Table Of Contents
Introduction
If you have ever tried to learn SEO, or search engine optimization, you have probably come across terms like backlinks, link building, and dofollow links. These words can sound technical at first, but they are actually quite simple once you understand what they mean and why they matter.
In the world of SEO, links are like votes. When one website links to another, it is essentially saying, “I trust this content and think it is worth reading.” But not all links are treated equally by search engines like Google. Some links pass value and authority, while others do not.
This is where the concept of dofollow links becomes important. A dofollow link is the most common and most powerful type of link when it comes to SEO. It tells search engines to follow the link, trust it, and count it as a genuine recommendation. Understanding what dofollow links are, how they work, and how to get them can make a big difference in how well your website ranks on Google and other search engines.
In this article, we will break down everything you need to know about dofollow links in simple, easy-to-understand language. Whether you are a complete beginner or someone who wants to refresh their knowledge, this guide will walk you through the concept step by step.
What Is a Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is a hyperlink that tells search engines to follow it and pass on what is known as link equity, link juice, or ranking power from the linking website to the destination website. In simple terms, when a trusted website places a dofollow link pointing to your website, it is sharing a portion of its authority with you. This helps your website look more credible in the eyes of search engines, which can improve your rankings.
Here is an easy way to think about it: imagine you are new to a city and you are looking for the best restaurant. If five of your friends who know the city well all recommend the same restaurant, you are going to trust that recommendation. Search engines work in a similar way. The more dofollow links pointing to a page, especially from trustworthy and relevant websites, the more likely that page is to rank well.
Now, the term “dofollow” is technically not an actual HTML attribute. It is simply the default behavior of all links. When someone creates a hyperlink on the web without adding any special instructions, it is automatically a dofollow link. The link tells search engine crawlers to visit the linked page and credit it with authority.
| Key Takeaway: A dofollow link is the default type of link on the web. It passes authority and trust from one website to another and plays a major role in determining how well a page ranks on search engines. |
What Does a Dofollow Link Look Like in HTML?
If you are curious about the technical side, here is what a basic dofollow link looks like in HTML code:
<a href=”https://www.example.com”>Visit Example Website</a>
That is it. There is nothing special added to it. No extra attributes, no special tags. This simple anchor tag is, by default, a dofollow link. The browser and search engines both recognize it as a link that should be followed and that passes ranking value.
Compare this to a nofollow link, which looks like this:
<a href=”https://www.example.com” rel=”nofollow”>Visit Example Website</a>
The difference is the addition of rel=”nofollow” in the code. This extra piece of instruction tells search engines not to pass any authority through that link. Without this tag, every link is a dofollow link by nature.
The Difference Between Dofollow and Nofollow Links
To truly understand dofollow links, it helps to see how they compare to their counterpart: nofollow links. Both types of links exist on the web and both serve different purposes. Here is a detailed breakdown.
| Feature | Dofollow Link | Nofollow Link |
| Passes Link Equity | Yes | No |
| Impacts Search Rankings | Yes (directly) | No (not directly) |
| Used By Default | Yes | No (must be added manually) |
| HTML Attribute | No special tag needed | rel=”nofollow” |
| Best For | Trusted, editorial links | Paid, sponsored, or untrusted links |
| Crawled by Google | Yes | Yes (but not followed) |
| Helps Build Authority | Yes (significantly) | Minimal or no effect |
When Are Nofollow Links Used?
Nofollow links were introduced by Google in 2005 to help combat link spam. Before that, many websites were paying for links or placing links in blog comment sections and forums just to try to manipulate search rankings. Google responded by creating the nofollow attribute so webmasters could flag links that should not pass ranking value.
Today, nofollow links are commonly used in the following situations:
- Paid advertisements or sponsored content
- Links in blog comments or forum posts
- Links in user-generated content where the site owner cannot verify the quality
- Links added out of caution, such as links to external sources that the website does not fully endorse
While nofollow links do not directly pass SEO value, they can still drive traffic to your website and increase your visibility online. They are just not as powerful as dofollow links for improving your search rankings.
Why Dofollow Links Matter for SEO
Dofollow links are one of the most important factors in SEO. Search engines like Google use complex algorithms to decide which pages should appear at the top of search results. Among the many signals they look at, backlinks from other websites are among the strongest.
When a high-quality website gives you a dofollow link, Google sees it as a vote of confidence. You can even use tools to check website DA to evaluate the authority of the linking site. It interprets this as evidence that your content is valuable, trustworthy, and worth showing to users. Over time, as you collect more high-quality dofollow links, your website gains what is known as domain authority, which is a measure of how powerful and trusted your site is.
How Search Engines Use Dofollow Links
Search engines send out programs called crawlers or spiders that visit websites and follow links to discover new pages. When a crawler follows a dofollow link from one page to another, it does two things:
- It discovers the destination page and adds it to the search engine’s index.
- It transfers a portion of the authority of the source page to the destination page.
This process is what makes dofollow links so valuable. Not only do they help search engines find your content, they also help signal to those search engines that your content deserves to rank well.
PageRank and Link Equity
You may have heard the term PageRank before. It is the original algorithm that Google used to rank web pages, and it is named after Google co-founder Larry Page. PageRank works by measuring the number and quality of links pointing to a page to estimate how important that page is.
Although Google has evolved far beyond just PageRank, the core idea still applies. Dofollow links pass what is often called link equity or link juice. Think of each page on the web as a bucket of water. When you place a dofollow link on your page pointing to another page, you are essentially pouring some of that water into the other bucket. The more high-quality pages that link to you with dofollow links, the fuller your bucket becomes, and the more likely you are to rank highly.
| Important Insight: Not all dofollow links are equal. A single dofollow link from a highly authoritative website like a major newspaper or a well-known industry blog can be worth far more than dozens of links from smaller, less trusted websites. |
The Benefits of Dofollow Links
There are several significant benefits of building a strong portfolio of dofollow links. Let us look at each one in detail.
1. Improved Search Engine Rankings
This is the most direct and obvious benefit. When authoritative websites link to your pages with dofollow links, search engines interpret this as a signal that your content is valuable. Over time, this leads to higher rankings on search engine results pages, commonly known as SERPs. Higher rankings mean more people see your website when they search for topics related to your content.
2. Increased Organic Traffic
Better rankings naturally lead to more organic traffic, which refers to visitors who find your website through search engines without you having to pay for advertising. Organic traffic is considered the most sustainable and cost-effective form of web traffic. A steady stream of dofollow links from reputable sources can keep your rankings strong and your traffic growing over time.
3. Faster Indexing by Search Engines
When a well-crawled website links to your new page with a dofollow link, search engine crawlers are more likely to discover and index your page quickly. This is especially useful for new websites or newly published content that has not yet been crawled. A dofollow link from an established site can help your content get indexed within hours rather than weeks.
4. Building Domain Authority
Domain Authority is a concept developed by SEO tool companies like Moz. It is a score from 1 to 100 that predicts how likely a website is to rank in search results. While Google does not officially use this exact metric, it reflects the real-world power that comes from having many quality dofollow links. As your domain authority grows, it becomes easier for all pages on your website to rank, even in competitive niches.
5. Referral Traffic
Apart from SEO benefits, dofollow links that appear in genuinely useful content on other websites can also drive direct referral traffic. If someone reads an article on a popular blog and clicks on a dofollow link pointing to your website, they become a referral visitor. These visitors often have high intent, meaning they are genuinely interested in what your site offers, which can lead to better engagement and conversions.
6. Brand Visibility and Credibility
Having your website linked from respected sources increases your brand visibility. Readers who come across your link on a trusted website naturally associate your brand with quality. This credibility boost goes beyond SEO and can influence how potential customers or readers perceive your business or content.
How to Check If a Link Is a Dofollow Link
You might be wondering how you can tell whether a link pointing to your website is a dofollow or nofollow link. Fortunately, there are several easy ways to check.
Method 1: Inspect the Page Source
The simplest way is to right-click on any webpage in your browser and select “View Page Source” or “Inspect.” This will open the underlying HTML code of the page. Look for the link in question and check whether it contains rel=”nofollow” in its anchor tag. If the tag contains no rel attribute or has rel=”dofollow” (which some older sites use), it is a dofollow link.
Method 2: Use Browser Extensions
There are free browser extensions and plugins, such as MozBar and NoFollow Chrome Extension, that highlight nofollow links on any page you visit. When you browse a webpage with these tools enabled, nofollow links are visually marked so you can instantly identify them. Any link that is not marked is a dofollow link.
Method 3: Use SEO Tools
Professional SEO tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, Moz, and Majestic allow you to analyze the backlink profile of any website. They show you all the links pointing to a site and indicate whether each one is dofollow or nofollow. These tools are especially useful for auditing your own website’s backlinks and identifying which ones are contributing to your SEO.
How to Get Dofollow Links
Now that you understand the value of dofollow links, the natural question is: how do you actually get them? This is the practice known as link building, and it is one of the most important aspects of off-page SEO. Here are the most effective and ethical strategies for earning dofollow links.
1. Create High-Quality, Shareable Content
The most sustainable way to earn dofollow links is to create content that other people naturally want to link to. This includes original research and data studies, comprehensive guides and tutorials, infographics and visual content, useful tools or calculators, and thought leadership articles with unique insights.
When your content provides genuine value, other website owners and bloggers are more likely to reference it in their own content and link back to you with a dofollow link. This is often called earning links organically.
2. Guest Blogging
Guest blogging involves writing articles for other websites in your niche. In exchange for your content, the host website typically allows you to include one or more dofollow links back to your own site within the article or author bio. This is a win-win: the host site gets free content, and you get a dofollow backlink and exposure to a new audience.
To get the most out of guest blogging, aim to contribute to websites that are relevant to your industry and have a strong audience. Avoid sites that exist purely to publish guest posts with no real readership, as these links carry little value.
3. Broken Link Building
This is a clever tactic where you find links on other websites that no longer work (pointing to pages that have been deleted or moved) and then reach out to the website owner to suggest replacing that broken link with a link to your relevant content. Since you are helping them fix a problem on their website, they are often happy to comply, and you earn a dofollow link in return.
4. Digital PR and Media Coverage
Getting featured in online news articles, industry publications, and blogs is an excellent way to earn high-authority dofollow links. You can achieve this by sending out press releases about notable business milestones, conducting and publishing original research, participating in expert roundup articles, or being quoted as an industry expert in journalistic pieces.
5. Building Relationships in Your Industry
Networking with other content creators, bloggers, and businesses in your niche can naturally lead to link-sharing opportunities. When people know you and trust your work, they are more likely to mention and link to it when it is relevant.
6. Resource Page Link Building
Many websites have dedicated resource pages where they list helpful links related to a specific topic. By reaching out to the owners of these pages and suggesting your content as a worthy addition, you can earn dofollow links from pages that are specifically designed to link out to quality resources.
7. Reclaiming Unlinked Mentions
Sometimes, other websites mention your brand, product, or content without actually linking to you. By using tools like Google Alerts or Ahrefs to find these unlinked mentions and reaching out to the site owners to ask for a link, you can convert brand mentions into dofollow backlinks with minimal effort.
Common Mistakes to Avoid with Dofollow Links
While building dofollow links is important, there are also some common mistakes that can actually harm your SEO rather than help it. Being aware of these will help you build a healthy and effective backlink profile.
Buying Links
Purchasing dofollow links from link farms or link brokers is a violation of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. If Google detects that you are buying links to manipulate search rankings, your website can be penalized, which can cause your rankings to drop significantly or disappear altogether. Always focus on earning links through legitimate means.
Getting Links from Irrelevant Websites
A dofollow link from a website that has nothing to do with your topic or industry carries very little value and can even raise red flags with search engines. Focus on building links from websites that are thematically relevant to your content.
Over-Optimized Anchor Text
Anchor text is the clickable words used for a hyperlink. While it is good to use relevant keywords in anchor text, using the exact same keyword-rich anchor text for all your backlinks looks unnatural and can trigger Google’s spam filters. A healthy backlink profile includes a variety of anchor text types, including branded names, generic phrases, and natural language.
Ignoring Link Quality
Getting hundreds of dofollow links from low-quality or spammy websites can actually hurt your SEO. Quality always trumps quantity when it comes to backlinks. Focus on earning links from websites that have strong authority, genuine traffic, and relevant content.
Participating in Link Schemes
Link schemes include practices like excessive link exchanges (“I will link to you if you link to me”), private blog networks (PBNs), and other manipulative tactics. Search engines have become very good at identifying these patterns, and participating in them puts your website at serious risk of penalties.
Dofollow Links and the Broader SEO Picture
While dofollow links are extremely important, it is worth remembering that they are just one piece of the larger SEO puzzle. Google uses over 200 ranking signals to determine where pages appear in search results. Dofollow links are one of the most powerful signals, but they work best when combined with strong on-page SEO, great user experience, and high-quality content.
On-Page SEO and Dofollow Links Working Together
On-page SEO refers to the optimizations you make directly on your web pages, such as using the right keywords, writing descriptive title tags and meta descriptions, structuring your content with clear headings, and ensuring your page loads quickly. When your on-page SEO is solid and you also have a strong dofollow link profile, the combined effect on your rankings is much greater than either factor alone.
Content Quality Is the Foundation
You can build all the dofollow links in the world, but if your content is thin, unhelpful, or poorly written, it will not rank well in the long run. Search engines are becoming increasingly good at evaluating the quality and usefulness of content. The best approach is to create content that genuinely helps your audience, which will naturally attract dofollow links over time.
The Role of Nofollow Links
Even though nofollow links do not directly pass authority, having a mix of both dofollow and nofollow links in your backlink profile is actually a sign of a natural link profile. A website that only has dofollow links may look suspicious to search engines. Nofollow links from comment sections, social media, and forums are a natural part of a healthy link ecosystem.
How Google Has Evolved Its Approach to Links
Google’s understanding and use of links has changed significantly over the years. In the early days of search, the number of links pointing to a page was almost all that mattered. This led to widespread link spam and manipulation. Over time, Google made its algorithm much smarter.
Today, Google looks not just at the quantity of links, but at factors like the authority and trustworthiness of the linking site, the relevance of the linking page to your content, the context in which the link appears, the diversity of your link sources, and the naturalness of your overall link profile.
In 2019, Google also updated its guidelines to introduce two new link attributes alongside nofollow: rel=”sponsored” for paid or sponsored links, and rel=”ugc” for user-generated content like comments and forum posts. These additions gave webmasters more ways to signal the nature of their links to Google. However, dofollow links remain the standard for genuine editorial recommendations.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dofollow Links
Are dofollow links safe to build?
Yes, dofollow links are completely safe and desirable as long as they are earned through legitimate, white-hat SEO practices. The key is to focus on quality, relevance, and natural link building. Avoid any tactics that involve paying for links or attempting to manipulate search engines.
How many dofollow links do I need?
There is no magic number. The number of dofollow links you need depends on your industry, your competition, and the strength of your current backlink profile. In highly competitive niches, you may need hundreds or thousands of quality links to rank on the first page. In less competitive spaces, even a handful of strong links can make a big difference.
Does the location of a dofollow link matter?
Yes, the placement of a link on a page can influence how much value it passes. Links that appear in the main body of an article, in a contextually relevant paragraph, tend to carry more weight than links buried in the footer or sidebar. Editorial links placed within high-quality content are generally the most valuable.
Can I add dofollow links to my own website?
All internal links on your own website are dofollow by default. Internal linking helps search engines understand the structure of your site and distributes link equity among your pages. A strong internal linking strategy can improve the ranking potential of all your pages.
How long does it take for dofollow links to impact rankings?
SEO is a long-term game, and the impact of dofollow links on rankings is rarely immediate. It can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months for a new backlink to be crawled, indexed, and factored into search rankings. Consistency and patience are key when building links.
Conclusion
Understanding what a dofollow link is and why it matters is a foundational piece of SEO knowledge. To recap the most important points from this article:
- A dofollow link is the default type of hyperlink on the web. It passes authority and ranking power from one website to another.
- Unlike nofollow links, dofollow links are recognized by search engines as endorsements and are a key factor in determining search rankings.
- The benefits of dofollow links include improved rankings, more organic traffic, faster indexing, greater domain authority, referral traffic, and enhanced brand credibility.
- The best ways to earn dofollow links include creating high-quality content, guest blogging, broken link building, digital PR, and relationship building.
- Avoid black-hat tactics like buying links or participating in link schemes, as these can lead to search engine penalties.
- Dofollow links are most powerful when combined with strong on-page SEO and genuinely valuable content.
Whether you are building a new website from scratch or trying to improve the performance of an existing one, making dofollow link building a priority is one of the smartest moves you can make for long-term SEO success. Focus on earning links the right way, stay patient, and you will see the results compound over time.
SEO is ultimately about trust. The more trusted websites that vouch for your content with dofollow links, the more Google and other search engines will trust you too. And when search engines trust you, they reward you with higher rankings, more visibility, and more organic traffic, which is the foundation of sustainable online growth.
