Backlinks are one of the most important factors in determining your website's ranking on Google. However, not all links provide the same SEO value! In the world of SEO, Dofollow and Nofollow are two types of links with completely different roles that directly impact your website optimization strategy. So, are Dofollow links really as "powerful" as rumored? Are Nofollow links useless for SEO? And how can you tell the difference between them? Let's join Markdao to find out in this article!
What are Dofollow and Nofollow links?
The two most common types of links that Google and search engines use are Dofollow and Nofollow. The difference between them can significantly affect your SEO strategy and your ability to optimize your website's ranking.
What is a Dofollow Link?
A Dofollow link is a type of link that allows Google bots to crawl and pass link juice from the linking page to the destination page. In other words, when a website has a Dofollow link pointing to your site, Google considers it a vote of confidence, which helps increase your site's authority and improve your search engine rankings.
Characteristics of a Dofollow Link:
- It is the default link type if no special attributes are added.
- Google bots can crawl the link and pass SEO value to the destination page.
- It has a direct impact on a website's search engine ranking.
Example of a Dofollow Link in HTML:
<a href="https://example.com">Visit website</a>
In the code snippet above, the link pointing to "example.com" is a Dofollow link because it lacks the rel="nofollow" attribute, meaning it will pass SEO value to the destination page.
What is a Nofollow Link?
A Nofollow Link is a type of link with the rel="nofollow" attribute, which signals to Googlebot that it should not follow the link or pass SEO value to the destination page. This helps website administrators control outbound links and avoid being negatively impacted by low-quality links.
Characteristics of Nofollow Links:
- Does not pass SEO value from the linking page to the destination page.
- Googlebot does not follow or count ranking signals from this link.
- Commonly used for advertising links, links in comment sections, or on forums to prevent spam.
Example of a Nofollow Link in HTML:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit website</a>
In the code snippet above, the link pointing to "example.com" has the rel="nofollow" attribute, meaning Google will not follow it or pass any SEO value to the destination page.
Understanding the difference between these two types of links helps you optimize your SEO strategy more effectively. Dofollow helps improve rankings, while Nofollow helps control link flow and protects your website from low-quality links. In the next section, we will compare the differences between Dofollow and Nofollow links in detail to provide a clearer perspective.
4 Ways to check Dofollow and Nofollow Links
To determine whether a link on a website is Dofollow or Nofollow, you can use various methods, ranging from checking the HTML source code to using specialized tools. Below are the most common ways to check the link type.
1. Check directly in the HTML source code
The simplest way to check if a link is Nofollow is to view the website's HTML code directly.
How to do it:
- Open the webpage containing the link you want to check.
- Right-click on the link and select "Inspect" in the Chrome browser or "View Page Source".
- Find the <a href="URL"> code snippet for the link you are checking.
Result:
- If there is no rel="nofollow" attribute, it is a Dofollow Link.
- If the rel="nofollow" attribute is present, it is a Nofollow Link.
Example:
- Dofollow Link: <a href="https://example.com">Visit website</a>
- Nofollow Link: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit website</a>
2. Use browser extensions
If you prefer not to check manually, you can use browser extensions to quickly detect Nofollow links.
Some popular extensions:
- NoFollow Simple (Chrome)
- SEO Minion (Chrome, Firefox)
- MozBar (Chrome)
How to use:
- Install the extension in your browser.
- Open the webpage containing the links you want to check.
- Enable the extension, and it will highlight or color-code the Nofollow links so you can easily identify them.
3. Use SEO tools for bulk checking
If you want to check a large number of links on your website, you can use professional SEO tools such as:
- Ahrefs – Analyze backlinks and check Dofollow/Nofollow attributes.
- SEMrush – Check backlinks and evaluate link quality.
- Screaming Frog SEO Spider – Analyze your entire website and detect Nofollow links.
How to check with Ahrefs:
- Go to Ahrefs and enter your website URL.
- Select Backlink Profile → Backlinks.
- Filter the results by Link Type → Dofollow / Nofollow.
4. Check via Google Search Console
Google Search Console also provides information about links pointing to your website.
Steps:
- Log in to Google Search Console.
- Select Your website.
- Go to Links → Top linked pages.
- View the list of links and export the data to check the link types.
Checking and managing Dofollow and Nofollow Links helps you optimize your SEO strategy more effectively, ensuring high-quality backlinks and avoiding harmful links to your website.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links - Which is better for SEO?
Both Dofollow and Nofollow links play an important role in an SEO strategy, but each serves a different purpose. To determine which is the better choice, we need to analyze the impact of each link type on SEO in detail.
1. Dofollow Links – The optimal choice for improving SEO
Advantages of Dofollow Links
- Passing SEO value (Link Juice): Google bots follow Dofollow links and pass authority from the linking page to the destination page, helping to improve search engine rankings.
- Increasing website credibility: If a website receives Dofollow backlinks from highly trusted sites, it helps improve Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA).
- Increasing traffic: When placed on high-traffic websites, Dofollow links can drive significant traffic from users clicking on the links.
- Supporting Off-page SEO strategies: Building a quality backlink profile from reputable websites strengthens the overall authority of your site on search engines.
Disadvantages of Dofollow Links
- Susceptibility to backlink spam: If you receive too many Dofollow backlinks from low-quality sites, your website may be downgraded or even penalized by Google.
- Difficulty in controlling link quality: Not all Dofollow backlinks are beneficial; if not managed properly, they can have a negative impact on your SEO.
2. Nofollow Links – How to protect your website from spam and SEO risks
Advantages of Nofollow Links
- Preventing spam links: When the Nofollow tag is applied, Google bots will not follow the link, helping to prevent spammy websites or unwanted links from affecting your rankings.
- Complying with Google's policies: Advertising links or sponsored content should use the Nofollow attribute to avoid violating Google's policies.
- Support for backlink profile diversification: Combining both Dofollow and Nofollow links helps build a natural link profile, preventing Google from flagging it as SEO manipulation.
- Generating indirect traffic: Although they do not pass SEO value, Nofollow links on major websites can still drive significant traffic from users.
Disadvantages of Nofollow Links
- No SEO value passed: Since Google does not count Nofollow links for ranking purposes, they do not directly help improve a website's search ranking.
- No support for improving DA and PA: Unlike Dofollow links, Nofollow backlinks do not contribute to increasing a website's authority.
3. Should you use Dofollow or Nofollow for SEO optimization?
The choice between Dofollow and Nofollow should not be about which is "better," but rather about using them flexibly based on your SEO goals.
- Dofollow Links should focus on:
- Backlinks from high-authority websites that are relevant to your site's topic.
- Internal links that help navigate users and optimize website structure.
- Quality articles, PR pieces, or guest posts from authoritative websites.
- Nofollow Links should be used when:
- Placing links on pages where you cannot control the quality, such as comments, forums, and Q&A sites.
- Paid links, advertisements, or sponsored posts to comply with Google's guidelines.
- Reduce the risk of spam backlinks from low-quality sites.
There is no absolute answer as to whether Dofollow or Nofollow is better, as both play important roles in SEO. A sustainable SEO strategy should combine both types of links to build a natural backlink profile, optimizing Google rankings while ensuring the website remains safe from search algorithm risks.
What is a reasonable ratio for Nofollow and Dofollow links?
There is no fixed number for an optimal Dofollow to Nofollow ratio for every website, but according to SEO experts, maintaining a natural and diverse backlink profile is the most important factor.
1. The ideal ratio between Dofollow and Nofollow links
According to many SEO studies, the backlink ratio of Dofollow : Nofollow usually falls around 60:40 or 70:30. However, this ratio is not a rigid rule and will vary depending on the type of website and SEO strategy.
- New websites (0 – 6 months):
- Safe ratio: 50% Dofollow – 50% Nofollow
- Reason: New websites need a natural backlink profile to avoid being flagged by Google for link manipulation.
- Established websites (6 months – 2 years):
- Appropriate ratio: 60% Dofollow – 40% Nofollow
- Reason: As a website gains authority, having more Dofollow links helps improve rankings more effectively.
- Established websites (over 2 years old):
- Common ratio: 70% Dofollow – 30% Nofollow
- Reason: Once a website has a solid SEO foundation, you can focus more on building Dofollow backlinks from reputable sites.
2. Why shouldn't you have 100% Dofollow or Nofollow links?
- 100% Dofollow:
- Easily flagged by Google as backlink manipulation, which can lead to penalties.
- The backlink profile appears unnatural, as most websites naturally contain both types of links.
- 100% Nofollow:
- Has little impact on improving search rankings.
- Can easily diminish SEO effectiveness without the support of Dofollow backlinks.
3. How to optimize the Dofollow and Nofollow ratio
- Where should you place Dofollow backlinks?
- Guest posts on reputable websites within the same industry.
- Links from articles and PR on sites with high DA/PA.
- Collaborate with relevant websites to exchange quality backlinks.
- How to use Nofollow appropriately?
- Links from blog comments, forums, and Q&A sites.
- Advertising links and sponsored posts in accordance with Google's guidelines.
- Websites where backlink quality cannot be controlled.
The ratio of Dofollow to Nofollow is ideally around 60:40 or 70:30, but the most important thing is to create a backlink profile that is natural and diverse and comes from reputable sources. Proper optimization will help your website improve its ranking while avoiding the risk of being penalized by Google for link spam.
Conclusion
Both Dofollow and Nofollow links play an important role in an SEO strategy; each type of link has its own function and must be used correctly to maximize effectiveness. Dofollow Links help pass SEO authority and improve Google rankings, while Nofollow Links protect the website from spam and add diversity to your backlink profile.
Instead of focusing on just one type of link, a sustainable SEO strategy needs to combine both Dofollow and Nofollow in a reasonable ratio to ensure a natural and safe backlink profile. At the same time, controlling the quality of backlink sources and avoiding links from low-reputation sites will help your website achieve the best results in search engine optimization.
