Do you find the nofollow vs dofollow link game is a tough one? The realm of SEO is a rather vast one. Links can change the entire trajectory of your SEO game.
As a marketer looking to make it big, you should be aware of the various nuances of linking. Find out the differences and benefits of dofollow links and nofollow links here!
It first needs to be established that more number of links are always desirable. Also, Google often ranks pages on the basis of link points. Take a look at ways in which you can get good-quality backlinks here.
But the story of linking does not end with garnering more numbers of links. There is more to understand about backlinks than you might believe. Are you aware of the differences between dofollow links and nofollow links?
This blog will help you understand the debate of a nofollow vs dofollow link.
What are Links?
Links are connecters that bind different websites or pages together. These links take your visitors from page to page or website to website. Google determines the quality and quantity of your website’s inbound links to assess it.
Google analyses the value of links that point to a page/website. Choosing a high-value link can help you travel up the SERPs. This will in turn reflect on your traffic.
As a marketer, you would often wonder if the links you are getting are dofollow links or nofollow links.
Read on to understand the differences between both.
What are Nofollow Links?
Understanding a nofollow link will establish a clearer idea about the differences between both of these.
The easiest way to recognize a nofollow link is to identify the code rel-“nofollow” attribute in its HTML code.
What does this attribute do? It shared the message to search engines to not pass authority from the linking page/website to the destination website.
Simply put, nofollow links have little relevance in the SEO game!
What are Dofollow Links?
Dofollow links are those links which do not have a nofollow attribute. It is the standard form of establishing links between websites.
When a website links to your page/site using a dofollow link, it will directly reflect on your search engine rankings.
- Making a Link Dofollow
When you create a link to your site in a blog post, it is most likely to be a dofollow link.
However, there are chances that a nofollow link may be pointing to your website somewhere else. You will not be able to change a nofollow to a dofollow on another website.
You can reach out to the owner of a website to convert the nofollow tag on your link to a dofollow one. This can boost your reach.
Let us get a better understanding of nofollow links.
Nofollow vs Dofollow Link
Superficially a there are no differences between a nofollow vs dofollow link.
Google does not pass any PageRank to a linked website. This is why you need to reach out to a site linking to yours using a nofollow attribute. Otherwise, the link is completely useless for your website.
Search engines usually check through the web to identify dofollow links and recognize which site is being linked to the other. If your site links to a reputable site, the search engine can hike up your rankings on the search engine results page.
The only difference between a nofollow link and a dofollow link is the variation in their tags. This technical variation metamorphoses into the inability to pass the link equity or ‘link juice’.
That is, if the link you are opting for is a nofollow one, the linking page will not pass on the authority to your page. It is basically useless.
Your PageRank will remain static.
Instead, if you choose dofollow links, the authority of the sites you are linking to will leniently pass it on to your site. In short, a dofollow link actually holds a link to another page/website.
Nofollow links prevent black hat SEO malpractices from manipulating and benefitting from the planted links of high-authority sites.
Where Can You Find Nofollow Links?
Nofollow links are usually seen in forums, press releases, sponsored content, social media content, blog comments and the like.
Therefore, while you are choosing to invest in link building, think before you put your money and effort into these areas.
Free press releases or leaving comments beneath blogs cannot boost your PageRank.
Shall I Dismiss Nofollow Links Altogether?
There are several uses to nofollow links. Even though the debate of the nofollow vs dofollow link may still be on, the former does have certain advantages.
Here are the various functions of a nofollow link.
- Increase in Traffic & Brand Exposure
Even though nofollow links don’t contribute to increasing your PageRank, they can prompt visitors to click through your website.
This can increase referral visits to your website. As Neil Patel notes that nearly 10,000 referral visits have been from Quora alone in one month, this can increase your brand exposure too.
So, whether or not you get any ‘link juice’ activities on your website can be increased using nofollow links.
- Builds a Natural Profile of Backlinks
A site is usually an amalgam of dofollow links and nofollow links. The Penguin Algorithm Update by Google recognizes that it is suspicious for a site to only have dofollow ones.
So, you can cultivate a seemingly natural backlink profile by using a combination of both. A nofollow vs dofollow link is not always a bad thing!
You need not hit up every site linking you.
- Subsequent Increase in Dofollow Links
Exposure is always great. Steady exposure will ensure that your site receives enough attention. Thus, your chances for gaining dofollow links increase gradually.
This may take time. But that is what marketing is all about; steady strategizing!
When Shall I Use Nofollow vs Dofollow Link on My Website?
It is very important to know who all are linking to your site using nofollow and dofollow links. Granted.
However, it is just as vital to know how to link to third party sites.
- Advertisements, sponsored content, links that are part of your paid advertising strategies should have the nofollow attribute. This can ensure that you are not part of any link scheme.
- When you link to content that might not be from authentic sources, you can use the nofollow attribute. For instance, comments on your website might contain links from unreliable sources. Here is where a nofollow link can come to your rescue.
Making a Nofollow Link
If you have encountered the above-mentioned situations, you will need to add the nofollow attribute to your links.
Here is how to go about it.
- Go to your blog editor.
- Switch to HTML view.
- Find the link you wish to convert.
- Follow the following code correction:
<a href=”http://www.example1.com/”rel=”nofollow”>Example1 anchor text</a>
Distinguishing a Nofollow vs Dofollow Link
The first way to spot the difference is to manually check using a Chrome extension. Access the source code for the page you wish to check using View Source. Search the page for a nofollow link.
You may use the NoFollow Chrome Extension as well. This will reveal the nofollow links in red.
In Conclusion
We hope this blog has helped you realize that nofollow links aren’t always bad. A nofollow vs dofollow link dual is persistent in the marketing sphere.
If your target is concentrated on SEO alone, nofollow links aren’t advisable. Otherwise, there is no need to worry too much. After all, we did see that nofollow links have their own advantages.
With the growth in your website, more of both these types of links are sure to be part of your built.
If you have more questions regarding dofollow links and nofollow links, comment down below. We will be happy to help you!
This is a good comparison of dofollow and nofollow links. It will also help if you can give suggestions for which tool is better when it comes to tracking these, that will surely help!
Thank you! We will be soon publishing a post on – 10 FREE tools to Check NoFollow and DoFollow Links!! Hope it will help you!