Dofollow and Nofollow Links: Key Differences

When diving into the world of link building and implementing an effective link strategy, there are concepts that you need to master. In this case, I’m talking about dofollow and nofollow links. You may be aware of them or even know their main difference, but do you know how to use them correctly? In this article, we will break it down in detail.

What is a dofollow link

The dofollow link is the default link type when inserting a hyperlink on our website. Why? Because it does not require a specific tag; there is no command as such that is dofollow.

By having this type of link in an article, we are indicating to Google that this link is important and, therefore, authority is passed to the site in question. The search engine stops at that link, crawls it, and assigns importance from the originating website.

Thus, it is very important to consider the use of dofollow links, both from our website and those pointing to it from other pages. It is an action to evaluate for working on the famous domain authority.

We must also not forget that semantic context is passed, both through the chosen anchor text and the article itself. This is very relevant when generating a context that Google can better understand those links and contents.

But how can you know when links are being used correctly? We will explain it below.

How to use dofollow links

Dofollow and nofollow links have the same appearance to the user, but not for Google (or the search engine in question) that crawls them.

In the case of dofollow links, as we mentioned earlier, no code is required for them to be established as such. Simply hyperlink the anchor text that we have considered and direct it to the relevant webpage.

Dofollow links mainly serve to pass authority. For this reason, it is interesting to receive dofollow links from relevant pages in our sector that have good authority. But remember that the theme and a related community are much more important when evaluating a link that positions us.

For example, if we have a niche website specialized in desserts for vegans, it would be very interesting for a reputable vegan food website to include a dofollow link to our site or one of our sections.

In this way, we will not only gain visibility among a similar target audience, but Google will value part of that authority that refers to our website and will encompass us in an appropriate context, favoring our SEO positioning.

On the other hand, it is also interesting to have authoritative outbound links in dofollow format in our content. Although this may cause part of our authority to be passed, we are offering Google a rich context with which it understands that we are positioned within a specific topic and that we have important sources to talk about it.

How many external dofollow links should I include? The answer is: it depends. Because there is no exact measure, the issue is to pay attention to what that link contributes, whether they are reference sources, and the appropriate anchor text. Sometimes, it is possible to place several of these links because they will provide a much richer context, and although part of our link juice is passed, both Google and our users will understand it and receive it as added value.

What is a nofollow link

A nofollow link is a hyperlink that directs to another website or page that indicates to Google not to follow it, meaning it invites the Mountain View search engine not to consider it in the authority transfer action.

In this way, it references another page with which the user can have greater context without Google needing to go further when crawling. Or that is the intention, as we know, only Google ultimately determines whether to follow a link or not.

How to use nofollow links

To insert a nofollow link in our text, we must add a small HTML code. This code will indicate to Google the type of link we want to put, understanding that order to “pass by” when transmitting authority.

The code is very simple to insert, as we only need to add the tag rel="nofollow" to the link in question. To give a graphic example, if we wanted to add a nofollow link to the Unancor website, the code would be as follows:

<p> You will find it at <a href="https://www.unancor.com/" rel="nofollow">Unancor</a> whenever you want.</p>

The ideal is to have them in our texts when linking or being linked. And although they do not perform that authority transfer, they continue to provide Google with a lot of information and context to evaluate the site.

Just like with dofollow links, there is no exact number of nofollow links that we should place in our articles. Nor a specific number for the links we will receive. This tag will serve for those cases where we do not want Google to follow the link, something we can use if we intend for users to interact with the link without authority being passed.

Tips for your strategies with dofollow and nofollow links

Once we understand much better what dofollow and nofollow links consist of and the differences they present, we can move on to a series of tips for using them.

First of all, the most important thing is the context and the value you provide. Using external dofollow links that help better understand the topic and add value to the user will always be a good option. So, don’t worry about the number of dofollow and nofollow links you are going to include (obviously, if you are going to flood your text with links, Google will get annoyed). What I mean is that what matters lies in the coherence of the link in question and how you use the anchor text.

Secondly, you can use dofollow links in your internal linking to boost your link juice. By providing appropriate anchor text and leading to quality content, these links will favor the positioning of your website. However, keep in mind that that authority will be distributed among the different pages of your website.

Nofollow links do not entail a transfer of authority but will continue to provide context and drive traffic to the linked website, so when creating a strategy with sponsored posts, keep these actions in mind. With nofollow, you can provide context and decide that Google does not pass authority. Well, decide… in the end, Google decides.

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Other links to consider: UGC and Sponsored

Beyond dofollow and nofollow links, there are other types of links that we must consider in our strategies. We are talking about two types that would warrant another article on their own, but for now, let’s stick with the following:

• Sponsored Link: This is a link whose tag indicates to Google that it has been placed through an advertising action, resolving doubts and clarifying the action to avoid penalties.
• UGC Link: By the acronym, User Generated Content, this type of link indicates to Google that it has been produced by the users of the website and not by its administrator. Generally, these are links that users include in comment boxes, forums…etc.

How do you usually apply links? Do you have a niche website and take dofollow and nofollow into account in your strategies? Share it with us in the comments box.

We’ll read you in the next post!