The Complete Guide to NoFollow vs DoFollow Links for SEO
Backlinks remain one of the most important ranking factors for SEO in 2024. But not all backlinks are created equal. Nofollow and dofollow links function differently, and understanding when to use each one is crucial for any SEO strategy. This comprehensive guide will teach you everything you need to know about nofollow vs dofollow links.
What are Nofollow Links?
Nofollow links include a rel="nofollow" attribute in the HTML code. This tells search engines like Google not to pass any SEO juice or PageRank through that link. When crawlers see the nofollow tag, they know not to count that link when calculating rankings or passing authority between sites.
In essence, nofollow links do not transfer any SEO value from one page to another. The site being linked to will not receive a boost in search rankings from that particular link if it has a nofollow attribute.
The sole purpose of the nofollow tag is to tell search engines not to follow that specific link. Google first introduced nofollow back in 2005 to combat comment spam and reduce the impact of paid links. Since then, its use has expanded to any links where passing PageRank wouldn't be appropriate.
Some key things to know about what nofollow links do:
- Instructs search bots not to pass SEO authority or equity through the link
- Prevents the destination site from getting an SEO boost from that link
- The link can still be crawled and indexed, but does not pass any ranking power
- Link equity refers to the "link juice" that gets passed from site to site via backlinks
So in summary, nofollowed links provide no SEO benefit to the site being linked to. The link exists and can be crawled, but does not influence search engine rankings.
When to Use Nofollow Links
There are a few common instances where nofollow links are recommended:
- User-generated content like blog comments or forum discussions - this prevents spamming through UGC
- Affiliate or sponsored links to sites you don't control or endorse fully
- Guest posting links back to your own site, so you retain the SEO benefit
- Press release links since they are less editorial
- Any links to untrusted, paid or unrelated sites you don't want to pass authority
- Email links to avoid accidentally passing PageRank
Essentially any time you want to include a link but not give SEO credit, nofollow prevents that. This allows you to include relevant links without impacting your own site's rankings.
Indirect SEO Benefits of Nofollow Links
While nofollowed links have no direct SEO value for passing equity or rankings, they can still be beneficial for other marketing objectives:
- Improves click-through rates which helps with user experience signals
- Shows trust and authority if placed on high quality, reputable sites
- Still provides referral traffic even if no SEO benefit is passed
- Creates brand awareness when included on other popular sites
- Helps establish your site as a valuable resource if linked to by influencers
So in the right context, nofollowed links can positively impact organic rankings indirectly, even if they don't directly pass any PageRank juice.
How to Make a Link Nofollow
Making an existing link nofollow is easy to do through HTML. Just add rel="nofollow" to the anchor tag like this:
<a href="http://example.com" rel="nofollow">Anchor Text</a>For WordPress sites, this can be done directly in the text editor when creating links. Many SEO plugins also include the option to automatically nofollow links.
Do Nofollow Links Count as Backlinks?
Yes, nofollow links are still counted as backlinks in SEO tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush. The main difference is that nofollowed links have no SEO value for actually influencing search rankings.
However, they can still be useful for tracking referral traffic, brand mentions, and general domain authority metrics. So while nofollowed backlinks have no direct SEO benefit, they provide other useful analytics.
Key Takeaways:
- Nofollow links do not pass any SEO juice or PageRank authority
- Use nofollow on UGC, affiliate links, paid links, guest posts
- Nofollow links have indirect marketing benefits but no direct SEO value
- Adding
rel="nofollow"to any link makes it nofollow - Nofollow links still count as backlinks, just with no SEO benefit
Understanding when and why to use nofollow links is an important SEO skill. Implementing nofollow and dofollow links effectively helps ensure your backlink profile remains strong. If you have any other questions about nofollow vs dofollow, feel free to reach out!
