Dofollow and nofollow links: what's the difference and how they impact SEO?

Backlinks play a vital role in determining a website's authority for search engines. It's important to understand that not all external links to third-party resources are created equal from an SEO perspective. Using them incorrectly can harm a website's SEO and lower its search rankings, contrary to expectations. In this article, we'll delve into the world of backlinks and examine the key differences between the nofollow and dofollow attributes.  

What are dofollow links?

Dofollow backlinks are a type of link that transfers "value" between web pages, also known as link equity. Google search algorithms use this parameter to increase PageRank and, consequently, improve a website's ranking in search results. For a website owner, dofollow links are the most valuable, as they have a positive impact on search engine optimization. However, the final link equity is determined by search algorithms based on a variety of factors.

Technically, dofollow links are nothing special and are used by default. This means that a webmaster or SEO specialist doesn't need to add any additional attributes to the code to make a link dofollow:

To better understand how dofollow works, consider the example of a website owner adding an interesting and useful article to their site for visitors. If this article includes dofollow backlinks to additional materials, including authoritative sources, professional research on the topic, product reviews, and so on, the search engine robot will evaluate these links as a clear signal that the webmaster trusts the resource they're linking to.

The Impact of Dofollow on Website Ranking

Google values its users and works to ensure its SERPs are composed solely of high-quality resources that help users satisfy their search queries. If a user is satisfied with the search results, they'll return next time and continue using the company's services.

A dofollow link is one way for search engines to determine the quality of a page's content. If many authoritative websites create contextual links to a particular resource, Google considers it relevant and valuable to the end user. This is how search rankings are determined and the website's placement in SERPs is determined. It's important for website owners to have as many authoritative sources linking to their site as possible. Various link building strategies exist for this, but describing them is beyond the scope of this article.

What are nofollow links?

Nofollow links are more complex to use due to the code changes required. While this isn't a problem for experienced webmasters and website owners, novice users without specialized technical skills may overlook the possibility of using this tool due to the need to manually modify the attribute in the code. However, in practice, it's not difficult at all. Simply add the rel="nofollow" attribute to the link tag:

The history of the nofollow attribute began in 2005. Google specialists were looking for a way to combat content spam. The introduction of nofollow links helped reduce comment spam on then-popular blogs, forums, and websites. In other words, this attribute allowed linking to online resources without increasing their PageRank. Besides effectively combating spam, nofollow links were also beneficial for content creators.    

What is the purpose of the nofollow attribute?

For a long time, it was generally believed that nofollow links were of no practical value; search engines ignored them, and therefore they had no impact on rankings. Indeed, Google previously viewed the attribute as a direct indication that the web resource did not intend to transfer authority to the target site.

However, the evolution of the internet led Google engineers to decide in 2019 to allow some nofollow links to carry a certain weight, depending on whether they were fully relevant to the context and organically placed. Today, search engine crawlers perceive the attribute not as a direct indication, but rather as a hint or suggestion, so some links potentially contribute to a web page's PageRank.

However, today, SEO specialists and webmasters use the nofollow attribute specifically to limit the transfer of link juice. As an example, consider the work of online media.

In their professional work, journalists often have to link to smaller websites and resources online that aren't necessarily trustworthy. If a journalist writes a negative article or study for a major, reputable online media outlet that includes links to unscrupulous companies, it's a good idea to add the nofollow attribute, thereby signaling to search engines that the major news outlet isn't endorsing the resource it's linking to, but is doing so only for informational purposes and to confirm its content.

Using nofollow for external links

The nofollow attribute is most often used for external outgoing links to other web resources. The use of such links should be based on the overall SEO strategy of the website. Incorrect use of nofollow external links can significantly hinder the growth of an online resource, which will impact overall business performance. Let's consider the main cases where the nofollow attribute is used for outgoing links:

• Paid links. One way to monetize a website is to include advertising within its content. Paid links are typically identified by search engines as unnatural, so it's recommended to add the nofollow attribute to them.;
• Links to low-frequency sites. Before adding a link to a web page, evaluate whether it is useful to the end user. If the target resource is not valuable, it is recommended to link to it with the nofollow attribute;
• links embedded in widgets, tooltips, and advertising banners.

The final decision should be made by the owner of the Internet resource, guided by a simple rule: whether the external website is useful and whether it is relevant to the content presented on the page.

Using nofollow for internal links

In addition to being essential for connecting website pages, internal linking plays a vital role in SEO optimization. The primary function of internal links is to help users and search engines find relevant content, which improves user experience. The nofollow attribute for internal links can be used in the following cases:

1. Duplicate content. If a website contains pages with completely duplicate or similar content, it makes sense to use the nofollow attribute to help search engines identify the more important page. While visitors will still be able to access these pages via direct links, search engines will not consider them when ranking search results.
2. Low-quality pages. Poorly optimized pages or pages with low-quality content can be hidden from search engines using nofollow links. This attribute is also often used for contact pages or privacy policies, which are considered low-value by default by search engine crawlers. The idea is that a visitor looking for a contact page or privacy policy will search for it themselves. For example, they might visit the site and search for the "Contact Information" page. Since most people won't search for "Brand X Privacy Policy" in a search engine, there's no need for this type of page to appear in the SERPs.
3. Account login page. In this case, the situation is similar to the previous point. Users who have account login rights are unlikely to search for the desired login page in a search engine. Therefore, including such a page in the SERP makes little sense.

Until 2009, it was believed that PageRank was distributed evenly among internal links, so using the nofollow link attribute would improve the visibility of other linked pages. This was never confirmed by Google. In June 2009, programmer Matt Cutts explained that PageRank from nofollow links isn't calculated and doesn't benefit other pages. Here's the PR distribution diagram:

Therefore, experts do not recommend overusing internal nofollow links. At best, you'll waste time editing your site's structure instead of creating new content that will rank well. At worst, you could harm your website's search engine rankings.

How to find out what type of link is being used

The easiest way to determine link attributes is with your web browser's built-in HTML analyzer. Depending on your browser, you can view the webpage's source code in different ways. The most common method is to focus on the link and right-click to open the context menu. From the options, select the option to open the HTML code. For example, in Chrome, this option is called "View Source." After selecting this option, a window will open with the link code, allowing you to check the presence or absence of the rel="nofollow" attribute.

In addition to the standard web browser analyzer, you can use specialized tools. These include, for example, Ahrefs, Moz, and others. A detailed discussion of additional analysis tools is beyond the scope of this article. For more information on link checking methods, please refer to the user documentation for the specific service. 

Recommendations for using dofollow and nofollow links

Given all of the above, the most effective link building strategy for a website owner is the combined use of nofollow and dofollow links. Let's look at three basic rules that will help you develop an effective strategy:

1. Smart placement. While dofollow incoming links help increase a website's authority, nofollow links shouldn't be underestimated. Their role includes, for example, increasing brand awareness and maintaining a natural diversity in the link profile. In some cases, one nofollow link from an authoritative resource can be more beneficial than a dozen dofollow links from less authoritative websites. Experts believe that a balanced link profile for a resource should include approximately 60% dofollow and 40% nofollow links. However, these figures may vary depending on the resource's scale, development dynamics and strategy, thematic focus, and other parameters. 
2. Quality above all else. This rule is recommended for all website owners, regardless of their focus or size. A common mistake among novice webmasters and SEOs is chasing link mass. However, in most cases, this approach doesn't yield the expected results and only slows down the process of improving a resource's search rankings. 
3. Increasing the number of link sources. An effective backlink profile should be diverse. It's recommended to ensure you obtain nofollow and dofollow links from various platforms, including text blogs, social media, online directories, industry forums, and more. This will not only increase your link base but also increase your potential customer base. 

To create an effective off-page website promotion campaign, the key is to maintain a balanced use of backlinks. A well-placed link in engaging content on a reputable resource can deliver maximum SEO benefits and lead generation.   

Conclusion

Although nofollow and dofollow links are conceptually different, they are necessary to achieve the same goals: increasing a website's authority, traffic, and brand awareness, which in turn leads to higher SERP rankings. Neither type of link is inherently less effective. For maximum effectiveness, they should be used together to create a robust link building strategy.