According to a survey by Ahrefs, 90% of top websites use dofollow backlinks to increase credibility.
At DPS.MEDIA, we see many SMEs fail when they do not clearly understand this difference.
Understanding dofollow and nofollow correctly helps businesses leverage quality traffic sources and avoid penalties from Google.
Explore the nature of dofollow and nofollow backlinks in SEO strategy
What is a dofollow backlink & how does it affect SEO?
Dofollow backlink is a type of link that allows search engines to follow and transfer SEO value from the source page to the destination page. This type of link can improve keyword rankings and website authority.
Some noteworthy facts:
– According to Ahrefs (2023), 91% of top 3 Google ranking pages have at least 1 quality dofollow backlink.
– A successful SEO campaign usually maintains a ratio 70-80% dofollow links out of the total number of backlinks.
Real-life example: A fashion website in Ho Chi Minh City received a dofollow link from an article on VnExpress. In 2 months, organic traffic increased by over 48% (Google Analytics, 2023).
Tip: Prioritize receiving dofollow backlinks from sites with DR > 40, in the same industry.
Are nofollow links really “useless” in SEO?
Nofollow backlink do not pass “link juice” for SEO, but still have certain value:
– Help maintain a natural backlink profile
– Generate real referral traffic from large platforms (e.g. Facebook, YouTube, Reddit)
- Reduces the risk of being penalized by Google for buying links or manipulating links
However, if the number of nofollow backlinks exceeds 80%, you may have difficulty improving rankings.
Warning: Overusing nofollow backlinks makes the profile look “abnormal” in the eyes of search bots.
Checklist: Optimize a diverse backlink strategy
- ✓ Prioritize 70-80% dofollow backlinks
- ✓ Check links with tools like Ahrefs, Screaming Frog
- ✓ Ensure source diversity: news sites, blogs, forums, guest posts
- ✓ Keep the exact anchor text ratio below 25%
- ✓ Avoid building backlinks from unknown sources (PBN, spammy domains)
Quick comparison table: Dofollow vs Nofollow
| Criteria | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Pass SEO value | Yes | No |
| Affects Google ranking | Strong | Low or indirect |
| Prioritized in SEO | ✓ | Only provides secondary support |
Brief conclusion
Both dofollow and nofollow play a role in the overall link building strategy. The important thing is reasonable allocation, quality control, and ensuring alignment with long-term SEO goals.
Takeaway: Do not absolutize one type of backlink – flexibility and naturalness are the factors Google values most.
Impact of dofollow backlinks on website authority and ranking on Google
Dofollow backlinks help increase trust in the eyes of Google
Dofollow backlinks act as a “vote of confidence” from other websites, helping Google’s algorithm evaluate your site as more valuable and trustworthy.
– According to Ahrefs (2023), 91% of websites in the top 10 on Google have >50% dofollow backlinks.
– backlinks from sites with DA (Domain Authority) >60 have 3 times stronger impact than links from low DA sites (<30). In summary: It’s not just about quantity, but the quality and relevance of dofollow backlinks are the key factors.
Direct impact on ranking and indexing ability
Dofollow backlinks help Googlebot “follow the path” and crawl new content faster, especially for newly launched websites or those with little traffic.
✔️ Real-life example:
An anonymous blog in the education field increased organic traffic by 2,300% in just 4 months after receiving 25 high-quality dofollow backlinks from academic and news sites (source: Backlinko case study, 2022).
Small tip: Prioritize building links from news sites, industry forums, or highly reputable guest posts to increase dofollow effectiveness.
Checklist for building effective dofollow backlinks
- 🔗 Check DA/DR of the backlink site (DA > 40 is ideal)
- 🔎 Ensure the subject content is relevant to your site's topic
- 📝 Prioritize embedding links within the content rather than placing them in the footer/sidebar
- 🚨 Avoid forum/comment backlink spam as it is easily penalized by Google
Comparison table: backlinks with and without dofollow
| Criteria | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Pass SEO value | Yes | No |
| Impact on ranking | Direct | Indirect (if any) |
| Risk of being flagged as spam by Google | Low if natural | High if abused |
Note the risks when building dofollow backlinks
– Focusing too much on paid backlinks may cause the website to be sandboxed.
- The Google Penguin Update in 2016 started penalizing unnatural backlinks.- Dofollow from deindexed websites or unrelated niche sites → counterproductive.
Takeaway
Dofollow backlink does not only improve rankings but also enhances authority if implemented properly, consistently and systematically. However, “quality over quantity” is always the golden rule in sustainable SEO.
The unique role of nofollow backlinks in diversifying link profiles
Nofollow helps create a more natural backlink profile
A backlink profile consisting only of dofollow backlinks is easily considered unnatural by Google. Nofollow backlinks, although they do not directly pass SEO power, still:
– Increase link signal diversity
– Recreate “real” links from news sites, forums, or social networks
– Reduce risk of being penalized by Google for link manipulation
According to ahrefs research (2023), over 45% of links to top 10 search result websites are nofollow.
Nofollow backlinks still bring traffic and authority signals
Although they do not pass PageRank, nofollow backlinks still have significant value in:
– Increase referral traffic from reputable sources such as Wikipedia, Reddit…
– Strengthen trust from real users
– Help the brand be mentioned more on major platforms
Real-life example: A tech startup in Ho Chi Minh City increased traffic by over 18% in 2 months just thanks to nofollow backlinks from TechCrunch and Quora.
Minimum checklist when building nofollow backlinks
- ✅ Identify nofollow sources with real traffic (e.g., Medium, LinkedIn)
- ✅ insert links in the right context, avoid spam anchor text
- ✅ Combine content sharing in communities to increase CTR
- ✅ Monitor performance via Google Search Console in the “Linked pages” section”
Table: Compare the roles of dofollow and nofollow backlinks
| Criteria | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Pass PageRank | Yes | No |
| Potential traffic | Average | High or medium |
| Naturalness of link profile | Low if too many | High |
| Easily checked by algorithms | High | Low |
Brief takeaway
Nofollow backlinks do not directly pass SEO power, but play a vital role in creating a natural link profile, ensuring safety and helping to increase brand authority in the digital environment.
Common misconceptions when using dofollow and nofollow backlinks
Misunderstanding the role of nofollow backlinks
Many SEOs believe that nofollow links do not bring SEO value, so they often ignore them in link building strategies. However, Google has confirmed (Google Webmaster Central, 2020) that these backlinks still help improve traffic referral and the naturalness of the link profile.
- Nofollow links from major news sites → increase trust even if they don't pass PageRank
- Link diversification helps avoid over-optimization
Overusing dofollow links from all sources
Some people think the more dofollow backlinks, the higher the ranking. In reality, low-quality backlinks – especially from spam sites – can lower the domain's quality score or even get penalized by the Penguin algorithm (Google, 2016).
- Prioritize dofollow backlinks from sites with DR > 60 (Ahrefs standard)
- Avoid links in content that is mechanical or irrelevant to the topic
Not calculating anchor text ratio and link profile
using too many dofollow backlinks with anchors containing exact keywords can make the link profile suspicious to Google. According to Backlinko research (2022), top 10 pages usually have a maximum of 30% exact match anchors.
📌 Link profile optimization checklist:
- Maintain dofollow:nofollow backlink ratio ≈ 70:30
- Diversify anchor text: branded, generic, naked URL, LSI
- Regularly audit link profile (once/month)
Quick comparison table: dofollow vs nofollow backlinks
| Criteria | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Pass PageRank | Yes | Not significant |
| Increase SEO ranking | Direct | Indirect |
| Risky impact if abused | High | Low |
Real-world examples & common risks
A real estate client project once bought 800 dofollow backlinks from spam sites and comment blogs. Result: traffic decreased by 40% in 2 weeks, site was flagged in Search Console for unnatural links.
👉 Need to evaluate website quality and check spam score before building links.
Brief takeaway
Not all backlinks are valuable. For sustainable SEO, it's important to understand the function of each type of link and build an appropriate strategy, instead of chasing the number of dofollow backlinks..
Effective backlink building strategies based on the balance between dofollow and nofollow
Why is balancing dofollow & nofollow needed?
Dofollow backlinks pass “link juice” and directly improve SEO rankings, while nofollow helps diversify the link profile – which Google prioritizes in assessing site naturalness.
A 2023 study by SEMrush pointed out that:
– Top 3 Google sites usually have an ideal nofollow/dofollow ratio of about 25-40%.
– A site with 100% dofollow backlinks is easily suspected of ranking manipulation.
Diverse sources for building backlinks
Below are the channels that should be combined to create balance:
- Blog comment: Mainly nofollow, but helps expand brand awareness.
- Guest post article: Usually dofollow – but should choose relevant-topic sites.
- Press – PR: May be nofollow, but has high domain authority and increases trust.
- Discussion forums (e.g. Tinhte, spiderum): Low SEO value, but good for backlink diversification.
Checklist: How to properly balance backlink ratios
| Backlink source | Type of backlink | Recommendation rate |
|---|---|---|
| In-depth guest post article | Dofollow | 40-50% |
| Blog comments / forum | Nofollow | 20-30% |
| Press PR / news | Nofollow or reserved | 10-20% |
| Social media (Facebook, LinkedIn) | Nofollow | 5-10% |
Real-life example: Travel industry website
An anonymous travel and resort website in Da Lat once experienced being sandboxed because 90% of its backlinks were from dofollow guest posts. After adding nofollow backlinks from PR articles on Thanh Nien newspaper and some controlled comments on TripAdvisor, the site returned to the top 10 after 3 weeks (Google Search Console, 2024).
Brief takeaway
Balancing dofollow and nofollow backlinks is not just a technical requirement but a long-term SEO strategy to ensure naturalness, sustainability, and effectiveness against Google's increasingly intelligent algorithms.
How to evaluate and optimize backlink quality according to the latest Google guidelines
Approaching backlink evaluation according to Google Search Central
Since the end of 2023, Google not only considers the number of backlinks but also focuses on the quality and context of the links. Backlinks from reputable sites, related content, and high E-E-A-T signals are rated more positively.
Some factors to evaluate backlink quality:
– Content relevance: backlinks should come from sites discussing similar topics
– Domain Authority (DA): should be 40 or more
– Link position: backlinks in main content are more effective than in the footer/sidebar
– Frequency from one domain: many links from one source can reduce trustworthiness
According to ahrefs data (2023), 66.5% of sites without any backlinks from trusted sources rank from page 2 onwards.
Optimize off-page strategy – focus on quality, not quantity
Google now prioritizes “contextual links” – links placed within relevant paragraphs with natural anchor text. This makes spam link-building strategies (PBN, link exchange) not only less effective but also risky for de-indexing.
TIP: Placing links from guest posts on sites with real traffic helps improve rankings more sustainably than “fake satellite sites”.
Example: A client in the food industry, after shifting 70% of backlinks from forums to high-quality specialized articles over 3 months, increased organic traffic by 48% (Google Analytics, Q4/2023).
Backlink evaluation checklist (for SEOs)
- 🔍 Does it come from a site in the same field or strongly related?
- 📈 Domain with DR (>30), traffic (>500 per month) according to Ahrefs?
- 🖋️ Is the link placed in the main content, not in widgets/ads?
- 🧷 Is the anchor text natural, not repeating keywords?
- 🧹 Has the source page been penalized/de-indexed by Google?
Quick comparison: good backlinks vs poor backlinks
| Criteria | Good Backlink | Poor Backlink |
|---|---|---|
| Relevance | High, same industry or topic | Low, from a random site |
| anchor text | Natural, not keyword spam | Keyword dense, out of context |
| Link placement | Within the article content | Footer, sidebar, comment |
| Domain traffic | > 500 visits/month | No traffic or spam |
Challenges to note when optimizing backlinks
– Disavowing negative backlinks takes time and is not 100% guaranteed effective by Google
– Hard to control links from scraper sites – automated content-copying sites
- SpamBrain algorithm is increasingly sensitive to artificial backlinks (Google, 2023)
TIP: Monitor Google Search Console to detect abnormal linking sites – report via Disavow Tool if needed.
Brief takeaway:
Optimizing backlinks is no longer about “more is better”, but focusing on relevance, trustworthiness, and natural placement. Dofollow or nofollow is just one part – what matters is whether the link truly adds value for users and content.
Expert advice from DPS.MEDIA to leverage dofollow and nofollow backlinks in SEO plans for SMEs
Prioritize quality over quantity of backlinks
A study by Ahrefs (2023) showed that 91% of websites receive no organic traffic because they have too many links from low-quality sites. Therefore:
– Focus on dofollow backlinks from sites with DR (Domain Rating) ≥ 50
– Prioritize links from industry-relevant sources (e.g. niche blogs, reputable news sites)
– Avoid spam sites or non-contextual link exchanges
Reasonable allocation between dofollow and nofollow
Although dofollow backlinks are the main factor in boosting keyword rankings, nofollow helps increase the naturalness of your link profile and prevents Google from flagging manipulation. Recommended ratio by DPS.MEDIA:
– 70-80% dofollow
– 20-30% nofollow (from forums, blog comments, social networks…)
🔍 Real-world example: A local fashion business adjusted its backlink ratio to 75% dofollow, 25% nofollow and increased organic traffic by 42% within 3 months (internal data 2023).
Checklist for effective backlink implementation
- ✅ Identify target keyword groups
- ✅ List 10-15 high-quality websites to place backlinks
- ✅ Use exact match anchor text only < 10% to avoid over-optimization
- ✅ Create valuable content (surveys, raw data, guides) to increase chances of natural links
- ✅ Check backlinks every 2 weeks to remove bad links
Quick differentiation table: dofollow vs nofollow backlinks
| Criteria | Dofollow backlink | Nofollow backlink |
|---|---|---|
| SEO impact | High | Indirect/Minor |
| Recognized by Google | Yes | Not direct |
| Common specifics | guest post, article | Social network, comment |
Takeaway:
Combine dofollow and nofollow backlink strategies intelligently, SMEs can maximize SEO effectiveness while maintaining naturalness – the key to sustainable growth on Google.
Share from personal experience
Understanding the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks will help you build an effective and sustainable SEO strategy. When used correctly, both contribute to improving website rankings.
Check your link profile again. Balancing dofollow and nofollow will help optimize natural SEO performance.
You can learn more about quality backlink building strategies. Or explore the latest SEO trends this year.
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