Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What Is the Difference?

This guide explains the difference between dofollow and nofollow links, the newer sponsored and ugc values, and which ones you actually need. It is part of my link building guide.

What is a dofollow link?

There is no rel="dofollow" attribute in HTML. “Dofollow” simply means a normal link with no nofollow, sponsored or ugc value:

<a href="https://example.com/">example</a>

Google can follow this link, crawl the target page and count it as a vote of trust. Most editorial links, guest post links and niche edits are dofollow, and these are the links that move rankings.

What is a nofollow link?

A nofollow link adds rel="nofollow":

<a href="https://example.com/" rel="nofollow">example</a>

It tells Google: “I am linking to this page, but I do not want to vouch for it.” Social media links, many forum and comment links, and some big news sites use nofollow by default.

Nofollow, sponsored and ugc compared

In 2019 Google added two more specific values. You can also combine them, for example rel="ugc nofollow".

Because these are hints, Google may still crawl a nofollowed page if it finds it elsewhere, for example in a sitemap or through other links.

Do nofollow links help SEO?

They pass little or no direct ranking value, but they are not useless:

• Traffic: a nofollow link on a busy page can send real visitors and leads.
• Brand signals: mentions on big sites build recognition, which also matters for AI search tools that cite brands.
• Natural profile: real websites get a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. A profile with 100% dofollow, exact keyword links looks built.

What is a healthy dofollow to nofollow ratio?

Google has never published a “right” ratio, so treat any number as a rule of thumb. In the profiles I review, healthy sites usually have a clear majority of dofollow links from relevant sites, plus a steady share of nofollow links from social profiles, forums, directories and news. What matters more is that each link is real and relevant.

How to check if a link is dofollow or nofollow

1. Right click the link and choose Inspect in Chrome.
2. Look at the <a> tag. If you see rel="nofollow", sponsored or ugc, it is not a normal dofollow link.
3. For many links at once, use a backlink tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush, which label each link.
4. Also check the page itself: a <meta name="robots" content="nofollow"> tag makes every link on the page nofollow.

Should paid links be sponsored?

Google’s guidance is that paid and sponsored links should be qualified with rel="sponsored" (nofollow is also acceptable). Paid links that pass ranking value are against Google’s spam policies. When you work with any link provider, focus on real sites with real readers and editorial content, and understand the risk before you buy. My guest posts vs PBN links guide explains the difference between safe and risky options.

Should you nofollow links on your own site?

Usually no. Link out normally to useful sources, it helps readers and shows you did your research. Use sponsored for ads and affiliate links, and ugc for comments. Do not use nofollow on your own internal links to “save” link value; to keep a page out of search, use noindex instead, and block crawling with robots.txt only when you really need to.

Frequently asked questions