The fastest way to find dofollow backlinks is to use a backlink analysis tool such as Ahrefs or Semrush, filter the results for follow links, and manually verify the HTML of each promising link. Google Search Console can show which websites link to your site, but it does not identify whether individual backlinks are nofollow or dofollow.

For competitor research, start with 3 to 5 pages that rank for your target topic. Use their backlink profiles to find sites that may also link to your content.

Goal Recommended method What it tells you
Find backlinks to your site Google Search Console Which sites and pages link to you
Confirm follow status Ahrefs, Semrush or manual HTML inspection Whether a link has nofollow, sponsored or ugc attributes
Find link opportunities Competitor backlink analysis Which sites already link to similar businesses
Find prospects without paid tools Google search operators Resource pages, lists, guides and industry mentions
Earn editorial backlinks Digital PR, original research, resource outreach and link reclamation Which assets may attract links from relevant sites

A dofollow backlink is the common SEO term for a regular hyperlink without a rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" attribute.

There is no standard HTML attribute called rel="dofollow". A normal link usually looks like this:

<a href="SEO guide
</a>

Google says regular links do not need a rel attribute. Links marked with nofollow, sponsored or ugc are qualified links. Google may treat those attributes as hints, but they are not handled like ordinary editorial links.

These attributes matter when checking a link:

rel="nofollow"
rel="sponsored"
rel="ugc"

A link with target="_blank" or rel="noopener" can still be a regular follow link.

Google Search Console is a free starting point for analysing backlinks to a website you control.

Steps

  1. Open Google Search Console.
  2. Select your website property.
  3. Open Links.
  4. Review:
    • Top linking sites
    • Top linked pages
    • Top linking text
  5. Export the data as a CSV file or Google Sheet.

Search Console groups links by root domain, combines duplicate links and provides a sample rather than a complete list of every backlink Google knows about. The Links report also does not show whether a backlink is marked nofollow.

Use the report to find possible backlink sources. Then check those links in a backlink tool or inspect the source page manually.

A backlink database is useful when you need to review links at scale or compare your site with competitors.

Ahrefs

In Ahrefs Site Explorer:

  1. Enter your domain, a specific page or a competitor's domain.
  2. Open the Backlinks report.
  3. Review the backlink type filters.
  4. Filter out links marked nofollow, UGC or sponsored.
  5. Review the remaining pages for subject fit and page quality.

Ahrefs separates regular links from links marked nofollow, UGC and sponsored. Its reports also show the referring page, target URL and other details that help with prospecting.

Semrush

In Semrush Backlinks Analytics:

  1. Enter a domain or URL.
  2. Open the backlinks report.
  3. Apply the Follow attribute filter.
  4. Review the source page, target URL, anchor text and referring domain.
  5. Export the filtered list for outreach.

Semrush includes filters for Follow, Nofollow, Sponsored and UGC links. Its report also provides source page details, anchor text, target URLs and first-seen or last-seen dates.

Which Tool Should You Use?

  • Google Search Console gives you a free overview of links Google has discovered.
  • Ahrefs is useful for competitor research, backlink filtering and prospect discovery.
  • Semrush is useful when you need Follow filters, backlink history and wider competitor data.

No backlink database contains every link on the internet. Treat the data as a prospecting list, not a complete copy of Google's index.

Competitor backlink analysis can reveal sites that already link to businesses in your market.

Process

  1. Choose 3 to 5 businesses that rank for your target topics.
  2. Enter each competitor into Ahrefs or Semrush.
  3. Filter for follow backlinks.
  4. Export the results.
  5. Remove duplicate domains.
  6. Group the remaining prospects by type.

Look for patterns such as:

  • Industry resource pages
  • "Best tools" lists
  • Supplier or partner pages
  • Expert interviews
  • Original research citations
  • Local business directories
  • Software comparison pages
  • Broken competitor pages
  • Relevant guest contributions
  • News coverage and product reviews

The useful discovery is often the pattern rather than one individual backlink. If several competitors have links from the same type of resource page, your business may be a suitable addition if you offer a resource that helps the page's readers.

Backlink tools can show old links, misclassify links or report a link that has since disappeared. Inspect important prospects yourself.

  1. Open the page containing the backlink.
  2. Right-click the link and select Inspect or View Page Source.
  3. Search for your domain or target URL.
  4. Examine the surrounding <a> element.

A regular link may look like this:

<a href="detailed industry guide
</a>

A qualified link may look like this:

<a href="rel="nofollow">
  detailed industry guide
</a>

Other qualified examples include:

<a href="rel="sponsored">

<a href="rel="ugc">

A backlink is more promising when:

  • It uses a normal HTML <a> element with an href.
  • It points directly to the intended page.
  • The source page covers a related subject.
  • It appears in the main editorial content.
  • The page is available to users and search crawlers.
  • It is not hidden, sitewide or placed in a spammy widget.

Google generally discovers crawlable links through standard <a href> elements. Links created only through unusual JavaScript events or nonstandard elements may not be parsed reliably.

You can find potential link sources without a paid SEO tool by searching for pages that collect resources in your industry.

Try searches such as:

"resource page" "your topic"

intitle:resources "your topic"

"recommended tools" "your industry"

"helpful links" "your topic"

"best websites for" "your topic"

"your competitor brand" -site:competitor.com

For local link building, try:

"your city" business resources

site:.org "your industry" resources

These searches identify possible pages, not guaranteed dofollow opportunities. Open each page and inspect the links before adding it to your outreach list.

A .edu or .org domain is not automatically a strong backlink source. Subject fit, page quality, editorial context and the chance of receiving referral traffic matter more than the domain extension.

6. Find Unlinked Brand Mentions

Search for mentions of your company, product, founders or branded content that do not link to your website.

Useful searches include:

"Your Brand Name"

"Your Product Name"

"Founder Name" "Your Company"

When you find a relevant mention without a link, contact the publisher and suggest the page that would help readers verify a claim, find a product or access the original source.

Broken link building involves finding relevant pages that link to outdated or unavailable resources, then suggesting a working replacement from your site.

Basic Process

  1. Analyse competitor backlinks in Ahrefs or Semrush.
  2. Filter for links pointing to broken or redirected competitor pages.
  3. Check whether you have a comparable page.
  4. Improve your page if necessary.
  5. Contact the publisher with the replacement suggestion.

The replacement must match the original resource closely. A generic homepage is a poor substitute for a specific research report.

Finding prospects is only part of link building. Publishers need a reason to reference your page.

Assets that can earn editorial links include:

  • Original research
  • Industry surveys
  • Public datasets
  • Calculators and useful tools
  • Templates and checklists
  • Detailed practical guides
  • Visual explainers
  • Expert commentary
  • Proprietary case studies
  • Free software or downloadable resources

The strongest linkable asset helps publishers support a question their readers already have. A page created only to hold a backlink rarely attracts strong editorial links.

Follow status is only one part of the assessment.

Evaluation factor Strong signal Weak signal
Relevance The site covers your industry or audience The site has no topical connection
Placement Editorial link within useful content Footer, sidebar or sitewide link
Page quality Helpful, original and maintained page Thin, copied or auto-generated content
Referral potential The audience may click the link Few or no users would need it
Anchor text Natural and descriptive Repeated exact-match commercial keyword
Indexability Page is accessible and eligible for indexing Page is blocked, private or unavailable
Domain diversity Link comes from a new related site Many repeated links from one domain

A follow link from an unrelated or low-quality page is not automatically useful. A nofollow link can still bring referral traffic, brand exposure and discovery, so do not reject every link that is not classified as follow.

Avoid tactics designed mainly to manipulate search rankings, including:

  • Buying links that pass ranking credit
  • Excessive reciprocal link exchanges
  • Automated link-building services
  • Low-quality directory submissions
  • Forum comment links with keyword-rich anchors
  • Hidden links
  • Large-scale guest-post campaigns created only for links
  • Sitewide footer or widget links
  • Requiring links in contracts without allowing proper link qualification

Google classifies links created mainly to manipulate search rankings as link spam. Paid or sponsored links should use an appropriate rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" attribute.

Use this process for each page you want to promote:

  1. Select the page that deserves backlinks.
  2. Analyse 3 to 5 competing pages.
  3. Filter their backlinks for Follow.
  4. Export relevant referring domains.
  5. Remove irrelevant and duplicate prospects.
  6. Inspect each source page manually.
  7. Check the link placement and HTML attributes.
  8. Decide why the publisher might reference your page.
  9. Create or improve the resource if needed.
  10. Send a short, personalised outreach message.
  11. Track new, lost and changed backlinks over time.

A Follow filter helps you screen prospects. It does not replace a review of relevance, placement, page quality and likely referral value.