[Do Follow No Follow Links] - How Important for Website SEO?

Photo by Vlada Karpovich [Pexels]

Do-Follow and No-Follow Links in SEO:

What are no-follow and do-follow links? As a website owner, there are many ways in which you can improve your website’s search engine ranking.

Since search engines use links to gauge a site's importance, they take advantage of two different link types: do-follow and no-follow.

Let's dig deeper to provide you with more information. Also, don't forget to read the FAQs at the end.

Do-Follow and No-Follow Links:

Both do-follow and no-follow links can help a website as a sign of legitimacy and trust.

Do-follow links allow Google to follow your link and index the website that you are linking to. No-follow links do not allow Google to follow your link and index the website that you are linking.

Search engines follow do-follow links and contribute to the site's ranking on search engine results pages (SERPs).

"In other words, do-follow links are the best for SEO because they transfer PageRank to your site to help it rank higher in the search engines" - SEOCHATTER

Search engines do not follow no-follow links and will not contribute to the site's SERP ranking.

"In other words, no-follow links rarely pass any link equity at all which is why everyone wants do-follow links for their site" - SEOCHATTER

However, both do-follow and no-follow links help a website because they indicate the quality of the websites you are linking to.

If you are linking to high-quality websites, it improves the overall quality of your website, too.

Here is a section from a related Ahrefs article:

Image Content Source - Ahrefs

In conclusion, having both do-follow and no-follow links can still help balance out a site's overall SEO link profile and can be beneficial to its rankings, but do-follow links have the upper hand.

Here's related information that you may find helpful – How Long for Backlinks to Show Up?

FAQs:

Are No Follow Links Important?:

Yes, no-follow links are important for diversifying your link profile and adhering to search engine guidelines.

No Follow Links:

No-follow links are hyperlinks with a special HTML tag that tells search engines not to pass any authority to the linked page.

Do No Follow Links Help SEO?:

No-follow links do not directly help SEO, but they can still be valuable for driving traffic and diversifying your link profile.

“In 2019, Google evolved how its algorithm sees nofollow links. It now treats “nofollow” as a hint about what to include or exclude, not a direct instruction. Which means a nofollow link can still help your SEO” – Semrush

Follow vs No Follow Links:

Below is a tabular comparison between follow and no-follow links:

Follow vs No Follow Links in SEO

Are Nofollow Links Good for SEO?:

Nofollow links are not good for SEO, but they can still be beneficial for driving traffic and diversifying your link profile.

What are Follow Links?:

Follow links are hyperlinks that search engines can follow to discover new pages and pass authority to the linked page. Such links significantly help the linked page rank higher in search results.

When to Use Nofollow Links?:

Nofollow links should be used when linking to untrusted content, user-generated content (UGC), comment sections, or paid links to adhere to search engine guidelines.

Buying Links for SEO:

Image Content Source - Semrush

Should I Use Nofollow on External Links?:

Using nofollow on external links is advisable for untrusted content, user-generated content, comment sections, or paid links to comply with search engine guidelines.

Outbound or External Links won't help SEO:

Image Content Source - SE ROUND TABLE

Do Nofollow Links Help Rankings?:

No, nofollow links do not help rankings.

What are Do Follow Links?:

Do-follow links are standard hyperlinks that pass SEO value (link equity) from one website to another, helping the recipient page improve its search engine rankings.

Are Nofollow Outbound Links Good?:

Yes, nofollow outbound links are good in moderation.

Why Some Backlinks Have No Follow?:

Some backlinks have nofollow attributes because:

• The linking site wants to prevent passing SEO value (link equity).

• They're from user-generated content (comments, forums).

• They're from paid links (to comply with Google guidelines).

• The site may have editorial policies requiring nofollows for external links.

How Long for Backlinks to Show Up?:

The time it takes for backlinks to show up is atleast 3 months for their full impact.

“Link building isn’t dead—it’s evolving; brands must pivot to authority-building via digital PR and brand-focused strategies” – BuzzStream

Why Use Nofollow Link?:

Reasons to use nofollow links:

1. Prevent passing authority to untrusted or low-quality sites.

2. Comply with Google guidelines for sponsored, affiliate, or paid links.

3. Avoid penalties for unnatural linking patterns.

4. Reduce comment spam on blogs and forums.

5. Preserve your site's "link equity" budget.

Should Outbound Links Be Nofollow?:

No, not all outbound links should be nofollow. Use dofollow links for reputable, relevant sites that add value to your content. Use nofollow for paid links, user-generated content, or untrusted sources. A natural mix of both types creates a healthier link profile.

Spam Link Meaning:

Spam links are low-quality, irrelevant, or deceptive hyperlinks created primarily to manipulate search engine rankings rather than provide value to users.

They often appear in comment sections, forums, or through mass link-building schemes, and can harm website credibility and rankings when search engines detect them.

Can ChatGPT Follow Links?:

Links in ChatGPT responses are nofollow links.

Are External Links Good for SEO?:

Yes, external links to reputable, relevant sources are good for SEO. They signal topic relevance to search engines, enhance content credibility, create opportunities for relationship building with other sites, and improve user experience (UX) by providing additional valuable information.

Here's related information that you may also find helpful – Do Social Media Links Count as Backlinks?

P.S: Ready to [unlock the power of digital marketing] and drive [your] business forward? – Access my forum today

P.S.S: Please don’t forget to forward this blog post to your network so they can get the best tips, practices, strategies, education, resources, and tools to help their businesses grow [sharing is caring].