Dofollow backlinks are ordinary links from another website to your website that do not contain a qualifying rel attribute such as nofollow, sponsored or ugc. "Dofollow" is an informal SEO term. There is no official HTML attribute called rel="dofollow".

Dofollow backlinks can help with three parts of SEO: page discovery, topical context and ranking signals. Google changed its treatment of nofollow, ugc and sponsored links in 2019, but a dofollow backlink does not guarantee higher rankings, faster indexing or more traffic.

Link type Example Typical meaning
Dofollow backlink `<a href=" A regular, unqualified link
Nofollow link `<a rel="nofollow" href=" The publisher does not want to endorse or fully associate with the destination
Sponsored link `<a rel="sponsored" href=" The link is paid, sponsored or part of an advertising arrangement
UGC link `<a rel="ugc" href=" The link was added through user-generated content, such as a forum or comment

A dofollow backlink connects a page on one website to a page on another website.

<a href="SEO guide
</a>

In this example:

  • The website publishing the link is the referring domain.
  • The linked page is the target page.
  • "SEO guide" is the anchor text.
  • The link is commonly called dofollow because it has no nofollow, sponsored or ugc qualification.

Google uses crawlable links to discover pages and understand how pages relate to one another. Google generally expects crawlable links to use an HTML <a> element with an href attribute.

A relevant dofollow backlink can help a webpage in three ways:

  1. Search discovery: Google can find the linked page through the link.
  2. Context: The linking page and anchor text can help Google understand the subject of the destination page.
  3. Ranking signals: Google may use links when evaluating the relevance and importance of pages.

The value of a backlink depends on more than its dofollow status. A link is usually more useful when it comes from a relevant page, appears naturally in useful content and sends qualified referral traffic.

A link from an unrelated, low-quality or spam-filled website may provide little value. It can also create risk if it is part of a scheme designed to manipulate rankings.

The main difference is whether the link contains a qualifying rel value.

Factor Dofollow backlink Nofollow backlink
HTML marker No qualifying rel value rel="nofollow"
Can generate referral traffic? Yes Yes
Can help Google discover a page? Yes, when crawlable The link may still be found through other signals
Can contribute ranking signals? It may Google treats nofollow as a hint, not an absolute command
Common use Editorial references and natural recommendations Untrusted links, some paid links and links where the publisher does not want to imply endorsement

Google changed nofollow, ugc and sponsored from strict directives to hints in 2019. Google may still use information from these links. Publishers use the attributes to describe the relationship and indicate how the links should be treated.

A nofollow backlink can still send visitors, introduce your brand to an audience and lead to additional natural links. Nofollow does not mean useless.

A strong backlink often has several of these qualities:

  • Topical relevance: The linking page covers a subject related to your business or content.
  • Editorial placement: The link appears in content written for readers, rather than in a template, footer or spam page.
  • Useful anchor text: The clickable words accurately describe the destination page.
  • A real audience: The referring website attracts visitors who may need your product, service or information.
  • Crawlability: The link uses a crawlable HTML format and points to an accessible URL.
  • A reason to cite it: The destination offers something worth referencing, such as original research, a useful tool, expert analysis or a strong resource.

No universal number of backlinks guarantees rankings. Google evaluates links alongside content quality, relevance, technical accessibility and many other signals.

Buying or selling links for ranking purposes violates Google's link spam policies. Paid advertising and sponsorships are allowed when the links are properly qualified with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow".

Google lists paid links that pass ranking credit, excessive link exchanges, automated link-building services, low-quality directories and keyword-rich comment links as examples of link spam.

For a paid placement, use:

<a rel="sponsored" href="Visit Example
</a>

You can also use rel="nofollow" where appropriate. Google prefers rel="sponsored" for advertising and sponsorship relationships.

The safest approach is to create something other websites would want to reference. Common methods include:

  • Publishing original research, surveys or industry data
  • Creating useful tools, calculators or templates
  • Producing detailed guides that improve on existing resources
  • Sharing expert commentary on newsworthy topics
  • Building relationships with relevant publications and industry organisations
  • Promoting useful content to journalists, publishers and professional communities
  • Reclaiming unlinked brand mentions when a publisher has already referenced your business

Do not treat every backlink as valuable because a tool labels it dofollow. Relevance, editorial context and trust matter more than the label.

Inspect the link's HTML in your browser or use a backlink analysis tool.

A regular link may look like this:

<a href="Recommended resource
</a>

A qualified link may look like this:

<a rel="nofollow" href="Recommended resource
</a>

<a rel="sponsored" href="Recommended resource
</a>

If the link has no qualifying rel value, SEO tools will usually classify it as dofollow. That classification describes the link markup. It does not predict a ranking outcome.

Bottom Line

Treat dofollow as a description of link markup, not as a link-building target. A relevant editorial link that brings the right visitors is usually more useful than a large list of links chosen only because a tool labels them dofollow.