You just landed a backlink from a site you pitched for weeks. That’s a win, but here’s the catch: if that link is tagged no-follow, it might not do what you think it does for your rankings.
This is where do-follow vs no-follow links come into play. Every link on the web falls into one of these two types, and the difference between them affects how search engines read your site’s authority. If you build backlinks, write guest posts, or want to know why your SEO isn’t paying off yet, this is one of the first things to get right.
Below, you’ll learn what each link type does, how to spot the difference on any page, and why writing off no-follow links completely is a mistake even experienced marketers make.
What Is a Dofollow Link?
A do-follow link is a standard hyperlink with no special code attached to block it. It’s the default setting. Unless a site owner adds specific code to say otherwise, every link on a page counts as do-follow.
Here’s what that looks like in the HTML:
html
<a href=“https://example.com”>anchor text</a>
Because there’s no code stopping it, search engines can crawl through this link and pass along ranking value, often called link equity or link juice, from the linking page to the page it points to. That transfer of value is a big part of why backlinks affect rankings in the first place.
A do-follow link from a trusted, relevant site acts like a vote of confidence, telling Google your page is worth paying attention to.
This is why do-follow backlinks are the ones most link-building efforts focus on getting. They’re the closest thing SEO has to a direct transfer of authority from one site to another.
What Is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link carries a piece of code that tells search engines not to pass ranking credit through it.
Here’s what that looks like in HTML:
html
<a href=“https://example.com” rel=“nofollow”>anchor text</a>
Google introduced the nofollow attribute in 2005 to cut down on comment section and forum spam, where people dropped links purely to manipulate rankings. Since then, two more specific variants have been added that many guides skip over:
- rel=”sponsored” — for paid placements, affiliate links, and any link tied to compensation
- rel=”ugc” — short for user-generated content, used for links in comments, forum posts, and reviews
All three (nofollow, sponsored, ugc) tell search engines the same basic thing: this is not an organic endorsement, so don’t pass ranking credit through it. Using the correct one matters for staying compliant with search engine guidelines, especially around disclosed and paid content.
Dofollow vs Nofollow: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Dofollow | Nofollow | |
| Passes ranking credit? | Yes | Not directly (Google may still treat it as a hint, more on that in the next section) |
| HTML | No rel attribute, or rel=”follow” | rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc” |
| Common use case | Editorial mentions, trusted external resources, internal links | Paid content, affiliate links, comments, forums, user-generated content |
| Direct SEO impact | Can improve rankings and site authority | Minimal to none directly |
| Indirect value | Referral traffic, credibility | Referral traffic, brand visibility, natural link profile |
Do Nofollow Links Still Matter for SEO in 2026?
This is where a lot of outdated advice still gets repeated. For years, the assumption was simple: nofollow links carry no SEO value at all. That’s not accurate anymore.
Since Google’s 2019 to 2020 update, nofollow (along with sponsored and ugc) is treated as a hint rather than a strict rule. In practice, that means Google can still crawl through a nofollow link and use it to understand your site’s link structure, even though it’s no longer guaranteed to pass ranking credit the way a dofollow link does.
When auditing backlink profiles for clients, the sites that perform best rarely have an all-dofollow link profile. They have a natural mix, and the nofollow links in that mix are still doing real work:
- Referral traffic — people click links regardless of the code attached to them
- Brand visibility — a mention on a high-traffic site builds recognition even without a ranking boost
- A natural link profile — a site with only dofollow backlinks can look manipulated to search engines, while a healthy mix looks organic
The point is simple: don’t turn down a good placement just because it’s nofollow. Judge it by the audience and relevance of the site, not just the attribute attached to the link.
How to Check If a Link Is Dofollow or Nofollow?
There are a few ways to find out what you’re dealing with, depending on how many links you need to check.
Manual inspection. Right-click the link and select Inspect (or Inspect Element) to open the page’s HTML. Look at the anchor tag’s rel attribute. No rel attribute, or rel=”follow”, means the link is dofollow. Anything with nofollow, sponsored, or ugc means it isn’t passing ranking credit.
Browser extensions. Several free extensions will color-code links on a page automatically, so you don’t have to inspect each one by hand. This is useful when a page has dozens of outbound links to check.
A dedicated link checker tool. If you’re vetting a guest post placement or auditing a whole page at once, inspecting every link manually gets slow. Tools like GuestPostLinks’ free Dofollow-Nofollow Link Checker do this automatically. Paste in a URL, and it scans every outbound link on the page and shows you which ones are dofollow and which are nofollow, without digging through code. It’s a fast way to confirm a site actually delivers the link type it promised before you invest time or money in a placement.
When Should You Use Dofollow vs Nofollow Links?
- Guest post bylines and editorial mentions — typically dofollow, as long as the content is genuinely earned rather than paid for
- Sponsored posts and paid placements — should carry rel=”sponsored” to stay compliant with search engine guidelines
- Affiliate links — same rule applies, mark them sponsored or nofollow
- Comments and forum posts — rel=”ugc” is the standard here, since this content is user-submitted rather than editorially reviewed
- Internal links on your own site — dofollow, so ranking credit flows freely between your own pages
FAQs
Is a nofollow link bad for SEO?
No. It just doesn’t pass ranking credit directly the way a dofollow link does. It can still drive traffic and support a natural-looking link profile.
Can a nofollow link still pass value?
Since Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than an absolute rule, it’s possible for a nofollow link to still be crawled and factored in. It’s not guaranteed the way a dofollow link’s ranking credit is.
How do I make my own outbound links nofollow?
Add the correct rel attribute (rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc”) to the anchor tag based on the link’s purpose.
Do social media links count as dofollow or nofollow?
Most major social platforms apply nofollow, or something similar, to outbound links by default, since their content is largely user-generated.
