A dofollow link is a normal link that can pass ranking value to the page it points to. A nofollow link carries rel="nofollow" (or ugc or sponsored), which Google has treated as a hint, not a rule, since 2019, so it usually passes little or no value. To rank you need relevant dofollow links, plus some nofollow for a natural profile.
You've probably hit this the moment a site finally agreed to link to you: the link went live, you opened the source code, and there it was, rel="nofollow". Is that link worth anything? Here's the whole topic in plain English.
Dofollow: the links that count
A dofollow link is simply a link with no rel value telling Google to hold back, and it is the kind that can move rankings. There's no special code. It's just a normal <a href>. When a site links to you this way, it passes "link equity" (sometimes called link juice): a signal to Google that the linking site vouches for yours.
<a href="https://yoursite.com">a normal, dofollow link</a>
Nofollow: the links that (mostly) don't
A nofollow link adds a rel="nofollow" attribute, which asks Google not to treat the link as an endorsement:
<a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow">a nofollow link</a>
Nofollow has existed since January 2005 (our Google link rules timeline charts every change since), so sites can link to something without vouching for it: user comments, paid placements, untrusted sources. On September 10, 2019, Google announced in its post on evolving nofollow into a hint that it would treat nofollow as a hint for ranking, and from March 1, 2020 as a hint for crawling and indexing too. In practice that means Google may still use a nofollow link, but you shouldn't count on one to move your rankings.
The two newer tags: ugc and sponsored
Google added ugc and sponsored in the same 2019 announcement so sites can say why a link isn't an endorsement. According to Google's guide to qualifying outbound links:
rel="ugc"marks user-generated content links, such as comments and forum posts.rel="sponsored"marks ads and paid placements. Nofollow is still acceptable for paid links, but sponsored is the preferred value.rel="nofollow"is for cases where the other two don't apply and you'd rather not be associated with the linked page.
Values can be combined, for example rel="ugc nofollow". All three are hints that mean "don't pass full ranking value." If you're trying to earn links that help SEO, you want links without any of these attributes.
Do nofollow links have any value?
Yes, just not mainly the ranking kind:
- Referral traffic. A nofollow link from a busy page still sends real visitors.
- A natural profile. Every real site picks up nofollow links from social profiles, comments and news coverage. A profile that's 100% dofollow looks engineered.
- Discovery. They can still help Google find your pages, since nofollow is now a hint for crawling as well.
So don't refuse nofollow links. Just don't build your plan around them.
Which do you actually need?
You need dofollow links from relevant pages to rank, and a realistic mix that includes some nofollow to look natural. The mistake isn't having nofollow links. It's chasing only aggressive dofollow links, often paid ones that should have been marked sponsored, and ending up with a skewed profile that looks bought.
| Dofollow | Nofollow / ugc / sponsored | |
|---|---|---|
| Passes ranking value | Yes | Usually little or none (a hint since 2019) |
| Sends referral traffic | Yes | Yes |
| Helps Google discover pages | Yes | Sometimes (a crawl hint since March 1, 2020) |
| Required for paid links | No, paid links must be qualified | Yes, sponsored or nofollow |
How to check a link's status
Right-click the link, choose Inspect, and read the rel attribute; anything containing nofollow, ugc or sponsored is qualified. A free SEO browser extension can highlight nofollow links on a page for you. In a link exchange this matters: a "link" that's secretly nofollow gives you traffic but little ranking benefit.
We make Backlinkster, and this is why each swap is verified by API: the check confirms the partner link is live and carries no nofollow, ugc or sponsored value before the swap completes, then re-checks it for 90 days. See how a swap works.
When Backlinkster is not the right fit
If you mainly want referral traffic or brand exposure, nofollow placements on busy sites (forums, newsletters, social) may serve you better than a one-for-one exchange. And if a link is paid, it has to be marked sponsored or nofollow under Google's rules, so no swap platform or link seller should promise you a paid dofollow link.
Frequently asked questions
Is a dofollow link better than a nofollow link? For rankings, yes. A dofollow link can pass link equity; a nofollow link is a hint Google may or may not use. For traffic, both can be equally useful if the page gets visitors.
Does Google ignore nofollow links completely? No. Since September 2019 Google treats nofollow as a hint for ranking, and since March 1, 2020 as a hint for crawling and indexing. It can use them, but it usually gives them little weight.
What's the difference between nofollow, ugc and sponsored?
They all say "don't treat this as a full endorsement." ugc labels user-generated content like comments, sponsored labels ads and paid links, and nofollow covers everything else. You can combine them, such as rel="ugc nofollow".
How many of my backlinks should be nofollow? There's no official ratio. A natural profile simply contains some nofollow links from social, comments and press. Our guide to the nofollow ratio explains what to look for.
Is a dofollow link with "noopener" or "noreferrer" still dofollow?
Yes. noopener and noreferrer are security and privacy values; they don't change how Google treats the link. Only nofollow, ugc and sponsored qualify it.
Related: Do social media links count as backlinks? · Do comment links do anything for SEO? · Do links in PDFs count as backlinks? · Are Wikipedia backlinks worth it? · What is anchor text? · What is a backlink in SEO? · Do UGC-tagged links pass any value? · Are rel="sponsored" links worth anything? · What is a nofollow ratio? · Are Medium backlinks good for SEO? · Do nofollow links help SEO?