Nofollow vs Dofollow Links: When to Use Them for SEO (Best Practices)
Meta Description: Understand the difference between dofollow and nofollow links, when to use nofollow vs dofollow links, and Google best practices for SEO.
If you're learning SEO or trying to improve your website's backlink profile, understanding Nofollow vs Dofollow links is one of the first things you need to get right. These two link attributes tell Google whether to treat a link as a "vote of confidence" and pass link juice, or to ignore it entirely for ranking purposes. Get your Dofollow vs Nofollow SEO strategy wrong, and it can quietly hurt your rankings. In this article, we'll break down exactly when to use nofollow links, when to use dofollow links, and the core difference between dofollow and nofollow links along with Google's updated rel sponsored vs nofollow standards.
What Are Dofollow and Nofollow Links? (Core Concept)
Every outbound or inbound link on a page carries an attribute that tells search engines how to treat it during crawling and ranking. Understanding this is the foundation of Dofollow vs Nofollow SEO.
What Is a Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is a standard HTML link with no extra "rel" attribute attached. When Google's crawler follows this link, it passes link juice (ranking value) to the linked page. In other words, a dofollow link acts like a recommendation that strengthens the target site's authority and contributes to a healthy organic backlink profile.
What Is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link includes the rel="nofollow" attribute, which tells Google not to pass PageRank distribution through that link. The search engine can still technically crawl the link, but no ranking signal is transferred. This tag is commonly used for paid links, untrusted sources, or links inside comment sections.
Difference Between Dofollow and Nofollow Links
| Feature | Dofollow Link | Nofollow Link |
|---|---|---|
| Link Juice Transfer | Yes | No |
| SEO Ranking Impact | Positive | Neutral |
| Common Use Case | Editorial mentions, guest posts | Ads, comments, paid links |
| Google Crawl Behavior | Follows + Indexes | Crawls, but doesn't follow |
| Risk Factor | Overuse can risk outbound links SEO penalty | Low risk, safer practice |
This table makes it clear that Nofollow vs Dofollow links isn't just a technical tag difference — it's a core part of your overall SEO strategy.
When to Use Nofollow Links?
A lot of people get confused about exactly when to apply the nofollow attribute. Here are the clearest scenarios:
Paid or Sponsored Content
If a link exists because of a payment, sponsorship, or advertisement, Google's Webmaster Guidelines require you to mark it with rel="sponsored" or nofollow.
User-Generated Content (UGC)
Comments, forums, and guest books — anywhere users can post their own links — should use the rel UGC attribute as a best practice, so spam links don't affect your site's authority.
Untrusted or Low-Quality Sources
If you're linking to an external site whose credibility you can't fully vouch for, adding a nofollow tag helps protect you from a potential outbound links SEO penalty.
Dofollow vs Nofollow Links — How Link Juice Transfer Works
When to Use Dofollow Links?
Dofollow links should be used when you genuinely want to credit a high-quality, trustworthy resource.
High-Quality Editorial Links
When you're citing research, statistics, or an authoritative source, using a dofollow link is natural and helpful it signals to search engines that your content is genuinely valuable and well-referenced.
Internal Linking
Using dofollow links for internal linking clears up most of the confusion around Internal links dofollow or nofollow dofollow is the best default for distributing link juice smoothly across your own pages, unless there's a specific technical reason (like duplicate filter URLs or login pages) to nofollow them.
Rel="sponsored" vs Rel="nofollow" (Google's Updated Standards)
In 2019, Google updated link attributes and introduced three categories:
- rel="nofollow" – General purpose, used when you don't want to endorse a link.
- rel="sponsored" – Specifically for paid or advertising links.
- rel="ugc" – For user-generated content like comments and forum posts.
Understanding Rel sponsored vs nofollow links matters because Google now treats these attributes as "hints" rather than strict rules meaning the weighting is a bit more flexible, but correct usage is still important for transparency and trust.
Should Affiliate Links Be Nofollow?
This is a common, high-intent question: should affiliate links be nofollow? The answer is yes. Affiliate links are essentially commission-based/paid links, so Google recommends marking them with rel="sponsored" or nofollow. Keeping affiliate links as dofollow can be seen as a violation of Google's guidelines, putting your site at risk of a manual action.
Rel="Nofollow" vs Rel="Sponsored" vs Rel="UGC" — Google's Link Attribute Guide
Internal Links: Dofollow or Nofollow?
In most cases, internal links should be dofollow because they:
- Distribute link juice evenly across your entire website
- Help search engines crawl and understand your site structure
- Improve overall user navigation
Nofollow should only be reserved for specific pages like "Login," "Cart," or duplicate parameter URLs, so crawl budget isn't wasted.
Nofollow vs Dofollow Best Practices for SEO
To build a balanced organic backlink profile, follow these practices:
Understanding Link Juice Transfer
Every dofollow link passes along a small amount of authority (PageRank). If you hand out too many dofollow links to low-quality sites, your own site's value can get diluted.
Avoiding an Outbound Links SEO Penalty
Excessive or irrelevant dofollow outbound links can trigger Google's spam signals. Stick to a quality-over-quantity principle.
Maintaining a Natural Ratio
A healthy website should have a natural-looking mix of dofollow and nofollow links both 100% dofollow and 100% nofollow profiles can raise red flags.
How to Use Nofollow Links for SEO (Actionable Guide)
Step 1: Audit Your Existing Links
Start by auditing all the outbound links on your site and identifying which ones are paid, UGC, or from untrusted sources.
Step 2: Apply the Correct Attribute
Add rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" manually in HTML, or through a CMS plugin like Yoast/RankMath on WordPress.
Step 3: Monitor Regularly
Check Google Search Console periodically to catch any spammy backlinks that might be affecting your site.
Step 4: Follow Guest Posting Guidelines
If you're guest posting, industry standard practice is to keep author bio links nofollow unless the editorial team specifically allows dofollow.
Nofollow vs Dofollow Link Building Strategy
A strong link building strategy uses a balanced mix of both:
- Focus your dofollow link efforts on high-authority guest posts, PR mentions, and editorial backlinks.
- Nofollow links still drive traffic and brand visibility, especially from social media, forums, and directory listings which indirectly support your SEO.
Remember, Google doesn't only value dofollow links a diverse, natural link profile that includes both types is far more sustainable for long-term SEO success.
Conclusion
Getting Nofollow vs Dofollow links right is a foundation of modern SEO. Whether you're running affiliate marketing, guest posting, or managing internal linking, applying Dofollow vs Nofollow SEO best practices consistently protects your site from Google penalties and helps build a healthy organic backlink profile. With this guide, you can now confidently decide exactly when to use a dofollow link and when to use a nofollow one.