Dofollow link
What is a dofollow link?
A dofollow link is an ordinary hyperlink that has no rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" value. Search engines can follow it and count it as a vote for the target page, passing link equity. “Dofollow” is SEO slang: there is no rel="dofollow" attribute in HTML.
Every link is followed by default. You only change that by adding a rel value. So when an SEO tool reports “dofollow backlinks”, it means links that carry none of the qualifying attributes.
Why dofollow link matters for SEO
Followed links are the ones most likely to influence rankings, which is why link builders prize them. A profile of only nofollow links can still bring traffic and help discovery, but followed editorial links are what move positions.
This is also where the rules bite. Google’s spam policies say paid links and links in exchange for goods or services must be qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". A followed link that was paid for is a paid link in breach of the policy.
How to check if a link is dofollow
- Right-click the link in your browser and choose Inspect.
- Look at the
<a>tag. If it has norelattribute, or therelvalue contains none of nofollow, sponsored or ugc, it is followed. - Check the page’s
<meta name="robots">tag too. A page-levelnofollowapplies to every link on it. - For many links at once, use a backlink checker that labels each link’s attributes.
Dofollow link example
<!-- Followed ("dofollow") -->
<a href="https://example.com/">Example</a>
<!-- Still followed: noopener is not a link qualifier -->
<a href="https://example.com/" rel="noopener">Example</a>
<!-- Not followed -->
<a href="https://example.com/" rel="nofollow">Example</a>Dofollow link FAQ
Is there a rel="dofollow" attribute?
No. Links are followed by default, and “dofollow” is just a name for a link without a qualifying rel value. Adding rel="dofollow" does nothing.
Are dofollow links better than nofollow links?
For rankings, followed editorial links usually carry more weight. Nofollow links still have value for traffic, brand exposure and a natural-looking profile.
Related SEO terms
A nofollow link carries rel="nofollow", asking search engines not to pass ranking credit. Since 2019 Google treats it as a hint, not a rule.
rel="sponsored" is a link attribute that marks a link as paid, sponsored or an affiliate link, so it does not pass ranking credit.
rel="ugc" is a link attribute for links inside user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts, signalling the site does not vouch for them.
Link equity, or link juice, is the ranking value a link passes from one page to another, based on the linking page’s authority and relevance.
A backlink is a link from another website to yours. Search engines treat backlinks as votes of trust and use them to rank and discover pages.
Nofollow is a link attribute or meta directive asking search engines not to follow or credit links. Google treats it as a hint.