to inflate their rankings. By allowing site owners to mark links as nofollow, Google removed the incentive to spam.
Platforms that use nofollow by default:
- All major social media platforms (Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram)
- Wikipedia
- Most news sites for user-submitted content
- Blog comment sections
- Forum platforms like Reddit and Quora
- Press release distribution services
Dofollow vs Nofollow — Side by Side Comparison
| Dofollow | Nofollow | |
|---|---|---|
| HTML attribute | None (default) | rel="nofollow" |
| Passes link equity? | Yes | No (officially) |
| Affects Domain Authority? | Directly, significantly | Indirectly, minimally |
| Affects Page Authority? | Yes | Minimally |
| Google follows the link? | Yes | Yes (but ignores equity) |
| Counts as referring domain? | Yes | Yes |
| Common sources | Editorial blogs, guest posts, resource pages | Social media, Wikipedia, forums, comments |
| Value for SEO | High — primary DA driver | Moderate — traffic + brand signals |
| Risk of spam? | Higher if from spammy sites | Lower |
Do Nofollow Links Have Any SEO Value?
This is where most beginners get it wrong — they dismiss nofollow links entirely. The reality is more nuanced.
Google’s 2019 update changed everything
In September 2019, Google announced that it would treat nofollow as a “hint” rather than a hard directive. This means Google may choose to follow nofollow links and use them as ranking signals when it determines they are relevant and trustworthy — even without passing traditional link equity.
The practical implication: nofollow links from highly authoritative, relevant sites may still contribute to rankings, even if the contribution is smaller than a dofollow link from the same page.
Nofollow links still matter for these reasons:
1. Referral traffic: A nofollow link on a high-traffic page still sends real visitors to your site. Traffic is traffic — and engaged visitors improve user behavior signals that Google uses.
2. Brand authority and GEO signals: When major publications mention and link to you — even with nofollow — it builds brand recognition. AI systems like Google’s AI Overview and ChatGPT are trained on web content including nofollow-linked sources. Being cited by authoritative sites signals credibility to these systems regardless of link attribute.
3. Natural link profile appearance: A backlink profile with zero nofollow links looks unnatural to Google. Real sites accumulate nofollow links naturally from social media, forums, and editorial sites. A profile of 100% dofollow links is a pattern Google associates with artificial link building.
4. Nofollow links lead to dofollow links: Content that earns nofollow links from Reddit or social media gets seen by bloggers and journalists who then create editorial dofollow links. Nofollow links are often the first step in a chain that ends in dofollow coverage.
5. Referring domain diversity: Nofollow links still count toward your referring domain total — and referring domain diversity is one of the core inputs into Domain Authority.
Two More Link Types Introduced in 2019
When Google updated its nofollow policy, it also introduced two new link attributes:
Sponsored Links — rel="sponsored"
Used to mark links that are paid, including:
- Paid guest posts
- Affiliate links
- Sponsored content partnerships
- Paid directory listings
html
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="sponsored">anchor text</a>Google treats sponsored links similarly to nofollow — they do not pass link equity and should not influence rankings. Using this attribute honestly is important for compliance with Google’s guidelines.
UGC Links — rel="ugc"
UGC stands for User Generated Content. Used for links that appear in:
- Blog comments
- Forum posts
- Community discussions
- Review platforms
html
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="ugc">anchor text</a>Also treated similarly to nofollow. Many platforms apply this automatically to all user-submitted links.
How Dofollow Links Build Domain Authority
Domain Authority grows when your site accumulates link equity from high-quality referring domains — and dofollow links are the primary vehicle for this equity transfer.
The chain works like this:
- A high-DA site (say, DA 70) publishes an article and includes a dofollow link to your page
- Link equity flows from their page to yours
- Your Page Authority (PA) increases on the linked page
- As more high-DA sites do the same, your domain accumulates equity across many pages
- Moz calculates Domain Authority based on this overall equity distribution
- Your DA score rises — and with it, your ability to rank for competitive keywords
The quality of the referring site matters enormously. A single dofollow link from a DA 80 publication contributes more to your DA than fifty dofollow links from DA 10 blogs.
Which Links You Should Actually Be Building
For a healthy, Google-safe backlink profile in 2026, you need a natural mix — with dofollow links as the primary focus.
Target mix for a natural backlink profile:
| Link Type | Realistic % in Natural Profile |
|---|---|
| Dofollow editorial links | 50 – 65% |
| Nofollow links (social, news, forums) | 25 – 35% |
| Sponsored / UGC | 5 – 15% |
Focus your active link building on dofollow sources:
- Guest posting on niche-relevant blogs (DA 30+) — produces editorial dofollow links
- HARO and journalist outreach — earns editorial dofollow links from major publications
- Resource page placements — typically dofollow editorial links
- Broken link building — replaces broken links with your content, usually dofollow
- Digital PR / original data — earns editorial dofollow coverage from news sites
Let nofollow links accumulate naturally:
- Share content on social media — generates natural nofollow links
- Participate in relevant forums and communities
- Comment on industry blogs (genuinely, not spam)
- List your site in legitimate directories
Trying to manufacture nofollow links at scale is a waste of time. They come naturally when you create content worth sharing.
How to Check If a Link Is Dofollow or Nofollow
There are several ways to check the type of any backlink:
Method 1 — Browser inspect element Right-click the link on the linking page → select “Inspect” → look for rel="nofollow" in the HTML. If no rel attribute is present, it is dofollow by default.
Method 2 — Check My Links Chrome extension: This free extension highlights all links on a page and identifies their follow status. Useful for auditing resource pages or competitor sites.
Method 3 — Moz Link Explorer: Moz shows the follow/nofollow status of links in your backlink profile. This helps you see what proportion of your existing links are dofollow.
Method 4 — Ahrefs or Ubersuggest: Both tools display link type (dofollow/nofollow) in their backlink reports alongside DA, anchor text, and other metrics.
Common Mistakes Around Dofollow and Nofollow
Mistake 1 — Only pursuing dofollow links: A profile with 100% dofollow links looks unnatural. Google expects a mix. Ignoring nofollow link sources means missing brand exposure, referral traffic, and natural profile signals.
Mistake 2 — Adding nofollow to your own internal links: Some site owners mistakenly add nofollow to internal links trying to “sculpt” PageRank. This blocks equity from flowing to important pages within your own site — the opposite of what you want.
Mistake 3 — Assuming nofollow links are completely worthless: Since Google’s 2019 update, nofollow is a hint — not an absolute block. Links from high-authority sites in the right context contribute more than many people realize.
Mistake 4 — Buying dofollow links from spam sites: Dofollow links from sites with Spam Score above 50% are worse than nofollow links from legitimate sources. Link toxicity matters more than follow status.
Mistake 5 — Not marking paid links as sponsored: If you pay for a link placement, Google requires it to be marked rel="sponsored". Undisclosed paid dofollow links violate Google’s guidelines and can result in manual penalties for both your site and the linking site.
Dofollow vs Nofollow — What Actually Moves Your DA
To put it plainly:
Dofollow links from high-DA, topically relevant, low-spam sites are the primary driver of Domain Authority growth.
Nofollow links support that growth by building brand signals, creating natural link profile diversity, driving referral traffic, and contributing to the GEO/LLM visibility that increasingly matters in AI-assisted search.
Your link building strategy should focus on earning dofollow editorial links — while allowing nofollow links to accumulate naturally as a byproduct of creating genuinely useful content.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow links?
A dofollow link passes link equity from the linking page to your page, directly improving Domain Authority and rankings. A nofollow link contains a rel="nofollow" attribute that instructs Google not to pass link equity. Dofollow is the default for any standard hyperlink — nofollow must be explicitly added.
Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
Yes — more than most people think. Since Google’s 2019 update, nofollow is treated as a hint, meaning Google may still consider high-authority nofollow links as ranking signals. Nofollow links also drive referral traffic, build brand authority, contribute to natural link profile diversity, and signal credibility to AI systems used in Google AI Overviews.
Which is better for Domain Authority — dofollow or nofollow?
Dofollow links are the primary driver of Domain Authority growth because they pass link equity directly. However, a profile of only dofollow links looks unnatural to Google. The healthiest DA-building strategy focuses on earning dofollow links from high-authority sites while allowing nofollow links to accumulate naturally.
What happens if I only have nofollow backlinks?
A profile consisting entirely of nofollow links will show very limited Domain Authority growth because no significant link equity is being transferred. DA growth requires dofollow links from authoritative referring domains. If your current backlink profile is mostly nofollow, prioritize guest posting and editorial link building to earn dofollow coverage.
Are social media links dofollow or nofollow?
All major social media platforms — Twitter/X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Reddit, YouTube — apply nofollow to outbound links by default. Social media links do not directly pass link equity. They still contribute to brand visibility, referral traffic, and natural link profile signals, but they are not a substitute for editorial dofollow links.
What is a sponsored link and how is it different from nofollow?
A sponsored link uses rel="sponsored" to indicate a paid relationship — affiliate links, paid placements, or sponsored content. Google introduced this in 2019 alongside rel="ugc" as more specific alternatives to nofollow. Sponsored links should not pass link equity and must be marked honestly. Using dofollow for paid links violates Google’s guidelines.
Can dofollow links from bad websites hurt my site?
Yes. Dofollow links from sites with a high Spam Score (above 50%) or from PBN networks can increase your own Spam Score and trigger Google penalties. A dofollow link from a toxic site is more damaging than a nofollow link from the same site. Link quality matters as much as link type — always check the Spam Score of sites linking to you.
How do I know if a backlink to my site is dofollow or nofollow?
Check your backlink profile in Moz Link Explorer, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest — all show the follow status of each link. You can also inspect any linking page directly: right-click the link → Inspect → look for rel="nofollow" in the HTML. If no rel attribute is present, the link is dofollow by default.
Should I add nofollow to my internal links?
No. Adding nofollow to your own internal links blocks link equity from flowing between your pages — which hurts the Page Authority of your important pages. Internal links should remain standard dofollow links so authority distributes naturally across your site through your internal linking structure.
