Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What Is the Difference in SEO?
When you start learning SEO, you will quickly come across backlinks. But all backlinks are not the same. Some links are followed by search engines in the usual way, while others use attributes such as nofollow, sponsored, or ugc.
If you are new to SEO, these terms can be a little confusing. So, it is useful to understand how they are different and when each type of link is normally used.
A dofollow link is a normal link that points from one webpage to another. The term “dofollow” is commonly used in SEO, although there is no rel="dofollow" attribute in HTML.
For example:
<a href="https://example.com">Visit Example</a>
Because this link does not contain a nofollow attribute, search engines can follow the link and discover the page it points to.
Dofollow links can also be useful SEO signals, particularly when they come from a relevant and trustworthy website. For example, if an SEO website links to a useful SEO guide on another website, the link makes sense because both pages are related.
However, this does not mean that getting more links will automatically improve your rankings. Quality and relevance are more important than simply collecting backlinks.
A link from a relevant website with useful content can be much more valuable than many links from unrelated or low-quality websites.
This is why a good link-building strategy should focus on creating useful content and earning links naturally, rather than trying to get as many backlinks as possible.
Simple way to remember
Dofollow = a normal link without rel="nofollow"
Good backlink = relevant + useful + trustworthy
Do Nofollow Links Help SEO?
Yes, a nofollow link can still be useful, even though search engines treat it differently from a regular followed link.
For example, imagine a popular website mentions your article and adds a nofollow link to it. Someone reading that article may click the link and visit your website. If the website is relevant to your topic, this can bring valuable referral traffic and introduce your content to a new audience.
Nofollow links can also help people discover your website. They are therefore not something you should simply ignore when working on SEO.
Instead of trying to get only dofollow backlinks, it is better to build a natural backlink profile with links from different websites and sources.
The main focus should be on relevance, quality and genuine value. If a link helps readers find useful information, it can be worthwhile regardless of whether it is dofollow or nofollow.
What Are Sponsored and UGC Links?
Nofollow is not the only link attribute used in modern SEO.
Google also recognises:
rel="sponsored"— for paid or sponsored linksrel="ugc"— for user-generated contentrel="nofollow"— when you want to indicate that the link should not be associated with your site in the usual way
For example:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="sponsored">Sponsored Link</a>A user-generated link could use:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="ugc">User Link</a>These attributes help search engines understand the nature of links.
Final Thoughts
Dofollow and nofollow links are both worth understanding if you are learning SEO. They work differently, but that does not mean one type is always useful and the other is not.
A good dofollow link from a relevant website can provide useful SEO signals. A nofollow link can still bring visitors to your website, increase your visibility and help people discover your content.
So, instead of worrying too much about whether every backlink is dofollow or nofollow, look at the quality and relevance of the link. Ask yourself whether the link makes sense, comes from a genuine source and is useful to the reader.
In the end, building a natural backlink profile is more important than simply collecting a large number of links.
Interested in learning more about SEO? Check out our previous article, Google Search Console Guide: 5 Ways to Improve SEO, for more practical SEO tips.
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