Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What Is the Difference for SEO?
In this article, you will learn about the difference between dofollow vs nofollow links.
As you’ll find below, nofollow and dofollow links have different purposes depending on who is creating or receiving backlinks.
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), it is important that you understand the difference between nofollow and dofollow links so that you know when to use them in your content, to improve your website ranking and traffic. Which types of backlinks are really important, and the best ratio for nofollow vs dofollow backlinks.
Dofollow vs Nofollow Links
The main difference between dofollow vs nofollow links is that dofollow links give rights to a website whereas nofollow links do not transfer PageRank signals. Dofollow links directly improve SEO as they share link juice whereas nofollow links have only indirect SEO value.
Difference Comparison Chart Between Dofollow and Nofollow Links
Here’s a quick overview and comparison between dofollow and nofollow links. If you’re looking for something more in-depth, keep reading.
| Criteria | follow | no follow |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | To pass PageRank | not passing pagerank |
| SEO value | High | Less |
| crawl | always crawling | can be crawled or not |
| indexed | Always used for indexing | Not always used for indexing |
| anchor tag attribute | no need | rel = “nofollow” |
| best backlink ratio | 75% or more | 25% or less |
What is Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is a link that points to your website for Google and other search engines to crawl and index. DoFollow links help with search engine optimization by sending the original site’s PageRank authority to the destination site (or web page).
As explained in this other article on what a dofollow link is, these types of backlinks are created by default in most website HTML editors for the anchor tag element. No additional coding is required.
Types of Dofollow Links
- guest post link
- editorial link
- acknowledgment link
- badge link
- press release link
- testimonials link
- review link
- resource link
What is Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link is a link that is not typically used in PageRank calculations. Nofollow links are a way for publishers to tag links so search engines such as Google do not treat them as points (or votes) to influence web page placement in search engine result pages (SERPs).
However, the calculation for PageRank using nofollow links has changed. From March 1, 2020, Google began to treat the nofollow link tag as a signal, not a directive, to crawl and index content in search engines. Therefore, nofollow links may exceed the PageRank value if the algorithm determines that it is useful for ranking and indexing purposes.
As explained in this other article about what a nofollow link is, there are several different ways you can tag a link to nofollow to help search engine crawlers understand the relationship with the linked page. So to receive.
Types of Nofollow Links
- Paid Links: These nofollow links must include the rel=”sponsored” attribute and be used for advertisements or paid placements.
- UGC Links: These nofollow links must include the rel=”ugc” attribute and should be added to User-Generated Content (UGC) links, such as comments and forum posts.
- Nofollow links: This is the default nofollow value with the rel=”nofollow” attribute that should be used when other values do not apply and you do not want Google to associate your site with the linked page.
- Multiple rel values: You can also specify multiple rel values as a space- or comma-separated list, such as: rel=”nofollow sponsored” or rel=”ugc nofollow”.
When to Use Nofollow and Dofollow Links
You must use a nofollow link when the content you are linking to is untrustworthy, sponsored, user-generated, or paid-for. When the linked content is trustworthy, reliable, and you want to pass PageRank from your website to the destination site, you should use dofollow links.
If you are ever having trouble deciding between nofollow vs dofollow link when linking to another website, then the best option is to just create a nofollow backlink. That way, if the site is untrusted or should have been classified as a nofollow link based on the guidelines mentioned earlier, you are not penalized by search engine algorithms.
Best Ratio Between Nofollow and Dofollow Backlinks
The most successful websites with the highest ranking and traffic have a higher number of dofollow links than nofollow links in their backlink profiles. Therefore, you should aim for at least a 25/75 ratio for nofollow and dofollow links for your site while getting backlinks.
Dofollow vs Nofollow links summary
I hope you liked this guide about dofollow vs nofollow links.
As you found, the main difference between dofollow and nofollow links is that dofollow links are always crawled by search engines and used to pass PageRank value to SEO, but nofollow links are not always crawled or are not used for indexing purposes and may or may not be used. To calculate the page rank count.
However, both nofollow and dofollow links are important for a healthy backlink profile and can help you get targeted traffic from linked websites. So it is good to work on increasing both forms of backlinks for SEO and brand awareness
