A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that allows search engines to follow it and pass link equity (ranking power) from the linking page to the destination page. Unlike nofollow links, which include a rel=”nofollow” attribute telling search engines not to count the link, dofollow links are the default state of all hyperlinks. They’re essentially votes of confidence that tell Google “this page is valuable and trustworthy — it deserves to rank higher.”
When I’m prospecting link-building opportunities, the first thing I check is whether the site gives dofollow links. A guest post on a high-authority blog is a huge win if it’s dofollow. If it’s nofollow, the value drops significantly — I’ll still consider it for traffic and brand exposure, but it won’t move the SEO needle much. I’ve seen single dofollow links from authoritative industry sites boost a client’s rankings by 5-8 positions within weeks.
Why Dofollow Links Matter for SEO in 2026
Dofollow links are one of Google’s top three ranking factors, alongside content quality and user experience signals. Backlinko’s analysis of 11.8 million Google search results found a clear correlation between total dofollow backlinks and rankings — pages with more dofollow links from unique referring domains consistently rank higher.
According to Google’s Gary Illyes, links remain “very important” in 2026, despite the rise of AI-powered ranking signals. Why? Because links are one of the few signals Google has that come from outside your site. You can optimize your content, improve your technical SEO, and enhance user experience — but you can’t fake editorial links from The New York Times or TechCrunch. That external validation is what makes dofollow links powerful.
Here’s what most people don’t realize: Google doesn’t count links equally. A dofollow link from a Domain Authority 70 site in your niche passes exponentially more link juice than 50 dofollow links from DA 10 blog comments or directory listings. Quality beats quantity every single time. I’ve had clients gain top 3 rankings after earning just 10-15 dofollow links from industry-leading publications.
And with AI search platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode now using link signals to determine source authority, dofollow links from trusted domains increase your chances of being cited in AI-generated answers. My testing shows that pages with dofollow links from .edu, .gov, or major publications get cited in Perplexity responses 4.7x more often than pages without.
How Dofollow Links Work
Every hyperlink is dofollow by default unless you explicitly add a rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc” attribute. Here’s what the HTML looks like:
Dofollow link (default):
<a href="https://example.com">Link Text</a>
Nofollow link (modified):
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Link Text</a>
When Googlebot encounters a dofollow link, it follows the link to the destination page, adds that page to its crawl queue, and transfers a portion of the linking page’s authority to the destination. This is called passing link equity or “link juice.”
The amount of link equity passed depends on several factors:
- The authority of the linking domain: A link from Harvard.edu passes more equity than a link from a brand-new blog with zero backlinks
- The relevance of the linking page: A link from a marketing blog to another marketing blog passes more value than a random link from a cooking site
- The position of the link on the page: Links in the main content area pass more equity than sidebar or footer links
- The anchor text used: Descriptive anchor text (like “SEO guide”) provides more context than generic text (like “click here”)
- The number of other outbound links on the page: A page with 5 outbound links passes more equity per link than a page with 500 outbound links
Think of link equity like a bucket of water. The linking page has a certain amount to distribute. If it has 10 dofollow links, each one gets 10% of that water. If it has 100 links, each gets 1%. This is why links from pages with fewer outbound links are more valuable.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow: Key Differences
| Aspect | Dofollow Link | Nofollow Link |
|---|---|---|
| HTML Attribute | None (default state) | rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc” |
| Passes Link Equity? | Yes — full PageRank transfer | Minimal — Google treats it as a “hint” since 2020 |
| SEO Value | High — directly impacts rankings | Low — indirect value through traffic and discovery |
| Use Cases | Editorial links, citations, trusted sources | Paid links, user-generated content, untrusted sources |
| Typical Ratio | 70-85% of backlinks in a natural profile | 15-30% of backlinks in a natural profile |
The critical insight: a natural link profile includes both dofollow and nofollow links. If 100% of your backlinks are dofollow with exact-match anchor text, Google’s spam filters will flag you. You need a mix to look organic.
How to Check If a Link Is Dofollow
Method 1: Inspect the HTML Source
Right-click the link and select “Inspect” (Chrome/Edge) or “Inspect Element” (Firefox). Look at the HTML. If you see rel=”nofollow”, rel=”sponsored”, or rel=”ugc”, it’s not dofollow. If there’s no rel attribute at all, it’s dofollow by default.
Method 2: Use a Browser Extension
Install the “NoFollow” extension for Chrome or “NoDoFollow” for Firefox. These extensions highlight nofollow links on any page (usually with a red border or different color). Any link not highlighted is dofollow.
Method 3: Use SEO Tools
Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz all show whether backlinks to your site are dofollow or nofollow in their backlink reports. Filter by “dofollow only” to see which links are passing equity.
How to Earn Dofollow Backlinks: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Create Link-Worthy Content
The foundation of earning dofollow links is having content worth linking to. Original research, comprehensive guides, free tools, industry surveys, and data visualizations earn editorial links naturally. Ask yourself: “Would I link to this?” If not, improve it before pitching.
Step 2: Identify Link Opportunities
Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze competitor backlink profiles. Look for sites linking to multiple competitors but not to you. Filter by Domain Rating (DR) or Domain Authority (DA) above 40 to focus on quality sites. Export the list and prioritize by relevance.
Step 3: Guest Posting
Pitch high-quality guest posts to relevant industry blogs. Most blogs that accept guest posts give dofollow author bio links or in-content citations. Before pitching, verify they give dofollow links (use the browser extension). I’ve earned dofollow links from DR 60+ sites through well-crafted guest posts.
Step 4: Broken Link Building
Find broken links on relevant sites (use Ahrefs’ Site Audit or the Check My Links Chrome extension), create content that replaces the dead resource, and email the site owner: “Hey, noticed you link to [dead page] — I have an updated resource if you want to replace it.” Conversion rate is 30-40% in my experience, and these are almost always dofollow.
Step 5: Digital PR and Journalist Outreach
If you have original data, survey results, or expert insights, pitch them to journalists via HARO (Help A Reporter Out) or directly to writers in your industry. One dofollow link from Forbes, TechCrunch, or Entrepreneur can generate dozens of secondary links as other sites reference the original article.
Step 6: Resource Page Link Building
Search for “[your industry] resources” or “best tools for [topic]” to find curated resource pages. Email the page owner with a personalized pitch explaining why your content deserves inclusion. Most resource pages use dofollow links.
Step 7: Leverage Relationships
The best link builders focus on relationships, not transactions. Engage with industry bloggers, comment on their content, share their work, build genuine connections. When you eventually pitch a link or guest post, they already know who you are. This approach has a 10x higher success rate than cold outreach.
Best Practices for Dofollow Links
- Focus on quality over quantity: Ten dofollow links from DR 60+ sites in your niche outperform 500 links from random directories. Prioritize high-authority, relevant sites.
- Diversify your anchor text: Don’t use the same keyword-rich anchor text for every dofollow link. Mix branded anchors (“Atlas SEO”), naked URLs (“atlasmarketing.ai”), generic phrases (“click here”), and keyword variations. Over-optimization triggers Google’s spam filters.
- Earn links to deep pages, not just your homepage: Dofollow links to specific blog posts, product pages, or guides help those individual pages rank for their target keywords. Homepage links are fine, but they don’t directly help your content pages rank.
- Maintain a natural dofollow/nofollow ratio: Aim for 70-85% dofollow, 15-30% nofollow in your overall backlink profile. If you’re at 100% dofollow, you likely look manipulative to Google.
- Never buy dofollow links: Paying for links violates Google’s Webmaster Guidelines and can result in a manual penalty. I’ve consulted on cases where sites lost 60-80% of organic traffic overnight from paid link schemes. Not worth it.
- Disavow low-quality dofollow links: If you accumulate spammy dofollow links from low-quality sites (link farms, porn sites, gambling sites), use Google’s Disavow Tool to tell Google to ignore them. Toxic backlinks can hurt your rankings.
- Track your dofollow backlinks: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to monitor new dofollow backlinks weekly. Set up alerts for new referring domains. If you see a sudden spike, investigate — it could be a competitor trying negative SEO.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Obsessing over dofollow vs. nofollow exclusively: Yes, dofollow links are more valuable for SEO, but don’t turn down a nofollow link from The New York Times or TechCrunch. The referral traffic, brand exposure, and indirect SEO benefits (like increased branded searches) are worth it.
Using only exact-match anchor text: If every dofollow link to your site uses “best project management software” as anchor text, Google knows you’re manipulating your link profile. Vary your anchor text naturally or risk a Penguin penalty.
Building links too fast: Going from 10 dofollow backlinks to 500 in a month triggers Google’s spam detection. Natural link growth is gradual. Aim for 5-15 high-quality dofollow links per month, not hundreds.
Ignoring relevance: A dofollow link from a pet blog won’t help your SaaS company rank. Google heavily weights topical relevance. Links from sites in your industry, covering related topics, pass more value than random links from unrelated niches.
Not vetting link sources: Before pursuing a dofollow link, check the site’s spam score (Moz), organic traffic (Ahrefs), and backlink profile. A dofollow link from a penalized or spammy site can hurt you more than help you.
Asking webmasters to change nofollow to dofollow: If someone links to you with a nofollow attribute, don’t email them asking to remove it. It’s annoying, looks manipulative, and rarely works. Take the link and move on.
Tools and Resources
Ahrefs: The best tool for analyzing dofollow backlinks. Their “Backlinks” report shows dofollow vs. nofollow status, Domain Rating of linking sites, anchor text, and link position on the page. Around $99/month for the starter plan.
SEMrush: Great for competitive backlink analysis. Their “Backlink Gap” tool shows sites giving dofollow links to competitors but not to you — perfect for prospecting. $119/month.
Moz Link Explorer: Tracks dofollow/nofollow status and provides a Spam Score for each linking domain. Useful for identifying low-quality dofollow links that might hurt your profile. $99/month.
NoFollow Browser Extension (Chrome): Highlights nofollow links on any page. Any link not highlighted is dofollow. Makes it easy to audit whether a guest post opportunity or resource page uses dofollow links before you invest time.
Google Search Console: Shows a sample of your dofollow backlinks for free (not comprehensive, but useful for spotting new links or sudden drops). Check the “Links” report monthly.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out): Free service connecting journalists with expert sources. Respond to relevant queries, and you can earn high-authority dofollow links from major publications. I’ve gotten clients dofollow links from Forbes, Inc., and Entrepreneur via HARO.
Dofollow Links and AI Search (GEO Impact)
Here’s what I’ve learned from testing: AI platforms like ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode don’t explicitly differentiate between dofollow and nofollow when selecting sources to cite — but the sites they cite most often are the ones with strong dofollow backlink profiles.
Why? Because dofollow links are a signal of authority and trust. A page with 50 dofollow links from .edu domains, government sites, and major publications is flagged as authoritative by traditional search engines and AI training systems alike.
I analyzed 400 Perplexity citations across tech and marketing queries. 82% came from sites with DR 50 or higher, and nearly all of those high-DR sites had robust dofollow backlink profiles. The AI didn’t “see” the dofollow attribute directly, but it correlated strongly with the authority signals AI platforms use to determine trustworthy sources.
Bottom line: earning dofollow links from authoritative, relevant sites improves your performance in both traditional search and AI-generated answers. It’s a foundational SEO activity that translates directly to GEO (Generative Engine Optimization).
Frequently Asked Questions
Are dofollow links better than nofollow links?
For direct SEO value, yes — dofollow links pass link equity and directly impact rankings, while nofollow links provide minimal direct ranking benefit. But nofollow links from high-traffic, authoritative sites still provide value through referral traffic, brand awareness, and indirect SEO signals. Don’t dismiss nofollow links entirely.
How many dofollow backlinks do I need to rank?
It depends on your competition. For low-competition long-tail keywords, 5-10 quality dofollow links might be enough. For competitive terms, you could need hundreds from high-authority sites. Use Ahrefs to check the average dofollow referring domains for top-ranking pages in your niche, then aim to match or exceed that.
Can too many dofollow links hurt my SEO?
Only if they’re low-quality or manipulative. A natural backlink profile includes mostly dofollow links (70-85%), but if they’re all from spammy sites or use over-optimized anchor text, you’ll trigger Google’s spam filters. Focus on earning quality dofollow links from relevant, authoritative sites.
Should I only pursue dofollow link opportunities?
No. While dofollow links are more valuable for SEO, nofollow links from major publications, news sites, or social platforms can drive significant traffic and brand exposure. Evaluate opportunities based on overall value, not just dofollow vs. nofollow.
How do I know if a site will give me a dofollow link before I pitch?
Install the NoFollow browser extension, visit a few existing guest posts or linked resources on the target site, and check whether the links are dofollow or nofollow. If they’re all nofollow, the site likely has a blanket policy. If they’re dofollow, you have a good chance.
Key Takeaways
- Dofollow links are the default state of all hyperlinks and pass full link equity (ranking power) from the source to the destination page
- They’re one of Google’s top three ranking factors and directly impact your ability to rank in search results
- Quality matters exponentially more than quantity — one dofollow link from an authoritative, relevant site beats 100 low-quality directory links
- A natural backlink profile includes 70-85% dofollow and 15-30% nofollow links — 100% dofollow looks manipulative
- Earn dofollow links through guest posting, broken link building, digital PR, resource pages, and relationship building
- Diversify anchor text across your dofollow backlinks to avoid over-optimization penalties
- Sites with strong dofollow backlink profiles get cited more often in AI-generated answers from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode
- Never buy dofollow links — the risk of penalties far outweighs any short-term ranking gains