The Impact of Dofollow and Nofollow Links on SEO: Unveiling the Power of Link Attributes

The Impact of Dofollow and Nofollow Links on SEO: Unveiling the Power of Link Attributes

Date & Time
July 12, 2023
Reading time
7 mins
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Lopamudra Barik

We consulted SEO specialists to explain the distinction between Dofollow and Nofollow links, the importance of each, and how to begin constructing them.

 

The SEO industry was about as chaotic as the wild west (without the shootouts) prior to Google's introduction of the Dofollow and No follow link concepts. Both bloggers and website owners would use spammy backlinking techniques, placing links to their business's website anywhere they could in an effort to gain backlink juice.  

 

A good backlinking plan is more difficult to develop and implement today than ever before. In fact, 65% of marketers believe that building links is the hardest SEO activity to complete. But it's fantastic news since it implies that a website's ability to rank on the top page of any Google search now depends on how useful it is, as we will examine in this post.

Dofollow and Nofollow Links

What Is a Nofollow Link?

The rel="nofollow" attribute is present in a nofollow link.

 

The nofollow feature instructs search engines to stop passing link equity also known as "linkjuice"—through the link. It indicates that the website linking to the linked page does not wish to transfer its authority to it.

 

In order to avoid link manipulation, Google developed the nofollow property (also known as then nofollow tag) in 2005. particularly comment spam. When a nofollow tag is present, a search engine bot simply disregards the link for ranking purposes.

What Is the Difference Between Follow and Nofollow Links?

Most individuals aren't really sure what they are. After all, you click a link and proceed there by following it. So a nofollow link is just one that you click on repeatedly budgets you nowhere?

No, however pulling that joke on the people visiting your website would be hilarious. A nofollow link really has a tag(rel="nofollow") inside the HTML of the link that informs search engines that you do not want them to click the link and that you will not be passing any link authority to the website you are linking to as a result.

The rel="nofollow" element instructs search engines to ignore it, therefore a follow link also known as a dofollow link is one that does not contain that tag.

Google's page rank algorithm considers two factors for links:

  • The total number of links to/from a particular website
  • The value of the website that links to or is connected from

Use of NoFollow Links: When and Why

There are many benefits to using nofollow links on your website. They might all be in various locations as well. Let's examine some of the most typical locations and explain why you won't allow search engines to use the link for SEO.

1. Comments with links:

People will misuse the ability to put links in comments if it is allowed. Particularly those that have follow links. Your site will send along PageRank and link juice if they post a link to somewhere. When someone publishes a link there, you are essentially endorsing the website.

 

You shouldn't do that action. So those URLs are nofollowed. Actually, WordPress does this by default. By ensuring that your comments contain nofollow links, you also aid in fostering debate by preventing pointless remarks from disrupting meaningful threads and comments from actual people. Everyone benefits when this is done.

 

2. Keeping Distance from Undesirables

At some point or another, it has been done by every content developer. linked to a website that we were aware was terrible news, but we needed them for a reference for some reason. You might not want to be identified with the news site from which you linked an infographic.

Perhaps there is a scam, hack, or scandal, and you link to it to alert your users while avoiding giving them any brownie points with Google. You therefore connect to them but don't follow it. Even if they continue to receive few visitors, you aren't giving them a sustained advantage.

3. You Received Payment for Including the Link

It's wonderful if you post sponsored content on your blog. It's a great way to make money from a blog. After all, we do live in a culture of influencers. However, both the search engines and your viewers need to be aware that the content is sponsored.

Anytime a link appears on your website solely because you were paid to include it, shouldn't be a follow link. You have to include rel="nofollow" on it 100% of the time. You must make all links to it nofollow even if your contract merely requires you to develop the material and doesn't specify that you must link to any specific website. the company's website, a contest entry form, a product page,

4. The Link Shows Up in the Same Place on Several Pages

In general, mark any links in your sidebar that show on every page of your website as nofollow links. Since a new hyperlink is created every time you upload or update, Google will eventually perceive you as one of the undesirables.

Footer links also fall under this category, so if you own a design firm and link to your home page on every client website, you might want to consider nofollowing that link. Although people can still click the links, you also escape Google penalties.

When, Why, and How to Follow Links

After going over the range of nofollow links, let's quickly review the dofollow links, which will probably still make up the majority of your website.

Here's an example of a dofollow link:

<a href="https://www.example.com" target="_blank">Visit Example.com</a>

When

You want follow links to be the standard in general. Consequently, you should mostly use them. Remember to keep those internal links dofollow; doing so will help search engines more precisely map your website and create a sitemap.

Additionally, you should generally preserve external links in the content's body as dofollow. The situations we covered above are the only ones where you would want to label them as nofollow.

Why

Because we must support one another on the internet, which is a social environment. Because of this, Google gives links a high priority when calculating PageRank. They desire that we link to other websites.

They only ask that we link carefully and deliberately. Google wants us to share information that is valuable to readers and relevant to them. Follow links by default are unquestionably the way to go if you're producing content normally, being careful about the websites you link to, and not trying to manipulate the system.

 How

All you need to do to use follow links is remove the nofollow attribute. For HTML, there is no follow attribute. By default, these are all follow links. It takes something intervening for it to become nofollow, like when WordPress makes comments nofollow by default.

What Is a ‘Follow’ (or ‘Dofollow’) Link?

When a link passes linked quite, the words "follow link" and "dofollow link" are frequently employed. They simply mean regular links as opposed to links with sponsored, nofollow, or user-generated content (UGC) criteria.

 

There is no such thing as a "follow" or "dofollow" link property, it must be made clear.

 

Therefore, even if you encounter a link that has rel="dofollow" in it (which is more common than you might think), the attribute is superfluous and has no bearing on the link.

Conclusion

The foundation of the internet is links. Links form the foundation of the internet as we know it, so we must take care to treat them well so they will treat us well in return. They boost your PageRank and give the target site more energy. Back-and-forth referral traffic is driven through links. Additionally, there is information and resources for your readers to click on.

FAQ

What are dofollow and nofollow links in SEO?

Dofollow and nofollow are link attributes that determine how search engines crawl and index webpages. Dofollow links allow search engine bots to follow the link and pass link equity from the referring page to the linked page. In contrast, nofollow links instruct search engines not to crawl or pass any SEO value through the link.

How do dofollow links affect SEO?

Dofollow links play a crucial role in SEO as they contribute to a website's link profile and influence search engine rankings. When reputable websites link to your pages using dofollow links, it signals to search engines that your content is valuable and trustworthy. These links can improve your website's authority, visibility, and organic traffic, thereby positively impacting SEO.

What is the significance of nofollow links in SEO?

Nofollow links, although they don't directly contribute to SEO rankings, still offer value in certain scenarios. They are commonly used for user-generated content, such as blog comments or forum posts, to prevent spammers from exploiting link building strategies. While nofollow links don't pass SEO authority, they can still drive referral traffic and engagement, indirectly benefiting your website's overall visibility.

How do dofollow and nofollow links work together in SEO?

The combination of dofollow and nofollow links forms a balanced link profile, which is desirable for SEO. While dofollow links pass SEO value and contribute to rankings, nofollow links provide diversity and natural link patterns. A healthy mix of both types of links indicates to search engines that your website attracts organic links from various sources, indicating its popularity and authenticity.

What i do follow link ?

Here's an example of a dofollow link: Visit Example.com In the example above, the anchor text "Visit Example.com" is the clickable text that users see on a webpage. The href attribute specifies the URL (https://www.example.com) that the link should point to. Since no rel attribute is added, search engines will consider this link as a dofollow link by default, allowing them to follow the link and pass SEO value from the referring page to the linked page.

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