What Is a Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is a normal link on a web page that search engines can follow. It passes trust and ranking power from one page to another.
Definition
A dofollow link is a standard HTML link that:
- Points from one website or page to another
- Lets search engine bots crawl the target page
- Passes link equity, also called link juice or SEO value
If a link does not have the rel="nofollow" or other blocking tag, it is treated as a dofollow link by default.
Why Dofollow Links Matter
- Better rankings Search engines use dofollow links as votes of trust to decide which pages should rank higher.
- More authority Getting dofollow links from strong, trusted sites can raise your site authority.
- More traffic People can click these links and visit your site, bringing real visitors.
- Faster discovery Search engine bots follow these links and can find and index new pages more quickly.
Dofollow Link vs Related Terms
Dofollow link vs nofollow link
- Dofollow passes SEO value and lets bots fully follow the link.
- Nofollow tells search engines not to pass ranking power through that link.
Dofollow link vs internal link
- Dofollow link can be internal or external. The key part is that it passes SEO value.
- Internal link connects pages inside the same site. It can be dofollow or nofollow.
Example of a Dofollow Link
HTML code example:
<a href="https://example.com/guide">Read this SEO guide</a>This is a dofollow link because it does not use any rel attribute like rel="nofollow". Search engines can follow it and pass ranking value.
FAQs
Is every link a dofollow link?
Most links are dofollow by default. A link only becomes nofollow when you add a special tag like rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc".
How do I check if a link is dofollow?
Right click the page, choose View Source or Inspect, and look at the link code. If there is no rel="nofollow" or similar attribute, it is a dofollow link.
Are dofollow links always good for SEO?
They help only when they come from real, relevant, and trusted sites. Spammy dofollow links can hurt and may cause penalties.
Can I control which links on my site are dofollow?
Yes. Leave a normal link to make it dofollow. Add rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" if you do not want to pass SEO value.
