A dofollow link is a hyperlink that tells search engines to count it as a vote for your website
When another website links to yours, search engines like Google read that link and decide whether to follow it. A dofollow link is one where the website owner has not blocked the search engine from following it — so the engine crawls over to your site and registers the link as a recommendation. This is different from a nofollow link, which explicitly tells the search engine to ignore the connection.
Think of it this way: a dofollow link passes what search engines call "link juice" or authority from the linking site to yours. If a website with high authority links to you with a dofollow link, search engines treat that as a stronger signal that your site is trustworthy. The more dofollow links you have from reputable sources, the more likely your pages are to rank higher in search results for the topics those pages cover.
Most links on the internet are dofollow by default. A website has to actively add code (called a nofollow tag) to make a link not pass authority. So unless you see that tag, assume the link is dofollow.
Key Takeaways
- Dofollow links pass authority from one website to another and help search engines understand that your site is worth ranking higher.
- Most links are dofollow by default — a website must deliberately add a nofollow tag to block search engines from following the link.
- Links from high-authority websites (news sites, educational institutions, established businesses) carry more weight than links from new or low-traffic sites.
- You can check whether a link is dofollow or nofollow by inspecting the page code, though the difference matters more to search engines than to you as a visitor.
How dofollow links affect your search rankings
Search engines use links as one of many signals to decide which pages deserve to rank. A dofollow link from another site tells the engine: "This website vouches for that one." The more vouches you get, especially from sites the engine already trusts, the more your own site climbs in the rankings.
The quality of the linking site matters enormously. A dofollow link from a major news outlet or an established industry authority is worth far more than a dofollow link from a brand-new blog with no traffic. Search engines have learned to weight links based on how much authority the source site itself has. If a site with low authority links to you, the boost is minimal. If a site with high authority links to you, the boost is substantial.
The anchor text — the clickable words in the link — also plays a role. If a site links to you using words related to your topic (for example, "best plumbing services in Denver" instead of just "click here"), that tells search engines more clearly what your page is about and strengthens the ranking boost for those specific search terms.
The difference between dofollow and nofollow links
A nofollow link contains a small piece of HTML code that says rel="nofollow". This instruction tells search engines not to follow the link or pass authority through it. The link still works for human visitors — you can still click it and reach the destination — but search engines treat it as if the link does not exist.
Websites use nofollow links for several reasons. A site might add nofollow to links in user comments to prevent spam, since spammers would otherwise flood the comments section with links to boost their own sites. News outlets often use nofollow on links to press releases or sponsored content. Social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook use nofollow on all external links by default. A website might also use nofollow on links to competitors or to pages it does not want to endorse.
From a visitor's perspective, a dofollow and nofollow link look identical. You cannot tell the difference by clicking or looking at the page. Only by inspecting the code behind the link can you see whether it is dofollow or nofollow.
Where dofollow links come from and how to earn them
Dofollow links come naturally when other websites find your content useful and link to it. A blogger might link to your article because it answers a question their readers have. A news site might link to your business because you are a source for a story. An industry directory might list your site because you fit their criteria. These are the links that matter most because they come from genuine relevance, not from you asking for them.
You can also earn dofollow links by being mentioned in places where links are common. If you write something original or newsworthy, journalists and bloggers may link to it. If you contribute to industry discussions or forums, people may link to your site from their own. If you build relationships with other business owners or creators in your field, they may naturally link to your site from theirs.
Some people try to buy dofollow links or trade them with other sites, but search engines penalize this practice. Google's guidelines explicitly forbid buying links for ranking purposes. If you are caught, your site can be demoted in search results or removed entirely. The safest and most effective approach is to create content worth linking to and let the links come naturally.
How to check if a link pointing to your site is dofollow
If you want to know whether links to your site are dofollow or nofollow, you have a few options. The simplest is to use a free browser extension like MozBar or SEOquake, which shows you the link status as you browse. These tools highlight whether each link on a page is dofollow or nofollow.
You can also inspect the page code manually. Right-click on the link and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element" (the exact wording depends on your browser). Look for the text rel="nofollow" in the code. If you see it, the link is nofollow. If you do not see it, the link is dofollow.
For a broader view of all the links pointing to your site, use a tool like Google Search Console (free from Google), Ahrefs, or SEMrush. These show you a list of backlinks — all the links from other sites to yours — and indicate which ones are dofollow and which are nofollow. Google Search Console is the most basic option and is free, though it shows fewer details than paid tools.
Why some websites use nofollow even though dofollow would help them
You might wonder why a website would ever use nofollow links if dofollow links help search rankings. The answer is that websites have reasons beyond search rankings for linking to other sites. A news outlet links to sources because readers need that information, not because it helps the news site's rankings. A blog links to a competitor's product because it is the best option for the reader, even though that link does not help the blog's own search position.
Websites also use nofollow to protect themselves. If a site links to a low-quality or spammy page, search engines might assume the linking site endorses that page. Using nofollow says: "I am linking to this for context, but I do not vouch for it." This is especially important for sites that host user-generated content like comments or forums, where they cannot control what gets linked.
From a search engine perspective, nofollow links are a sign of a healthy internet. They mean websites are making linking decisions based on what is best for their readers, not based on what will boost their own rankings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nofollow links help my website at all?
Nofollow links do not pass ranking authority, but they still drive real visitors to your site if someone clicks them. Traffic from visitors is valuable regardless of whether the link is dofollow or nofollow. Some research suggests nofollow links may have a small indirect effect on rankings, but search engines do not count them the same way they count dofollow links.
If I get a lot of dofollow links, will my site automatically rank first?
Dofollow links are one factor among many that search engines consider. Your page content, how fast your site loads, whether it works on mobile devices, and many other factors also matter. A page with fewer dofollow links but better content can outrank a page with more links but weaker content.
Can I turn a nofollow link into a dofollow link?
Only the website owner can change whether their link is dofollow or nofollow. You cannot change it from your end. If you want a link changed, you would need to contact the website owner and ask them to remove the nofollow tag, though they are under no obligation to do so.
Should I use nofollow links on my own website?
Use nofollow when you are linking to a site you do not fully endorse or cannot verify, or when you are linking to user-generated content. Use dofollow when you are linking to a trusted source that genuinely helps your readers. Most links on a well-run website are dofollow.
Do social media links count as dofollow or nofollow?
Most social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn) use nofollow on all external links by default. This means a link from a social media post does not directly boost search rankings, though it can still drive traffic and visibility if the post gets shared widely.