Dofollow vs Nofollow: What the Difference Actually Means for Your Rankings

← All guides · 10 min read · Published July 2026

TL;DR:

• A dofollow link is any normal link without a rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" attribute — it passes link equity and is the reliable currency of link building.
• Since March 1, 2020, Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a directive: some nofollow links may count for ranking, but nobody outside Google knows which.
• Nofollow links still earn their keep through referral traffic, brand exposure, and keeping your profile looking natural.
• Paid links should carry rel="sponsored" per Google policy; user-generated links should carry rel="ugc".
• Always verify the attribute after a placement goes live — publishers quietly nofollow links more often than you'd think.

What is a dofollow link?

A dofollow link is a standard HTML link with no qualifying rel attribute — it passes link equity from the linking page to the target page. "Dofollow" isn't a real HTML attribute; it's just the industry's name for a normal link. Any link without rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" is dofollow by default:

<a href="https://example.com/page/">anchor text</a>

When Google crawls this link, it does two things: it follows the link to discover and crawl the target page, and it passes what SEOs call "link equity" — a signal that the linking site vouches for the linked one. Dofollow links from relevant, authoritative pages are a core input to Google's ranking algorithm, which is why they're the ones link builders chase. If you're new to the concept, our guide on what backlinks are covers the fundamentals.

Typical dofollow sources include editorial mentions in blog posts and news articles, guest post placements, resource page listings, and supplier or partner pages — anywhere an editor deliberately chose to cite you.

What is a nofollow link?

A nofollow link carries an explicit rel attribute:

<a href="https://example.com/page/" rel="nofollow">anchor text</a>

Google introduced nofollow in 2005 to fight comment spam. The idea: if spammy links passed no ranking credit, spammers would stop dropping them everywhere. Publishers adopted it broadly — Wikipedia, most major news sites' user-generated sections, forum platforms, and social networks all nofollow outbound links by default.

The other rel attributes: sponsored and ugc

In September 2019, Google split nofollow into three attributes so publishers could describe why a link isn't a full endorsement:

You can combine them (rel="nofollow sponsored"), and Google treats all three as valid — the full rules are in Google's guidance on qualifying outbound links. Two practical notes:

• Sponsored is the correct attribute for paid links. If you pay for a placement and it stays dofollow, that violates Google's spam policies — which is exactly why vetting matters when buying backlinks.
• You don't need to retroactively change existing nofollow links to sponsored or ugc. Google has said plainly that nofollow remains acceptable for all cases.

The 2020 change: nofollow became a hint, not a directive

This is the part most older articles get wrong. Before March 2020, nofollow was a directive — Google ignored nofollow links entirely for ranking. With the 2019 "evolving nofollow" announcement (fully in effect for crawling and indexing on March 1, 2020), all three attributes became hints. Google may choose to count a nofollow link for ranking purposes if other signals suggest the link is a genuine editorial reference. Google's stated reason: ignoring nofollow wholesale meant losing useful information about how the web actually links.

What this means in practice:

• A nofollow link from a highly trusted page is probably not worth zero anymore.
• Google decides case by case, and it publishes no data on when it counts nofollow links — so nobody outside Google can tell you which nofollow links pass value.
• For crawling and indexing, nofollow generally still means Google won't prioritize following the link, though it may discover the URL through it.

The honest summary: dofollow links are the reliable currency. Nofollow links are a lottery ticket with unknown odds — sometimes worth something, never something to build a strategy around.

Do nofollow links help SEO?

Yes — just not primarily as a ranking lever. Nofollow links earn their keep in four ways:

1. Referral traffic. A nofollow link from a Reddit thread or a major publication can send more customers than a dofollow link from a sleepy niche blog.
2. Discovery and indexing. Links help Google and users find your pages, whatever their attribute.
3. Brand and trust signals. Mentions on Wikipedia, big media sites, and active communities put your brand in front of the audiences that later link to you editorially — the engine behind digital PR link building.
4. Profile naturalness. A backlink profile with zero nofollow links doesn't look like anything that occurs in the wild — more on that below.

Which sites give nofollow links by default?

Knowing where nofollow is automatic saves you from chasing "opportunities" that were never going to pass equity. These platforms nofollow (or apply ugc/sponsored to) outbound links as policy:

• Wikipedia — every external link is nofollow.
• Social networks — Facebook, X/Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok profile and post links.
• YouTube — video description links.
• Reddit, Quora, and most forums — user-posted links carry nofollow or ugc.
• Blog comments on most platforms, including WordPress by default since 2005.
• Press release distribution services — reputable wires nofollow their links.
• Many business directories and profile pages.

None of these are worthless — several are excellent for referral traffic and brand visibility. But if someone sells you "50 social profile backlinks" as a ranking play, you now know exactly what you'd be paying for.

When should you use nofollow on your own site?

The attribute debate cuts both ways: you also publish links. The rules for your outbound links are simple.

Use a qualifying attribute when:

• You were paid — sponsorships, ads, affiliate links → rel="sponsored".
• Users created the link — comments, forum posts, reviews → rel="ugc".
• You can't or won't vouch for the destination — e.g. linking to a spammy site as an example → rel="nofollow".

Don't nofollow:

• Normal editorial citations. Linking out to genuinely useful sources is healthy; blanket-nofollowing every external link signals nothing except distrust of your own content.
• Internal links. "PageRank sculpting" — nofollowing internal links to funnel equity toward money pages — stopped working in 2009 when Google changed how nofollow divides PageRank. Today it just evaporates the equity those links would have passed. If you see a site nofollowing its own navigation, that's a mistake, not a strategy.

What does a healthy dofollow/nofollow mix look like?

Run any large, established site through Ahrefs and you'll see a mix: mostly dofollow, with a meaningful minority of nofollow, sponsored, and ugc links. That's what naturally earned link profiles look like, because real popularity generates links everywhere — news sites, forums, social platforms, blog comments — not just in dofollow editorial placements.

A profile that is 100% dofollow, especially one growing fast on a young domain, doesn't resemble anything that occurs naturally. There's no official "correct" ratio, and we'd be inventing a number if we gave you one. The practical guidance:

• Don't chase nofollow links deliberately to hit a ratio. If you're earning links from a genuine spread of sources, the mix takes care of itself.
• Don't disavow or reject links just because they're nofollow. They're part of a normal profile.
• Do prioritize dofollow for acquired links. When you're investing time or budget in link building services, the placements you pay effort for should be dofollow editorial links from real sites — that's where the ranking value is concentrated.

In our vetting work we routinely see publishers advertise "guest posts" and quietly ship the live article with nofollow links — one of several reasons to verify every placement after it goes live. It's also why we show proof before payment: you see the live, dofollow link on an Ahrefs-verified site before you pay for it. The same check belongs in your process whether you build links yourself or through a guest posting service.

How to check whether a link is dofollow or nofollow

Three ways, fastest first:

1. Inspect the source code. Right-click the link in your browser and choose "Inspect." Look at the <a> tag:

• No rel attribute, or rel="noopener" / rel="noreferrer" only → dofollow (noopener and noreferrer are security attributes; they don't affect SEO value)
• rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" → not a full-value link

2. Use a browser extension. Free extensions like NoFollow or Strike Out Nofollow Links highlight nofollow links on every page you visit — useful when you're reviewing a placement or prospecting.

3. Check at scale with a backlink tool. Ahrefs' Site Explorer lets you filter your backlink report by link attribute, so you can see your dofollow/nofollow split across the whole profile and audit new links as they appear. We cover the full audit process in how to check backlink quality.

Whichever method you use, check links after they go live, and re-check periodically. Attributes can be changed after publication, and a link that was dofollow at delivery can be quietly nofollowed later — which is why replacement guarantees exist.

Dofollow vs nofollow at a glance

How to get dofollow backlinks

Since dofollow editorial links carry the concentrated ranking value, that's where deliberate effort belongs. The formats that reliably produce them:

• Guest posts on real sites with real traffic — an article you write in exchange for an in-content link.
• Niche edits — a link inserted into an existing, already-ranking article; see our niche edits service for how placement vetting works.
• Resource and supplier pages — being genuinely listable somewhere an editor maintains a list.
• Digital PR — earning coverage with data or stories journalists want to cite.

The attribute is only one input into link quality, alongside the linking site's authority, topical relevance, real organic traffic, and anchor text. A dofollow link from a zero-traffic PBN is worth less than a nofollow mention in a major publication — so vet the site first, then confirm the attribute.

FAQ

Do nofollow links help SEO at all?

Indirectly, yes. Since March 2020 Google treats nofollow as a hint and may count some nofollow links for ranking, though it doesn't say when. Their reliable value is referral traffic, brand exposure, and keeping your link profile looking natural.

Should paid links be dofollow or sponsored?

Google's guidelines require paid links to carry rel="sponsored" (or nofollow). In practice, the paid-placement market largely runs on dofollow links, which is why quality vetting and risk management matter far more than the attribute debate.

What's a good dofollow to nofollow ratio?

There's no official number, and anyone quoting an exact percentage is guessing. Most established sites are majority dofollow with a healthy minority of nofollow links. Focus on earning links from a natural spread of sources rather than engineering a ratio.

Should I nofollow my internal links to sculpt PageRank?

No. PageRank sculpting stopped working in 2009 — nofollowing an internal link no longer redirects its equity elsewhere; the equity is simply lost. Keep internal links plain and let your site architecture do the prioritizing.

Is rel="noopener" the same as nofollow?

No. noopener and noreferrer are browser security attributes with no effect on link equity. A link with only rel="noopener" is still dofollow.

---

Want links you can verify yourself? Every LinkVetted placement is delivered live on an Ahrefs-verified site with proof before payment — see pricing or get in touch.