Dofollow vs Nofollow: What the Attributes Do, and What They Change for Buyers
A dofollow link is an ordinary link with no attribute telling search engines to treat it differently. A nofollow link carries rel="nofollow", which asks them not to pass ranking signals through it. Since 2019 Google treats these attributes as hints rather than instructions, and Google added two more values — sponsored and ugc — to describe why a link carries a marker. This is the dofollow vs nofollow question in practice.
Instead, the practical question for anyone buying placements is narrower: which one are you getting, and does it change what the placement is worth?
The four states a link can be in
| Attribute | What it means | Where you see it |
|---|---|---|
| None (“dofollow”) | An ordinary editorial link | Articles a writer chose to link from |
| rel=”nofollow” | Do not associate us with this link | Comments, forums, most press wires |
| rel=”sponsored” | This link was paid for | Sponsored posts, affiliate links, ads |
| rel=”ugc” | A user wrote this, not the publisher | Comments, community posts, reviews |
“Dofollow” is not real markup. There is no dofollow attribute — the word only exists as shorthand for the absence of the other three.
How to check dofollow vs nofollow
So open the page, right-click the link, choose Inspect, and read the anchor tag. Overall, it takes five seconds and it is the only reliable way. Browser extensions that highlight nofollow links are convenient but occasionally wrong, particularly where JavaScript adds attributes after the page loads.
Check after the placement goes live, not from a supplier’s screenshot. Also, some publishers add attributes on publication.
What this means for buying placements
Still, a nofollow link is not worthless. It still sends referral traffic, still puts your name in front of an audience, and still exists as a third-party reference somebody can find. However, it does not reliably contribute to rankings.
In fact, a sponsored attribute is honest rather than punitive. A publisher marking a paid placement as sponsored is following the rules everyone agreed to. So it is not a slight against your piece.
The seller should state the attribute before you pay. Neither answer is wrong. For example, a supplier who does not know, or who quotes a followed link and delivers a sponsored one, is the actual problem.
The dofollow vs nofollow mix
A site that only ever gains followed links has an unusual profile, because the natural web is full of nofollow. Comments, social platforms, forums, wire syndication and most major publications’ outbound links all carry attributes.
This does not mean you should buy nofollow links to look natural — that is a strange use of money. It means a profile that is entirely followed, entirely from placements, acquired in a short window, is the pattern worth avoiding.
Since the hint change
Google said in 2019 that it treats these attributes as hints rather than directives, meaning it may choose to consider a nofollow link in some circumstances. Two things follow.
First, nobody outside Google knows when it does. Treat nofollow links as not passing ranking signals, and treat any exception as a bonus rather than a plan.
Second, this is not permission to buy followed links freely. Paying for links that pass ranking signals is against Google’s link spam policy regardless of how the attributes are handled, and the risk sits with the site that gains the links.
On your own site
- Mark affiliate and paid outbound links as sponsored.
- Mark links in comments and user submissions as ugc.
- Leave ordinary editorial links alone. Linking out to good sources is normal and helpful.
- Do not nofollow your own internal links to control how authority flows. That approach stopped working a long time ago.
Frequently asked questions
Do nofollow links help SEO?
Not reliably as a ranking signal. They are worth having for traffic, for brand visibility, and as third-party references. Treat any ranking effect as unverifiable rather than as the reason to buy.
What is a good ratio of followed to nofollow links?
There is no target ratio worth chasing. Natural profiles vary enormously by sector, and concentrating on the ratio is usually a sign of focusing on the wrong thing.
Should I pay for nofollow links?
Only if the audience justifies it. A sponsored placement on a publication your buyers actually read can be a good buy for reach. Paying link-building prices for a nofollow placement on a site nobody reads is not.
Is sponsored worse than nofollow?
Neither is worse. They describe different reasons for the same instruction. Sponsored is the honest label for paid placement, and publishers ought to use it correctly.
Can I ask a publisher to remove the attribute?
You can ask; most will refuse, and asking a journalist to remove a disclosure is a bad look. If followed links are the requirement, buy from publishers whose editorial links are followed — and accept that this usually means earning the placement rather than paying for it.
Dofollow vs nofollow: the short version
Check the attribute yourself after the placement goes live. Expect the seller to state it before you pay. Buy nofollow placements for audience, not for rankings — and treat a supplier who cannot tell you which you are getting as the warning sign it is.
If you want placement options with the attribute stated up front, send a brief.
The dofollow vs nofollow distinction matters less than it used to, but it still decides what a link is worth paying for.
For the numbers behind this, see what backlinks cost. Google’s guidance on qualifying outbound links is the standard this work is ultimately judged against.
Read dofollow vs nofollow as a disclosure question first and a ranking question second.
The practical dofollow vs nofollow rule: pay for the link only when the page would have existed anyway. That keeps the dofollow vs nofollow question academic rather than expensive.