Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links - Do Both Still Matter for SEO
Every backlink pointing to your site carries a signal, but not every signal works the same way. Understanding how dofollow and nofollow links differ gives you a clearer picture of what your link profile actually does for your search rankings.
What Is a Dofollow Link
A dofollow link is the default link type on the web. When a site links to you without any special attribute, search engine crawlers follow that link and pass what SEO practitioners call "link equity" or PageRank to your page. This equity acts as a vote of credibility, and accumulating it from authoritative sources is a core driver of organic ranking improvement.
Domain Rating (DR) and Domain Authority (DA) are the two most common metrics practitioners use to estimate how much equity a link might pass. Links from sites with a DR of 50 or above, or a DA of 40 or above, are broadly considered high quality. A single strong dofollow link from a trusted publication can outperform dozens of links from thin, low-authority directories.
What Is a Nofollow Link
A nofollow link includes the `rel="nofollow"` attribute in its HTML, which originally signaled to Google that the link should not pass PageRank. Site owners and publishers started using it for paid placements, comment sections, and user-generated content to stay compliant with Google's guidelines. The idea was to prevent manipulation of search rankings through low-effort link schemes.
In 2019, Google updated its stance. Nofollow became a "hint" rather than a strict directive, meaning Google might choose to crawl and consider the link anyway. This shift matters: it means a nofollow link from a high-traffic news site is no longer a guaranteed zero in Google's eyes.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links for SEO
Dofollow links are the primary driver of PageRank transfer, but nofollow links still contribute to a natural backlink profile and can deliver real referral traffic. Treating nofollow links as worthless is an oversimplification that practitioners moved away from years ago.
Here is a practical breakdown of how they differ:
PageRank and Ranking Signals
Dofollow links pass link equity directly and remain the dominant signal in most ranking factor research. A well-placed dofollow link from a DR 60+ site can move the needle on competitive keywords within a 3–6 month window, which is the generally accepted timeline before newly acquired backlinks produce measurable ranking movement. Nofollow links do not guarantee that transfer, but Google's hint-based treatment means some percentage of strong nofollow links may still influence indexing and authority calculations.
Referral Traffic and Brand Visibility
Nofollow links from high-traffic sources, think major news outlets, Reddit, or industry forums, can drive thousands of qualified visitors without passing a single unit of PageRank. Referral traffic converts. A mention in a popular consumer publication with a nofollow tag still puts your brand in front of an engaged audience, and those visitors may themselves create dofollow links back to your content.
Link Profile Naturalness
A backlink profile made up entirely of dofollow links looks unusual to Google's algorithms. Real editorial coverage, social shares, forum mentions, and wiki citations are often nofollow. Having a healthy mix signals that your site is earning links organically across different contexts, not manufacturing them through a single tactic. Nofollow links help your profile look earned rather than engineered.
Do Nofollow Links Help SEO
Yes, nofollow links help SEO in indirect but measurable ways, even though they do not reliably pass PageRank. Their impact comes through three channels: referral traffic, brand discovery, and profile diversity.
When a nofollow link appears on a site with significant organic traffic, some of that audience clicks through. Those visitors interact with your content, which sends behavioral signals, such as time on site and low bounce rates, that Google observes. Nofollow links also expand the pool of people who might naturally cite or share your content, eventually producing dofollow links from sources you never directly pitched.
For link building campaigns, Help a Reporter Out (HARO) placements and press mentions frequently carry nofollow attributes, yet practitioners continue to pursue them because the authority of the referring domain still matters. HARO pitches only convert to a published backlink at a 5–15% rate, so every resulting link, regardless of follow status, represents real effort and real brand exposure.
How to Build Both Types Effectively
Google's guidelines prohibit manipulative link schemes, so all recommended strategies here are white-hat and focus on earning links through genuine value.
Tactics That Generate Dofollow Links
Guest posting on relevant industry publications is one of the most reliable ways to earn dofollow links. Acceptance rates for guest post pitches typically run 10–20%, so volume in your outreach process matters. Broken link building, where you identify dead links on authoritative pages and offer your content as a replacement, succeeds with roughly 5–20% of outreach contacts. Digital PR campaigns built around original research or data assets attract editorial coverage, often from publications with DA 40+ or DR 50+.
Tactics That Generate Nofollow Links
PR outreach to news publications, contributions to community forums in your niche, and responses to journalist queries through HARO all tend to produce nofollow placements. These still belong in a well-rounded strategy. Resource page listings, product reviews, and brand mentions on social platforms round out the nofollow side of a healthy profile.
What to Budget for Link Building
Link building costs vary significantly depending on the scale of your campaign and the authority of sites you are targeting. Pay-per-link pricing typically falls between $100 and $1,500 per link, with higher-authority placements sitting toward the top of that range.
For ongoing work, monthly retainers from established agencies generally run $1,000–$5,000 per month. Entry-level packages, which typically include 3–5 links per month from lower-to-mid authority sites, start at $500–$1,000 per month. Mid-tier packages covering 5–10 links per month from mid-to-high authority sites cost $1,500–$3,000 per month. Premium packages that deliver 10–20 or more links per month from high-authority publications range from $3,000 to $8,000 or more per month.
Agencies suit ongoing or large-scale campaigns, while freelancers suit smaller budgets or one-off projects. If you are reselling link building through a White Label Link Building arrangement, expect a markup of 20–50% above the base cost to cover the provider's management and reporting overhead.
Auditing Your Existing Link Profile
Before doubling down on acquisition, audit what you already have. Toxic links can drag down the equity value of strong links sitting beside them. Sites with a Moz Spam Score at or above 30% are commonly flagged for disavow consideration. Pruning low-quality links creates a cleaner baseline and lets your high-authority dofollow links work harder.
Look at the ratio of dofollow to nofollow links across your profile. A ratio weighted too heavily toward dofollow links from similar-looking domains can appear manipulative. A profile that includes nofollow links from diverse, credible sources alongside targeted dofollow placements reflects the kind of natural growth pattern that holds up well over time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dofollow vs Nofollow Links for SEO - Which Matters More?
Dofollow links are the primary driver of PageRank and carry more direct ranking weight, but nofollow links still matter. They contribute to a natural backlink profile, drive referral traffic, and can indirectly lead to more dofollow links through increased brand exposure. A strong link profile includes both types.
Do Nofollow Links Help SEO?
Yes. Nofollow links help SEO indirectly by driving referral traffic, increasing brand visibility, and adding diversity to your backlink profile. Since Google's 2019 update, nofollow is treated as a hint rather than a strict directive, meaning high-quality nofollow links from authoritative sites may still influence how Google evaluates your content.
How Can I Tell If a Link Is Dofollow or Nofollow?
Right-click any hyperlink on a page and inspect the HTML. A nofollow link will show rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag. No attribute at all means the link is dofollow by default. SEO browser extensions like MozBar or Ahrefs toolbar can highlight link types across a page automatically.
Should I Disavow Nofollow Links from Spammy Sites?
Disavowing nofollow links from genuinely toxic domains is a reasonable precaution, even though those links do not directly pass PageRank. A clean profile signals natural link acquisition. Sites with a Moz Spam Score at or above 30% are commonly flagged for disavow consideration, regardless of follow status.
How Long Before New Dofollow Links Improve My Rankings?
The generally accepted window is 3–6 months before newly acquired backlinks produce measurable ranking movement. The timeline depends on how frequently Google crawls the linking site, how competitive your target keywords are, and the overall authority of the links you have earned.