Backlinks are important for SEO, but not all links work the same way. Some pass authority and ranking value, while others mainly help users navigate between pages.

This is where DoFollow and NoFollow links come in. A DoFollow link passes authority to the linked page, while a NoFollow link tells search engines not to pass authority.

Both types are valuable and play different roles in SEO. In this guide, you’ll learn their differences, benefits, and how they affect search rankings.

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What Is a DoFollow Link?

A DoFollow Link is a standard hyperlink that allows search engines to follow the link and pass ranking signals, often referred to as “link juice,” from one webpage to another.

In simple terms, when Website A links to Website B using a DoFollow link, Website A is effectively giving a vote of confidence to Website B. Search engines such as Google use these links as signals to understand which pages are valuable, trustworthy, and relevant. The more high-quality DoFollow links a webpage receives from authoritative websites, the greater its potential to rank well in search engine results.

DoFollow links play a crucial role in SEO because they help search engines discover new pages and understand the relationships between websites. When search engine crawlers encounter a DoFollow link, they follow it to the destination page and evaluate the content found there. This process helps search engines build their index and determine how webpages should be ranked.

When a website links to another website using a DoFollow link, it is essentially telling search engines that it trusts and recommends the linked page. As a result, some of the linking page’s authority may be transferred to the destination page. This transfer of authority is commonly known as passing “link equity” or “link juice.”

For example, if a well-known news website links to a small business website using a DoFollow link, the small business website may benefit from the authority and trust associated with the news website. This can improve the linked page’s visibility and ranking potential over time.

DoFollow links are extremely valuable in SEO because they contribute to a website’s backlink profile and can improve search engine rankings over time. However, not all DoFollow links carry the same value. Search engines consider several factors when evaluating a backlink, including:

• The authority of the linking website
• The relevance of the linking page
• The placement of the link within the content
• The anchor text used in the link
• The overall trustworthiness of the source website

A single DoFollow backlink from a highly authoritative and relevant website can often provide more SEO value than dozens of links from low-quality websites.

By default, most hyperlinks on the internet are DoFollow links unless a special attribute is added. This means that if you create a normal hyperlink without specifying any additional attributes, search engines will generally treat it as a DoFollow link.

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Example of a DoFollow Link

<a href="https://example.com">Visit Website</a>

Since there is no special attribute, search engines treat this as a DoFollow link.

The destination page can receive authority and ranking signals from the linking page. Search engine crawlers can also follow the link to discover and analyze the linked content.

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What Is a NoFollow Link?

A NoFollow Link is a hyperlink that contains the attribute:

rel="nofollow"

This attribute tells search engines that the website owner does not want to pass authority or ranking signals to the linked page.

The NoFollow attribute was originally introduced to help combat spam and prevent website owners from manipulating search rankings through excessive or low-quality link building. By using NoFollow links, website owners can link to external resources without necessarily endorsing them from an SEO perspective.

Users can still click the link and visit the destination website normally. The browsing experience remains exactly the same for visitors. However, search engines treat the link differently from a DoFollow link when evaluating ranking signals and authority transfer.

Although NoFollow links generally do not pass traditional link equity, they can still provide significant benefits. Search engines may use them as hints for discovering content, and they can generate valuable referral traffic, increase brand awareness, and expose websites to new audiences.

NoFollow links are commonly used for:

• Sponsored content.
• Paid advertisements.
• Affiliate links.
• Blog comments.
• Forum posts.
• User-generated content.

These types of links are often areas where website owners have limited control over the content being posted or where financial relationships exist. Using the NoFollow attribute helps maintain transparency and comply with search engine guidelines.

For example, if a company pays for a promotional article on another website, the outbound links within that article are often marked as NoFollow or Sponsored links to indicate that they should not influence search rankings.

NoFollow links help website owners maintain control over which links pass authority. They also help reduce spam, protect website credibility, and create a more natural and balanced backlink profile. While they may not provide the same direct SEO benefits as DoFollow links, they remain an important part of a healthy and diversified link-building strategy.

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Example of a NoFollow Link

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Website</a>

In this case, search engines recognize the NoFollow attribute and generally do not pass SEO value through the link.

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Feature	DoFollow Link	NoFollow Link
Definition	A DoFollow link is a normal hyperlink that allows search engines to follow the link and pass SEO value to the destination page.	A NoFollow link is a hyperlink that tells search engines not to pass SEO value to the destination page.
Main Purpose	Helps improve the authority and ranking potential of the linked page.	Prevents or limits the transfer of ranking signals to the linked page.
SEO Impact	Passes link equity (link juice) to the target page.	Generally does not pass link equity in the traditional way.
Search Engine Behavior	Search engines can crawl and use the link as a ranking signal.	Search engines may crawl the link, but it is treated as a hint rather than a strong ranking signal.
Default Link Type	Yes, all links are DoFollow by default unless a rel attribute is added.	Requires the rel="nofollow" attribute.
Link Equity (Link Juice)	Passes SEO value to the linked page.	Usually does not pass SEO value directly.
HTML Example	<a href="https://example.com">Visit Website</a>	<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit Website</a>
Best Use Case	Linking to trusted, relevant, and high-quality websites.	Linking to sponsored content, advertisements, or untrusted websites.
Impact on Rankings	Can help improve search engine rankings through quality backlinks.	Usually has little or no direct effect on rankings.
User Experience	Users can click and visit the linked page normally.	Users can also click and visit the linked page normally.
Crawling	Search engines are encouraged to follow the link.	Search engines may choose whether to follow the link.
Backlink Building	Highly valuable for SEO and authority building.	Less valuable for direct SEO, but still useful for traffic and brand awareness.
Common Sources	Editorial links, guest posts, resource pages, and trusted website references.	Blog comments, forum posts, sponsored posts, advertisements, and paid links.
Google Recommendation	Use for natural and editorially earned links.	Use for paid, sponsored, or user-generated content when appropriate.
Sponsored Content	Not recommended for paid promotions.	Recommended to use rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored" for paid links.
User-Generated Content (UGC)	Usually not recommended for open user submissions.	Often used with comments and forums to reduce spam.
Risk of Incorrect Usage	Too many low-quality DoFollow links can harm SEO.	Excessive use may reduce the flow of authority across a website.
Internal Linking	Commonly used for internal website navigation.	Rarely used for important internal links.
External Linking	Good for linking to authoritative and trustworthy resources.	Good for linking to websites that are not fully trusted.
Can It Drive Traffic?	Yes, if users click the link.	Yes, NoFollow links can also generate referral traffic.
EEAT Best Practice	Link to reliable and authoritative sources that add value for readers.	Use NoFollow for promotional or uncertain links to maintain trust and transparency.
Can Both Be Part of an SEO Strategy?	Yes, DoFollow links help build authority.	Yes, NoFollow links help create a natural and balanced backlink profile.
Which One Is Better?	Better for passing SEO value and improving authority.	Better for controlling link equity and managing sponsored or untrusted links.
Simple Rule to Remember	DoFollow = Pass SEO Value	NoFollow = Do Not Pass SEO Value

How DoFollow Links Work

When search engine crawlers encounter a DoFollow link, they treat it as a recommendation from one webpage to another. The crawler follows the link, visits the destination page, and analyzes the connection between the linking page and the linked page. This helps search engines understand how content across the web is related and which pages are considered valuable by other websites.

A DoFollow link passes what SEO professionals often call “link equity” or “link juice.” This means that a portion of the authority, trust, and ranking strength of the linking page may be transferred to the destination page. The amount of value passed depends on several factors, including the authority of the linking website, the relevance of the content, the placement of the link, and the overall quality of the backlink profile.

For example, if a well-known technology website links to a detailed article about artificial intelligence on another website, search engines may view that link as a strong endorsement. Because the linking website is trusted and relevant, the destination page may gain additional credibility and ranking potential.

Search engines use DoFollow links to evaluate numerous ranking signals, including:

• Website credibility.
• Content relevance.
• Page authority.
• Topic expertise.
• User value.
• Ranking potential.

DoFollow links also help search engines discover new pages. When a crawler follows a DoFollow link, it can find content that may not yet be indexed. This improves the visibility of webpages and helps search engines keep their databases updated.

The quality of a DoFollow backlink is far more important than the quantity. A single backlink from a highly authoritative and relevant website can often provide more SEO value than dozens of links from low-quality or unrelated websites. Because of this, earning natural DoFollow backlinks through valuable content, digital PR, guest posting, and industry partnerships is considered one of the most effective SEO strategies.

As a result, high-quality DoFollow backlinks are among the most valuable assets in SEO because they contribute to authority building, improved rankings, increased trust, and greater organic visibility.

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How NoFollow Links Work

NoFollow links work differently because they contain a special HTML attribute:

rel="nofollow"

This attribute tells search engines that the website owner does not want to pass authority or endorsement to the linked page. In other words, the link exists primarily for users rather than for transferring ranking signals.

When search engine crawlers encounter a NoFollow link, they recognize the attribute and understand that the website owner is not explicitly recommending the destination page. Historically, search engines would completely ignore these links for ranking purposes. Today, major search engines such as Google may treat NoFollow links as hints rather than strict directives, meaning they can still use the information in certain situations.

Although NoFollow links generally do not pass the same level of authority as DoFollow links, they still serve several important purposes. Website owners commonly use them for:

• Sponsored content.
• Paid advertisements.
• Affiliate links.
• Blog comments.
• Forum discussions.
• User-generated content.

NoFollow links help websites:

• Reduce spam.
• Manage sponsored content.
• Control authority distribution.
• Follow search engine guidelines.
• Protect website reputation.
• Maintain a natural linking structure.

For example, if a blog allows visitors to post comments, users may include links to their own websites. By applying the NoFollow attribute to those links, the blog owner prevents spammers from gaining SEO benefits while still allowing users to share resources.

Another common use case is sponsored content. Search engines require paid links to be marked appropriately so that they do not artificially influence rankings. Using NoFollow attributes helps websites comply with search engine guidelines and avoid potential penalties.

Even though NoFollow links may not directly improve rankings, they can still provide significant value. A NoFollow link from a popular news website, social media platform, or industry forum can drive thousands of visitors to a website. These visitors may engage with the content, share it with others, subscribe to newsletters, or even create natural DoFollow backlinks later.

Therefore, NoFollow links should not be viewed as useless. While their direct SEO impact is limited compared to DoFollow links, they contribute to brand awareness, referral traffic, audience growth, and a healthy, natural backlink profile. A successful SEO strategy typically includes a balanced mix of both DoFollow and NoFollow links.