Understanding Nofollow & Dofollow Links, and How They Impact SEO

When you take the time to google something, which result are you most likely to click first?

Over 25% of people click the first Google search result, and more than two thirds choose among the first five; only about 5 percent ever click on number six; less than half a percent of searchers ever checks the second page, as per a report in 2022 by Sachs Marketing Group.

Given this fact, it is undeniable that it is of great significance to improve a site's natural ranking in search engines for digital marketers. And this process is what we refer to as Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

The number of factors impacting SEO rankings we know currently comes in at nearly 200, and high-quality backlinks are in the top-2 major factors together with content. Further, pages ranking first in Google had 3.8 times more backlinks than pages ranking in the top 2-9, a Backlinko 2020 study unveiled. 

Google sees every link as a vote of confidence, which indicates that a page being linked to has valuable and trustworthy content. Hence, in general the more links a page has pointing to it, the higher search engines rank it.

In this article, we'll delve into dofollow links and nofollow links.

What Are Dofollow Links? And Nofollow Links?

1. Dofollow links are those that allow search engines to point back to your page. They are a trust signal for search engine algorithms, and can passes PageRank (an algorithm used by Google Search to rank web pages in their search engine results) signals to the sites being linked to and strengthen the site's authority and has positive impact on search engine rankings.

2. Whereas, nofollow links have the rel="nofollow" HTML tag applied to them, which tells search engines to ignore the link, and not to point back you. This type does not help with better placement on search engine results page (SERP).

What Are the Differences Between Dofollow Links and Nofollow Links?

In a multifaceted universe of links, there are technical nuances that are invisible to users but make a huge difference in how the link is perceived by search engines.

The only technical difference between the two kinds of links is that nofollow links have a nofollow HTML tag, which is the rel="nofollow".

This tag serves as a warning to search engines, telling them not to consider it for the ranking of those who linked it on their website.

The easiest way to figure out whether a link is a nofollow link is to view the HTML code of a web page. If you can find the attribute "rel="nofollow", then it means that the link is nofollow link. For example:

Besides, tools, such as SEMRush and Google Search Console, can show you nofollow vs. dofollow links.

What Benefits Do Nofollow Links Bring?

As mentioned above, nofollow links do not act as votes of trust in search engines, nor pass PageRank signals, does it mean that they won't do any good to SEO?

The answer is NO.

Nofollow attribute was introduced by Google in 2005, for the purpose of combating spam links. Though they carry little weight, Google has started treating them like hints. This way, visitors can still follow the links to understand the page's content better.

Still, nofollow links can drive your site traffic, boost brand awareness. Certainly, links from authoritative, trusted and popular sources, despite their attribute, do have a value. These will help you receive more clicks from visitors. If your content is appealing and useful to visitors, they will definitely spend more time on your webpage/site, or become your potential customers further.

Besides, they impact site/webpage rankings to some extent, and create opportunities to get dofollow links. Generally speaking, The more links a website gets, the more it's recognized by users and search engines.

When to Use Dofollow Links? And Nofollow Links?

Now that you know what dofollow links and nofollow links are, you're probably wondering when to use them.

All links, by default, are dofollow unless nofollow attribute value is specified. You can use dofollow links when links sources are authoritative, and trusted websites. In essence, the more authoritative a website is, the bigger boost of link juice the linked-to site gets. And you can adopt them when endorsing a valuable resource your readers will find helpful.

Linking to another website is a way of establishing a relationship between you and the website you're pointing to. Sometimes, however, you want to link to a resource and not build that relationship.

The nofollow value serves for those situations when you don't want to associate your site with the linked sources. 

In general, in those situations, you are supposed to insert nofollow links:

• Paid links

• Sponsored links

• Links from Comments and Forums

• Links from anything involving what Google calls "untrusted content"

• Links in social media

• ​Links in press releases

Additionally, adopt nofollow links when:  

You don't want to endorse a site; inserting a sponsored link on your site; adding affiliate links to your site; you want to protect yourself from Google penalties.

Wrap-up

Every link you receive or you build on your site has an impact on your SEO. Hence, you must manage them all strategically. Just as good links pointing to your site make it better, links from untrusted sources can decrease your authority and search engine ranking.

It's no secret that good SEO is as vital as it's ever been for digital marketers. 65% of marketers sees link building as the most challenging SEO task (CMSWIRE 2019). And 61% of marketers viewed SEO as a top marketing priority in 2021 (Impact Plus). And so, it's a brutal truth that if your page dose not enjoy good placement on SERP on Google, your business faces a digital uphill battle. On the other hand, it means that ranking on the first page of SERP now requires a web page to be truly valuable.

As a global leading financial information hub, Fazzaco delivers a host of up-to-date industry news everyday, together with widely acclaimed in-depth articles and exclusive interviews, enjoying great exposure. And the platform provides content marketing opportunities where clients can add do-follow links, which would drive huge traffic to their sites and help improve their search engine results.

To improve your SEO result and maximize your brand exposure, please do not hesitate to contact ad@fazzaco.com.