Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: When to Use Each and Why It Matters

The dofollow vs nofollow debate is a cornerstone of technical SEO. This guide cuts through the noise to give you a pragmatic, technical breakdown of how these link attributes work today and how to audit them effectively.

Let’s Settle This: Dofollow is a Myth (Sort Of)

Before we dive into the eternal dofollow vs nofollow argument, let’s clear the air on a fundamental point that trips up too many people. There is no `rel=”dofollow”` attribute. It doesn’t exist. A ‘dofollow’ link is simply a standard hyperlink without a `nofollow` (or `sponsored`, or `ugc`) attribute.

It’s the default state of being for a link. It’s the internet’s original promise: a connection that passes value, authority, and what we used to call ‘link juice’—a term that should be retired to the same farm where we sent the keyword density score.

This default link is a vote of confidence. When you link to another page without a nofollow attribute, you are telling search engines, ‘I vouch for this content. It’s relevant, it’s valuable, and you should pass some of my site’s authority to it.’ This is the mechanism that powers PageRank and the web’s entire authority model. It’s a foundational element of off-page SEO.

<a href="https://example.com">This is a standard, 'dofollow' link.</a>

The Evolution of Nofollow: From Spam Stopper to Search Engine ‘Hint’

The `rel=”nofollow”` attribute was born in 2005 out of necessity. Blog comment sections were the wild west of spam, and Google needed to give webmasters a way to stop incentivizing drive-by spammers who were dropping links to disreputable sites.

Its original function was simple and direct: it told search engines not to pass any PageRank through the link. It was a directive. For 14 years, this was the law of the land. A nofollow link was a dead end for link equity.

Then, in 2019, Google threw a wrench in the works. The `nofollow` attribute was demoted from a strict directive to a ‘hint’. At the same time, two more specific attributes were introduced: `rel=”sponsored”` for paid links and `rel=”ugc”` for user-generated content.

What does ‘hint’ mean? It means Google’s crawlers now reserve the right to make their own judgment. They will generally not pass ranking credit through a nofollow link, but they might choose to crawl it for discovery or use it to better understand link patterns across the web. The era of absolute certainty was over.

<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">This link tells search engines not to pass authority.</a>

• `rel=”nofollow”`: The general-purpose attribute for links you don’t want to endorse.
• `rel=”sponsored”`: Specifically for advertisements, sponsorships, or any other compensated link placements. Use this. Seriously.
• `rel=”ugc”`: Stands for User-Generated Content. This should be applied to links in forums, blog comments, and other areas where users can add their own content.

Dofollow vs Nofollow: Auditing Your Link Profile with Precision

Understanding the theory is fine, but execution is what matters. As a technical SEO, your job is to control how link equity flows through your site and to understand the nature of the links pointing to it. The dofollow vs nofollow distinction is critical here.

For your internal links, the vast majority should be standard, equity-passing links. However, you might strategically use `rel=”nofollow”` on internal links pointing to pages you don’t want to prioritize, like login pages, user profiles, or some faceted navigation URLs that create infinite crawl paths. It’s a way to guide crawlers toward your most important content.

You can find these rogue internal nofollows in seconds with a crawler. In ScreamingCAT, for example, you can run a crawl, navigate to the ‘Links’ report, and filter for ‘Nofollow’ internal links. If you see important pages being linked to with nofollow, you’re essentially telling Google to ignore a key internal endorsement. Fix it.

When it comes to external links, the decision is about trust and value. If you’re linking to a resource you trust and want to endorse, let the link pass equity. If you’re linking to a site you don’t fully trust, or are required to link to as part of a user-submitted comment, `nofollow` is your tool. Proper anchor text is still important, but the `rel` attribute controls the flow of authority.

Strategic Use Cases for Nofollow, Sponsored, and UGC

Let’s get specific. When should you use each of these ‘hint’ attributes? Misusing them can, at best, confuse search engines and, at worst, land you in hot water.

Use `rel=”sponsored”` for any link you were paid to place. This includes affiliate links, sponsored posts, and advertisements. It’s not a suggestion; it’s a requirement for staying on the right side of Google’s Webmaster Guidelines. Failing to do so can be interpreted as participating in a link scheme.

Use `rel=”ugc”` for any link that your users create. Think forum signatures, blog comments, or social media profile links. This gives Google a clear signal that you, the site owner, did not place this link yourself. It’s a simple, effective way to distance yourself from potentially low-quality or spammy user links.

Use `rel=”nofollow”` as the catch-all for everything else you want to link to without an implicit endorsement. This could be a source you’re citing but don’t fully trust, or simply a page you need to link to without passing authority. When in doubt, and if `sponsored` or `ugc` don’t fit, `nofollow` is the correct choice.

Remember that these attributes are about link equity, not indexing. A nofollow link on Page A pointing to Page B will not prevent Page B from being indexed if it’s discoverable through other means (like a sitemap or another dofollow link). For that, you need the noindex meta tag.

The Dofollow vs Nofollow Debate in Backlink Analysis

Shifting our focus from on-page to off-page, the dofollow vs nofollow conversation becomes about your backlink profile. The goal of most link-building campaigns is to acquire authoritative, relevant, equity-passing ‘dofollow’ links. These are the links that most directly influence your site’s authority and rankings.

However, a backlink profile consisting of 100% dofollow links is a massive red flag. It’s unnatural. A healthy, organic link profile is a diverse ecosystem containing a mix of dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, and UGC links from a variety of sources.

Don’t discount the value of nofollow links entirely. A nofollow link from a major publication like The New York Times or Wikipedia might not pass PageRank, but it can drive enormous amounts of referral traffic, build brand credibility, and lead to other people discovering your content and linking to it with equity-passing links. They are valuable, just in a different way.

Your job is not to eliminate nofollow backlinks but to ensure you have a steady stream of high-quality dofollow links coming in. Analyze your competitors. What does their dofollow/nofollow ratio look like? Aim for a similar, natural-looking balance while focusing your active outreach efforts on acquiring links that move the needle.

Stop obsessing over every single nofollow link. Focus on building a high-quality, natural link profile and using the attributes correctly on your own site. Use a crawler like ScreamingCAT to keep your own house in order.

The ScreamingCAT Team