What are nofollow and dofollow links?

In SEO (Search Engine Optimization), nofollow and dofollow links refer to two different types of links used on web pages. They are mainly used to tell search engines how to treat the link when it is crawled and indexed.

Here's a breakdown of nofollow and dofollow links:

1. Dofollow Links
Definition: A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that allows search engines to follow the link to the target page. These links pass on link juice or PageRank, which helps improve the search engine ranking of the linked-to page.

How They Work:

When a page has a dofollow link, search engines like Google or Bing will follow the link to the target page and transfer some of the site's authority or link equity to that page.

This is a key part of SEO because it can help the linked page rank higher in search engine results (SERPs).

Example of a Dofollow Link:

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<a href="https://example.com">Visit our website</a>
By default, all links are dofollow, meaning they pass on link equity and influence rankings unless specified otherwise.

Benefits of Dofollow Links:
SEO Boost: Dofollow links contribute directly to improving a page's SEO by passing link juice.

Search Engine Rankings: They help improve the rankings of the destination page in SERPs.

Authority Building: Building high-quality dofollow backlinks can help establish a website's authority and trustworthiness in its industry.

2. Nofollow Links
Definition: A nofollow link is a link that has an attribute that tells search engines not to follow the link and not to pass any link equity or ranking power to the target page.

How They Work:

When a link is tagged as nofollow, it's essentially telling search engines, "Do not follow this link and do not give any ranking benefits to the linked page."

Nofollow links are typically used in situations where the website owner doesn't want to vouch for the content or trustworthiness of the linked page, such as with user-generated content or advertisements.

Example of a Nofollow Link:

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<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Visit our website</a>
The rel="nofollow" attribute instructs search engines not to follow the link or transfer any authority to the destination URL.

Benefits of Nofollow Links:
Avoiding Spam: Nofollow links are used to prevent spammy or untrusted sites from gaining link equity.

Paid Links: If you're running ads or sponsored content, the nofollow attribute prevents Google from associating these links with any SEO benefit.

User-Generated Content: For comments or forum posts where users can insert links, the nofollow attribute is often used to avoid passing link equity to potentially low-quality sites.

Key Differences Between Nofollow and Dofollow Links:

Feature   Dofollow Link   Nofollow Link
Search Engine Impact   Passes link juice and affects SEO ranking   Does not pass link juice, no SEO impact
Purpose   To pass authority and improve rankings   To prevent link equity transfer
SEO Benefit   Helps the destination page rank higher   Does not directly influence search engine rankings
Usage   For trusted, authoritative websites   For paid content, comments, user-generated content, etc.
HTML Attribute   None (default)   rel="nofollow"
When to Use Nofollow Links:
Paid Links or Advertisements: If you are running ads, you should use nofollow to avoid Google penalizing your website for passing link equity to paid links. For example:

Sponsored content

Affiliate links

User-Generated Content: When users post comments or forum content, you may use nofollow to prevent spammers from benefiting from your website's link equity.

Untrusted or Low-Quality Sites: If you're linking to websites that you don't trust or haven't thoroughly vetted, you can use nofollow to avoid passing any link equity to those sites.

Links to External Websites: In certain situations, you may use nofollow if you want to link to an external website but don't want to endorse or pass authority to that site.

Can Nofollow Links Still Have Value?
While nofollow links don't directly affect SEO rankings, they can still have value in certain ways:

Referral Traffic: Nofollow links can still send valuable referral traffic to your site. For example, a nofollow link from a popular blog or social media platform can still drive visitors to your website.

Brand Exposure: Nofollow links can increase your brand visibility by exposing your website to a wider audience, even if they don't provide direct SEO benefits.

Diversifying Link Profile: Having a natural mix of both dofollow and nofollow links looks more organic to search engines and can prevent your backlink profile from appearing spammy.

Conclusion:
Dofollow links are valuable for SEO because they pass link equity and help improve your website's ranking in search engines.

Nofollow links do not pass link equity and have no direct impact on SEO rankings but are useful for controlling which sites you vouch for and preventing spam or unwanted link equity transfers.