What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks?

A dofollow link passes authority ("link equity") from the linking site to yours, helping your rankings. A nofollow link includes a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass that authority. Both are real links a person can click; the difference is only in the ranking signal they send.

Do nofollow links help SEO?

Yes, more than their reputation suggests. Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict rule, so some nofollow links may still carry weight. Beyond that, they drive referral traffic, build brand awareness, and often lead to dofollow links later. A natural profile contains both, and an all-dofollow profile looks manipulated.

How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow?

View the page source and look at the link's rel attribute. A value of rel="nofollow" (or "sponsored" or "ugc") means it doesn't pass standard authority, while no such attribute means it's dofollow. Most backlink checkers and browser SEO extensions label each link's follow status for you so you don't have to inspect the HTML.

What are sponsored and UGC link attributes?

They're two newer rel values Google introduced alongside nofollow. rel="sponsored" marks paid or affiliate links; rel="ugc" marks user-generated content like comments and forum posts. All three signal that a link shouldn't pass normal ranking authority, and Google treats them as hints about the link's nature.

Is there a free dofollow backlink checker?

Yes. Our free checker returns any domain's referring domains with dofollow or nofollow labelled on each one, with no account. It reports at the referring-domain level rather than per individual link, which is the more useful view when you are deciding which sites are worth pursuing.

How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow in bulk?

Use a backlink checker rather than inspecting pages by hand. Viewing source tells you about one link at a time, which is fine for a single mention and impractical across a profile. A checker reports the split across every referring domain at once, so you can sort by which sites actually pass authority.

Does a domain marked dofollow mean all its links pass authority?

No, and this trips people up. Most checkers summarise follow status per referring domain rather than per link, because a domain list is far more readable. A single site often sends both kinds, such as an editorial link from an article and a nofollow one from an author profile. A dofollow label means the site sends at least one followed link, not that every link from it passes authority.

Backlinks 101

Dofollow vs nofollow backlinks, explained clearly

What the difference actually is, why nofollow links still matter more than most people think, and how to check which kind you're getting, without the jargon or the myths.

Brad Williams·Updated Jul 2026·4 min read

"Dofollow" and "nofollow" get treated like good links versus useless links. That framing is wrong, and it costs people real opportunities. Here's what the difference actually is, why it matters less than the myths suggest, and how to check which kind you're getting, all in about three minutes.

The actual difference

Every link on the web can carry a rel attribute. That is a small instruction to search engines about how to treat it.

Dofollow is the default. It has no special attribute. It passes link equity (authority) from the linking page to yours. This is the link that most directly helps rankings.
Nofollow carries rel="nofollow". It tells search engines not to pass standard authority. It is still a real, clickable link, just with the ranking signal dialed down.

Two cousins of nofollow

You'll also see rel="sponsored" (paid or affiliate links) and rel="ugc" (user-generated content like comments). Same idea as nofollow: a signal that the link shouldn't pass normal ranking authority.

Why nofollow matters more than its reputation

Here's where most advice goes wrong. Nofollow links are treated as worthless. They aren't:

Google treats nofollow as a hint, not a command. Since 2019, it's a signal Google may still factor in, not a hard "ignore this link" instruction.
They drive real traffic. A nofollow link from a high-traffic publication can send more qualified visitors than a dozen dofollow links from quiet sites.
They lead to dofollow links. Awareness compounds. A nofollow mention today is often the reason someone links to you (dofollow) tomorrow.
They keep your profile natural. A profile that's 100% dofollow looks engineered. Real sites earn a healthy mix. Nofollow links are camouflage as much as they are traffic.

Chasing only dofollow links is like refusing any introduction that doesn't come with a signed contract. You'll miss most of the room.

How to check a link's follow status

You don't need a subscription to tell the difference:

View source. Right-click the linking page → View Page Source (or inspect the link) and look at its rel attribute. rel="nofollow" / "sponsored" / "ugc" means it won't pass standard authority. Nothing there means dofollow.
A browser SEO extension. Most highlight nofollow links on any page you visit, no HTML-reading required.
A backlink checker. When you pull a full profile (yours or a competitor's), most checkers label the follow status, so you can see the split across hundreds of links instead of opening them one at a time.

Using a dofollow backlink checker

The first two methods above work on one link at a time, which is fine when you are curious about a specific mention and useless when you want to know what your profile actually looks like. That is what a dofollow backlink checker is for: it reports the follow status across an entire link profile at once.

One distinction worth understanding before you read any tool's output, because almost none of them explain it:

Per-link status is the literal attribute on one specific <a> tag. Exact, but there can be thousands of them.
Per-domain status is a summary of everything one site sends you. This is what most checkers, including ours, show at the domain level, because a list of referring domains is far more readable than a list of individual links.

The catch is that a single site frequently sends both. A publication might link editorially from an article (dofollow) and again from an author profile (nofollow). So a domain marked dofollow means "this site sends at least one followed link," not "every link from this site passes authority." That is the honest reading, and it is the right one for deciding whether a referring domain is worth pursuing.

What to actually do with the number

Do not chase a dofollow percentage. Use the label as a sort order. When you are deciding which of a competitor's referring domains to go after first, a strong domain that passes authority outranks an equally strong one that does not. That is the entire practical use of follow status.

Check follow status across a whole profile, free

Paste any domain and get its referring domains back with dofollow or nofollow labelled on each one, alongside authority and what is new in the last 30 days. No account needed.

Run a free check →

What to actually do with this

Don't discard nofollow opportunities, and don't obsess over the label. When you analyze a competitor's profile or audit your own, use follow status as one sorting factor. Prioritize dofollow from relevant, authoritative sites, but happily take a nofollow link from a publication your buyers read. The mix is the point.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks?: A dofollow link passes authority ("link equity") from the linking site to yours, helping your rankings. A nofollow link includes a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass that authority. Both are real links a person can click; the difference is only in the ranking signal they send.
Do nofollow links help SEO?: Yes, more than their reputation suggests. Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a strict rule, so some nofollow links may still carry weight. Beyond that, they drive referral traffic, build brand awareness, and often lead to dofollow links later. A natural profile contains both, and an all-dofollow profile looks manipulated.
How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow?: View the page source and look at the link's rel attribute. A value of rel="nofollow" (or "sponsored" or "ugc") means it doesn't pass standard authority, while no such attribute means it's dofollow. Most backlink checkers and browser SEO extensions label each link's follow status for you so you don't have to inspect the HTML.
What are sponsored and UGC link attributes?: They're two newer rel values Google introduced alongside nofollow. rel="sponsored" marks paid or affiliate links; rel="ugc" marks user-generated content like comments and forum posts. All three signal that a link shouldn't pass normal ranking authority, and Google treats them as hints about the link's nature.
Is there a free dofollow backlink checker?: Yes. Our free checker returns any domain's referring domains with dofollow or nofollow labelled on each one, with no account. It reports at the referring-domain level rather than per individual link, which is the more useful view when you are deciding which sites are worth pursuing.
How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow in bulk?: Use a backlink checker rather than inspecting pages by hand. Viewing source tells you about one link at a time, which is fine for a single mention and impractical across a profile. A checker reports the split across every referring domain at once, so you can sort by which sites actually pass authority.
Does a domain marked dofollow mean all its links pass authority?: No, and this trips people up. Most checkers summarise follow status per referring domain rather than per link, because a domain list is far more readable. A single site often sends both kinds, such as an editorial link from an article and a nofollow one from an author profile. A dofollow label means the site sends at least one followed link, not that every link from it passes authority.

Keep reading

Where to get backlinks that actually count

Which sources tend to give dofollow vs nofollow links.

How to check who is linking to your website

See the follow status across your whole link profile.

How to analyze a competitor's backlink profile

Read follow status the right way when sizing up rivals.

What is a backlink?

The wider definition this distinction sits inside.

Types of backlinks, with examples

Which link types are usually dofollow, and which are not.

Anchor text, explained

The other link attribute worth understanding.

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