No Follow Links vs Do Follow Links: What Are The Differences?

In the digital marketing and SEO landscape, the concepts of no-follow links and do-follow backlinks are foundational. Understanding these links is critical for anyone looking to optimize their website’s performance on search engines. 

This article will delve into the specifics of what no-follow links and do-follow links are, their roles in SEO, and provide a comparison of their effectiveness. Additionally, we will explore why search engines introduced the nofollow tag, discuss case studies, and evaluate whether no-follow links can indeed impact SEO.

What is a No-Follow Link?

A no-follow link is a hyperlink that contains the rel=”nofollow” HTML tag. This tag tells search engines not to follow the link, meaning that it does not pass any PageRank or link equity to the linked page. 

Why Did Search Engines Create the No-Follow Tag?

This concept was introduced by Google in 2005 to combat spammy practices in link building, particularly in blog comments and user-generated content. As blogging became more popular, so did the practice of spammers leaving links in comments to drive traffic and manipulate search engine rankings. These spammy tactics led to several problems:

• Manipulated Search Results: Low-quality, spammy sites began ranking well in search engines, pushing out more valuable content.
• Uncontrolled Spam: The ease of manipulating rankings through comment spam led to an explosion of such activities, making it difficult for legitimate sites to maintain their rankings.

In response, Google, followed by other search engines like Bing and Yahoo, rolled out the nofollow tag. This tag was designed to prevent the passage of PageRank to links in user-generated content or paid links, thus maintaining the integrity of search engine results.

Common Types of Nofollow Links

Nofollow links, marked with the rel=”nofollow” tag, don’t pass link equity to the linked page. Here’s where you’ll commonly find them:

• Blog Comments: Used to prevent spammy or irrelevant links.
• Social Media: Most links from platforms like Facebook and YouTube are nofollow.
• User-Generated Content: Forum posts and other user-submitted links are often nofollow to maintain content integrity.
• Certain Blogs and News Sites: Some outlets, like the Huffington Post, automatically nofollow their outbound links.
• Widgets and Press Releases: Links embedded in these are frequently nofollow.

Popular Sites Using Nofollow: Websites such as Quora, Wikipedia, Reddit, and Medium apply nofollow to all outbound links to control link equity.

Paid Links and Google’s Guidelines: Google requires paid links to be nofollowed or labeled with rel=”sponsored” to ensure SEO fairness. Ignoring this can lead to penalties.

What is a Do-Follow Backlink?

A do-follow backlink is a regular link that search engines can follow, passing on some of the linking page’s authority to the page it connects to. These links are a key factor in SEO because they can directly influence the ranking of the linked website in search engine results.

The Importance of Do-Follow Backlinks

Do-follow backlinks are often regarded as the backbone of SEO strategies. Search engines see these links as a sign of trust or a recommendation from one site to another. A higher number of quality do-follow backlinks from reputable sites can significantly improve a website’s search engine rankings.

No-Follow vs. Do-Follow Links: What’s the Difference?

The primary technical difference between no-follow and do-follow links is the presence of the rel=”nofollow” tag. But beyond this technical distinction, the impact these links have on SEO varies significantly.

• Do-Follow Links: These links pass link equity, helping improve the linked site’s SEO and potentially boosting its position in search engine results.
• No-Follow Links: These links, in most cases, do not pass any link equity and generally do not impact the linked site’s SEO directly.

However, it’s essential to understand that while no-follow links do not contribute directly to PageRank, they are not entirely without value.

How to Check If a Link Is No-Follow or Do-Follow

Determining whether a link is no-follow or do-follow is straightforward. Here’s how you can do a SEO link analysis:

1. View Page Source: Right-click on the page with the link and select “View Page Source.” Look through the HTML code for the link. If you find rel=”nofollow” in the code, it’s a no-follow link. If this attribute is missing, it’s a do-follow link.
2. Use SEO Tools: Platforms like SEMrush or Ahrefs provide detailed insights into your backlinks, including whether they are no-follow or do-follow. These tools analyze your site’s link profile and help you understand how your links are contributing to your SEO strategy.
3. Try Effeect Link Counter Tool: For a quick and easy way to identify nofollow and dofollow links, the Effeec’s Link Counter tool is a great choice. It efficiently counts and categorizes links on any page, offering a clear view of your link structure with minimal effort.

Also read: How to Audit and Check Toxic Backlinks

The Effectiveness of No-Follow Links: Do They Help With SEO?

The effectiveness of no-follow links has been a topic of much debate in the SEO community. While it’s widely accepted that no-follow links do not pass PageRank, there are several ways in which they can still be valuable:

1. Traffic Generation: No-follow links can drive traffic to your site, especially if placed on high-traffic, reputable platforms.
2. Brand Awareness: These links can increase your site’s visibility and credibility within your industry, contributing to long-term SEO benefits.
3. Diversity in Link Profile: A natural backlink profile includes a mix of both do-follow and no-follow links. Focusing too much on do-follow links can seem unnatural to search engines and might even result in penalties.
4. Indirect SEO Benefits: No-follow links can sometimes lead to do-follow links. For example, a no-follow link on a popular site might be seen by other content creators who then link to your site with a do-follow link.

Case Studies: Do No-Follow Links Impact SEO?

To understand the impact of no-follow links, let’s examine a few real-life case studies.

Case Study 1: Ranking Boost from No-Follow Links 

An SEO expert, conducted an experiment where he purchased several no-follow links from a high-quality site within the SEO niche. These links were anchored with the keyword “backlink software.” Surprisingly, his site’s ranking for this keyword shot up from #19 to #1 in Google. This suggests that under certain conditions, no-follow links can have an indirect positive impact on rankings.

Case Study 2: Indexing via No-Follow Links 

In another experiment, a no-follow link was placed on a high-traffic site pointing to an unindexed page. Despite the no-follow tag, Google followed the link and indexed the page within 48 hours. This case indicates that while no-follow links don’t pass PageRank, they can still be followed by search engines in certain scenarios, potentially influencing indexing and visibility.

Case Study 3: Traffic and Referral Benefits 

In a guest post for a well-known blog, an SEO expert received a no-follow link back to his site. While the link did not pass PageRank, it drove significant referral traffic. Moreover, the exposure led to other sites linking to his content with do-follow links, thus indirectly benefiting his SEO.

How Do I Use No-Follow Links on My Site?

Using no-follow links on your site depends on the platform you’re using:

• WordPress: Most WordPress blogs automatically apply no-follow tags to links in comments. Additionally, plugins are available that can apply no-follow tags to external links across your site.
• Custom Websites: If you’re not using a platform like WordPress, you may need to manually add the rel=”nofollow” attribute to your links or work with a developer to automate this process.

When to Avoid Using No-Follow Links?

The nofollow attribute is useful, but it can be misused in ways that hurt your SEO. Here’s when to avoid using nofollow links:

1. Don’t Use No-Follow for All External Links Some webmasters used to apply nofollow to all external links to control PageRank distribution, known as PageRank sculpting. However, this tactic no longer works and can actually harm your SEO. Blocking link equity from flowing naturally can reduce your site’s overall authority. Instead, use nofollow selectively—only on user-generated, untrusted, or paid links. Letting link equity flow to reputable sites helps build credibility.
2. Don’t Use No-Follow for Internal Links Applying nofollow to internal links is a mistake that can hurt your SEO. Internal links are vital for helping search engines understand your site’s structure. Nofollowing these links prevents proper crawling and indexing. If you don’t want a page indexed, use a noindex meta tag or robots.txt file instead. These methods are more effective and won’t disrupt your internal linking structure.

Building a Balanced Backlink Strategy

To create an effective backlink strategy, it’s important to focus on both do-follow and no-follow links. Here are some tips:

1. Quality Over Quantity: Whether you’re acquiring do-follow or no-follow links, prioritize links from high-authority, reputable sites.
2. Diversify Your Sources: Aim to obtain links from a variety of sources, including guest posts, editorial mentions, forums, and social media.
3. Avoid Black-Hat Tactics: Engage in ethical link-building practices and avoid buying or exchanging links that violate search engine guidelines.
4. Monitor Your Link Profile: Regularly check your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console to identify any suspicious links and take corrective action if necessary.

Also read: How to Redirect HTTP to HTTPS

Conclusion

Understanding the differences between no-follow links and do-follow backlinks is essential for anyone involved in SEO. While do-follow backlinks are key to improving your search engine rankings, no-follow links play a supportive role by driving traffic, building brand awareness, and contributing to a diverse and natural link profile.

To build an effective SEO strategy, it’s important to have a good mix of both types of links. By understanding the nuances of these links and applying them appropriately, you can enhance your website’s visibility and authority in search engines.

FAQS

1. What’s the Difference Between No-Follow and Noindex?

It’s essential to differentiate between no-follow and noindex:

• No-Follow: This tag instructs search engines not to follow a specific link, meaning it does not pass on link equity.
• Noindex: This tag tells search engines not to index a specific page, ensuring that the page does not appear in search results.

While no-follow is used for links, noindex is applied to entire pages.

2. Does Google crawl nofollow links?

Yes, Google can crawl nofollow links. Although the name suggests otherwise, Google sometimes uses nofollow links to discover content. This means that a page with only nofollow links might still be indexed, but it likely won’t rank highly. Whether Google decides to crawl or index the page depends on whether it interprets the nofollow attribute as a suggestion or a strict instruction.

3. Can no-follow links ever turn into do-follow backlinks?

Yes, in some cases, a no-follow link can become a do-follow backlink if the content it links to becomes more trusted or authoritative over time.

4. Is it possible to have too many no-follow links?

It’s generally not harmful to have many no-follow links, but you should aim for a balanced backlink profile with a mix of both no-follow and do-follow links.

5. Should I always aim for do-follow backlinks?

While do-follow backlinks are important for SEO, it’s natural and beneficial to have a mix of both do-follow and no-follow links in your backlink profile.