The Core Concept
Dofollow = “Google, I vouch for this site. Pass ranking credit.”
Nofollow = “Google, here’s a link, but don’t count it as my endorsement.”
When you create a link, it’s dofollow automatically. No special code needed. Nofollow requires adding rel="nofollow" to the HTML.
Why Nofollow Exists
In the early 2000s, Google ranked sites partly by how many links pointed to them. Spammers exploited this immediately — blog comments and forums filled with junk links to boost rankings.
In 2005, Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft created rel="nofollow" so site owners could mark links as non-endorsements. Blog platforms added it to comments by default. The spam incentive dropped since those links no longer helped SEO.
The HTML
A standard dofollow link:
<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>
A nofollow link:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Example</a>
Modern Variations (2019)
Google added two more attributes:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Paid Link</a>
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">User Generated Content</a>
rel="sponsored"— paid links, ads, affiliate linksrel="ugc"— comments, forum posts, user content
You can combine them: rel="nofollow sponsored". Google treats all three as “hints” rather than strict commands — they might still crawl these links and pass some value.
Where You’ll Find Each Type
Dofollow links:
- Editorial links in articles
- Resource pages listing your site
- Guest posts (varies by site)
- Internal links on your own site
Nofollow links:
- Blog comments (almost universally)
- Social media (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn)
- Wikipedia external links
- Press release distribution links
- Forum posts
SEO Impact
Traditional view: Dofollow passes PageRank, nofollow passes nothing.
Reality since 2019: Google treats nofollow as a hint. They might still crawl nofollow links, discover pages through them, and potentially pass some ranking signals.
A nofollow link from The New York Times still puts your brand in front of readers who might link to you with dofollow links. Brand awareness and traffic have value beyond direct SEO.
What actually matters:
- Quality dofollow links — the goal
- Quality nofollow from high-authority sites — still valuable
- Natural mix of both — looks legitimate
- 100% dofollow links — actually looks suspicious
A natural link profile includes nofollow links. Comments are nofollow, social shares are nofollow, many mentions are nofollow. Pure dofollow profiles suggest manipulation.
How to Check Link Status
Manual method:
- Right-click the link, select
Inspect - Look at the
<a>tag’s HTML - Check for
rel="nofollow",rel="sponsored", orrel="ugc" - No rel attribute (or just
rel="external") = dofollow
This works for one link. For dozens or hundreds of backlinks, manual checking is impractical.
Verify Your Backlinks
Backlink Checker Pro validates whether the links in your reports actually exist.
- Link existence — is the link on the page?
- Dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, or UGC status
- Page accessibility — noindex, bot blocks, errors
Upload CSV, Excel, or PDF backlink reports and get instant verification.
Check Your BacklinksCommon Misconceptions
“Nofollow links are worthless”
They still drive traffic, build brand awareness, and create a natural-looking link profile. They can also lead to dofollow links later when people discover you through them.
“I need 100% dofollow links”
This looks suspicious. Natural sites have a mix because comments, social shares, and many citations are nofollow by default.
“Nofollow means Google ignores the link completely”
Since 2019, nofollow is a “hint.” Google might crawl it, discover pages through it, and even pass some ranking value.
“I can spot nofollow links visually”
Dofollow and nofollow links look identical to users. You must inspect the HTML or use tools to tell them apart.
When to Use Nofollow on Your Own Links
- Paid links and ads — required by Google. Use
rel="sponsored" - Affiliate links — mark as sponsored
- User-generated content — use
rel="ugc" - Untrusted content — anything you can’t vouch for
- Login pages — no need for Google to index these
Most CMS platforms (WordPress, etc.) automatically nofollow comment links.
Summary
Dofollow = endorsement, passes ranking value. Nofollow = no endorsement, limited SEO impact.
For link building: focus on earning quality links from relevant sources. A natural mix of dofollow and nofollow is healthier than chasing 100% dofollow. And if someone claims they built you 50 dofollow links, verify it.
How can I tell if a link is dofollow or nofollow?
Right-click the link, select Inspect, and check the <a> tag. If you see rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc", it's not dofollow. No rel attribute (or one without those values) means dofollow.
Are nofollow backlinks bad for SEO?
No. They don't directly pass ranking power, but they drive traffic, build brand awareness, and contribute to a natural link profile. A healthy backlink profile includes both types.
What percentage of backlinks should be dofollow?
Natural profiles typically show 60-80% dofollow. Having 100% dofollow looks suspicious. Focus on quality over hitting a specific ratio.
Does Google follow nofollow links at all?
Since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a "hint" rather than a command. They might crawl nofollow links, discover pages through them, and potentially consider them for ranking — but they won't pass full link value like dofollow links.
What's the difference between nofollow, sponsored, and ugc?
rel="sponsored" is for paid/advertised links. rel="ugc" is for user-generated content like comments. rel="nofollow" is the general-purpose option. All three limit ranking value passed. Use the most specific one that applies.