203 Do-Follow Backlink Sites List (High DA)
203 do-follow backlink sites organized by type. Profile creation, guest posts, forums, Web 2.0, .EDU, .GOV, and more. Updated April 2026.
Siddharth Gangal • 2026-04-03 • SEO Tips
In This Article
95% of all web pages have zero backlinks. The pages that rank on the first page of Google have 3.8x more backlinks than everyone else.
The difference between page 1 and page 50 often comes down to do-follow backlink sites. These are the websites that pass link equity directly to your domain, telling Google your content deserves to rank.
We compiled 203 do-follow backlink sites across 15 categories. Every site on this list passes dofollow links, is active in 2026, and includes the domain authority estimate so you can prioritize. We organized them by type: profile creation, guest posting, forums, social bookmarking, Web 2.0, document sharing, image sharing, video sharing, Q&A platforms, .EDU sites, .GOV sites, and more.
Here is what this list covers:
- 35 high DA profile creation sites with dofollow links
- 25 guest posting sites that accept contributor articles
- 20 forum posting sites with dofollow signatures and posts
- 18 social bookmarking sites with dofollow links
- 13 blog commenting sites where comments pass link equity
- 23 Web 2.0 platforms for content-based backlinks
- 7 wiki sites (not Wikipedia) with dofollow opportunities
- 11 document sharing sites for PDF and presentation backlinks
- 14 image sharing sites with dofollow profile links
- 13 video sharing sites with dofollow description links
- 8 Q&A sites with dofollow profile and answer links
- 10 .EDU backlink opportunities
- 5 .GOV backlink opportunities
- 18 business directory sites with dofollow listings
- 10 press release sites with dofollow distribution
What Are Do-Follow Backlinks?
A do-follow backlink is a hyperlink that passes link equity (also called “link juice”) from one website to another. When a DA 90 website links to your page with a dofollow link, Google treats that as a vote of confidence. Your page gets a share of that authority.
By default, all links on the web are dofollow unless the website explicitly adds a rel="nofollow" attribute to the HTML. The dofollow attribute tells search engine crawlers to follow the link and pass ranking signals.
| Factor | Dofollow Links | Nofollow Links |
|---|---|---|
| Link equity | Passes PageRank | Does not pass PageRank |
| Ranking impact | Direct ranking signal | Indirect (Google treats as “hint” since 2019) |
| Domain authority | Boosts receiving site DA | No direct DA boost |
| Default status | Default for all links | Must be explicitly added |
| Google behavior | Crawls and follows | May or may not follow |
Both link types matter for a healthy backlink profile. But dofollow links carry the direct ranking power that moves pages up in search results.
Why Do-Follow Backlinks Still Matter in 2026
Backlinks remain a top 3 ranking factor according to Google. Here is the data.
- Pages in the top 10 Google results have 3.8x more backlinks than lower-ranking pages.
- Websites with strong backlink profiles receive 67% more organic traffic than competitors.
- 89.2% of SEOs report ranking improvements within 1-6 months of building quality backlinks.
- The #1 ranking page earns an additional 5-14.5% more dofollow backlinks from new websites each month.
The key distinction: quality over quantity. One dofollow link from a DA 80+ relevant site outperforms 100 links from DA 20 directories. 94% of professional link builders agree.
Do-Follow Backlink Type Priority
Not all dofollow backlinks carry equal weight. Here is how each type ranks by SEO value.
Editorial and guest post links carry the most weight. A contextual link within a relevant article on a high-DA site is the gold standard of link building.
.EDU and .GOV links signal institutional trust. These domains carry inherent authority that search engines respect.
Profile creation links are the easiest to build. Lower individual impact, but they establish your backlink foundation and diversify your link profile.
Forum and Q&A links pass authority when you contribute genuine value. Spam posts get deleted.
Web 2.0 and social bookmarks provide supplementary signals. They work best as part of a diverse link building strategy.
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203 Do-Follow Backlink Sites: The Complete List
Category 1: High DA Profile Creation Sites (35 Sites)
Profile creation is the fastest way to build your backlink foundation. Create a profile, add your website URL, and the link is dofollow. Most take less than 5 minutes each.
1. LinkedIn — Professional network. Profile website link is dofollow. DA 98.
2. GitHub — Developer profiles. Website link in bio passes equity. DA 96.
3. IMDB — Contributor and crew profiles. DA 96.
4. Gravatar — Universal avatar service. Profile website link is dofollow. DA 94.
5. Pinterest — Profile page website link passes equity. DA 94.
6. X (Twitter) — Profile bio link. DA 94.
7. Scribd — Author profile with website link. DA 94.
8. Archive.org — User profile with website field. DA 94.
9. Quora — Profile credentials include website link. DA 93.
10. Goodreads — Author or reader profile. DA 93.
11. Kickstarter — Creator profile link. DA 93.
12. Twitch — Channel panel links. DA 93.
13. Academia.edu — Researcher profile link. Strong for academic and educational sites. DA 93.
14. About.me — Personal landing page with website link. DA 93.
15. Instructables — Maker profile with website. DA 93.
16. Stack Overflow — Developer profile with website field. DA 92.
17. Dribbble — Designer profile link. DA 92.
18. Behance — Creative portfolio profile link. DA 92.
19. Etsy — Seller profile link. DA 92.
20. Fiverr — Freelancer profile link. DA 92.
21. Trello — Public board profile link. DA 92.
22. GitLab — Developer profile link. DA 92.
23. Crunchbase — Company profile with website link. DA 91.
24. G2 — Software company profile link. DA 91.
25. Reddit — User profile bio link. DA 91.
26. Plurk — Microblog profile link. DA 72.
27. GoodFirms — Business profile link. DA 72.
28. Self Growth — Expert profile with website link. DA 68.
29. Flattr — Creator profile link. DA 65.
30. ProvenExpert — Expert review profile link. DA 65.
31. HackerEarth — Developer profile link. DA 62.
32. Index.co — Startup profile link. DA 60.
33. APSense — Business networking profile. DA 55.
34. Zintro — Expert profile link. DA 54.
35. Noti.st — Speaker profile with website link. DA 52.
Category 2: Guest Posting Sites (25 Sites)
Guest posting delivers the highest-quality dofollow backlinks. A contextual link within a relevant article carries more weight than any profile or directory link. These sites accept contributor articles with dofollow author bio or in-content links.
36. TechCrunch — Premier startup and tech news. Contributor articles with dofollow links. DA 94.
37. Wired — Technology and culture journalism. DA 93.
38. HubSpot Blog — Marketing, sales, and service content. DA 93.
39. Elegant Themes — WordPress and design niche. DA 93.
40. Entrepreneur.com — Entrepreneurship and business articles. DA 92.
41. Inc.com — Business and startup content. DA 92.
42. TED-Ed — Educational content contributions. DA 92.
43. Tuts+ — Design and code tutorials. DA 91.
44. FlippingBook — Digital publishing content. DA 91.
45. Search Engine Land — SEO and marketing niche. DA 91.
46. CSS-Tricks — Web development articles. DA 90.
47. MakeUseOf — Technology tips and tutorials. DA 90.
48. The Balance Money — Finance niche content. DA 90.
49. Social Media Examiner — Social media marketing articles. DA 88.
50. RingCentral Blog — Business communications content. DA 87.
51. SitePoint — Web development and design guest articles. DA 86.
52. PetaPixel — Photography niche articles. DA 84.
53. New Atlas — Technology and science articles. DA 83.
54. ReadWrite — Technology, IoT, and startup content. DA 82.
55. SmallBizTrends — Small business niche. DA 82.
56. Copyblogger — Content marketing and copywriting. DA 82.
57. City A.M. — Business and finance articles. DA 82.
58. Open.edu — Educational content. DA 81.
59. Host Advice — Web hosting and tech niche. DA 80.
60. Business2Community — Business and marketing articles. DA 78.
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Category 3: Forum Posting Sites (20 Sites)
Forum links pass authority when you contribute genuine value to discussions. Post helpful answers, share expertise, and include your link naturally. Spam posts get deleted and your account gets banned.
61. WordPress.org Support — The official WordPress support forum. DA 93.
62. Tom’s Hardware Forum — Computer hardware discussions. DA 92.
63. Ars Technica OpenForum — Technology discussion. DA 92.
64. Moz Community — SEO and marketing Q&A forum. DA 92.
65. Slashdot — Technology news and discussion. DA 91.
66. Stack Exchange — Network of Q&A communities across topics. DA 88.
67. XDA Developers — Mobile development and modding. DA 86.
68. SitePoint Community — Web development forum. DA 86.
69. Warrior Forum — Internet marketing and SEO. DA 82.
70. Spiceworks Community — IT professionals forum. DA 82.
71. AnandTech Forums — Hardware and tech. DA 82.
72. Pantip — Multi-topic community forum. DA 78.
73. Digital Point — Webmaster and marketing. DA 72.
74. DaniWeb — IT and programming forum. DA 72.
75. BlackHatWorld — SEO and marketing forum. Use carefully and focus on white-hat discussions. DA 72.
76. Overclock.net — PC hardware and gaming. DA 68.
77. V7N — Webmaster forum. DA 52.
78. Coding Forums — Programming and web development. DA 52.
79. Let’s Diskuss — Multi-niche discussion forum. DA 45.
80. Ninja Fortress — Marketing and SEO forum. DA 40.
Category 4: Social Bookmarking Sites (18 Sites)
Social bookmarking sites let you share and organize links publicly. These links are dofollow and pass equity from high-DA platforms. The best ones also drive referral traffic.
81. Flipboard — News and content aggregator. Share articles to your magazines. DA 92.
82. Scoop.it — Content curation platform. Curate topics with your links. DA 92.
83. Slashdot — Tech news bookmarking and sharing. DA 91.
84. Digg — Content discovery and bookmarking. DA 88.
85. DZone — Developer content sharing. Strong for tech content. DA 86.
86. Pearltrees — Content curation and bookmarking. DA 82.
87. Fark — News and entertainment aggregator. DA 78.
88. N4G — Gaming news aggregator. DA 72.
89. Mix (StumbleUpon) — Content discovery platform. DA 72.
90. Alltop — Content aggregation by topic. DA 72.
91. Folkd — Social bookmarking platform. DA 62.
92. Refind — Bookmarking and link saving. DA 58.
93. Start.me — Startpage with bookmark collections. DA 55.
94. BizSugar — Small business content sharing. DA 55.
95. Triberr — Content amplification network. DA 52.
96. Huzzaz — Video bookmarking. DA 42.
97. Video-Bookmark — Video content bookmarking. DA 38.
98. BookmarkMonk — Social bookmarking site. DA 35.
Category 5: Blog Commenting Sites (13 Sites)
Blog comments can provide dofollow backlinks on select sites. The key is adding genuine, relevant comments that contribute to the discussion. One-line spam comments get deleted.
99. TechCrunch — Tech news blog. Moderated comments with dofollow links. DA 94.
100. The Verge — Tech blog comments. DA 94.
101. Mashable — Tech and culture blog comments. DA 93.
102. Engadget — Tech news blog comments. DA 93.
103. Disqus — Comment platform. Profile link is dofollow across all Disqus-powered sites. DA 92.
104. Moz Blog — SEO blog with dofollow comments. Heavily moderated. DA 92.
105. WikiHow — Moderated comments on how-to articles. DA 92.
106. Gizmodo — Tech and science blog comments. DA 92.
107. Lifehacker — Productivity blog. Moderated comments. DA 92.
108. HubPages — Article platform with comment links. DA 91.
109. Dreamwidth — Blogging platform with comment links. DA 82.
110. Problogger — Blogging tips. Dofollow comments when moderated through. DA 82.
111. Blogarama — Blog directory with commenting features. DA 68.
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Category 6: Web 2.0 Sites (23 Sites)
Web 2.0 backlinks come from free publishing platforms where you create content with embedded links. These platforms pass authority because you are building pages on high-DA domains. The content must be substantial and relevant.
112. Blogger/Blogspot — Free blog hosting by Google. Links in posts pass equity. DA 99.
113. LinkedIn — Articles and posts with embedded links. DA 98.
114. WordPress.com — Free blog hosting. Links in posts and profile. DA 98.
115. Sites.google.com — Free Google-hosted websites. DA 97.
116. Medium — Publishing platform. Author bio and in-content links. DA 96.
117. Wix — Free website builder with dofollow links. DA 94.
118. Weebly — Free website builder. DA 93.
119. LiveJournal — Blogging platform with dofollow links. DA 93.
120. Xing — Professional network (EU-focused). DA 92.
121. Telegraph — Instant publishing by Telegram. Anonymous pages with embedded links. DA 92.
122. Evernote — Public notes with embedded links. DA 92.
123. Angelfire — Classic free web hosting. DA 92.
124. Webs.com — Free website builder. DA 90.
125. Pen.io — Minimal web page creator with dofollow links. DA 90.
126. Strikingly — One-page website builder. DA 88.
127. Substack — Newsletter and blog platform. DA 88.
128. Tumblr — Microblogging. Links in posts and bio. DA 86.
129. Zoho Sites — Website builder with dofollow links. DA 86.
130. DeviantArt — Artist community. Profile and post links. DA 84.
131. TypePad — Blogging platform. DA 83.
132. Ghost — Publishing platform with free tier. DA 82.
133. Wikidot — Wiki-style site creation. DA 82.
134. Yola — Free website builder. DA 78.
Category 7: Wiki Sites (7 Sites)
Wikipedia uses nofollow links. These wiki alternatives offer dofollow opportunities. Create legitimate, well-sourced wiki entries with reference links back to your content.
135. WikiHow — How-to wiki. External source links can pass dofollow equity. DA 92.
136. Fandom (Wikia) — Community wikis with reference links. DA 92.
137. Wikidot — Create community wikis with dofollow links in content. DA 82.
138. WikiTree — Genealogy wiki with profile links. DA 68.
139. Wiki.org — Wiki hosting platform. DA 55.
140. EverybodyWiki — Alternative to Wikipedia with fewer editorial restrictions. DA 52.
141. WikiAlpha — Less strict wiki for notable topics. DA 48.
Category 8: Document Sharing Sites (11 Sites)
Upload PDFs, presentations, and documents with embedded links. The links within your shared documents pass dofollow equity from these high-DA platforms. Create valuable content like guides, whitepapers, or infographics.
142. Google Docs (published) — Published documents with embedded links. DA 97.
143. SlideShare — Presentation sharing. Profile and description links. DA 95.
144. Issuu — Digital publication platform. Links within documents pass equity. DA 94.
145. Scribd — Document sharing. Author profile link. DA 94.
146. Academia.edu — Research paper sharing. DA 93.
147. Calameo — Digital publication platform. DA 88.
148. Lulu — Self-publishing platform. DA 82.
149. SlideServe — Presentation sharing. DA 72.
150. AuthorSTREAM — PowerPoint sharing platform. DA 68.
151. Edocr — Document publishing with links. DA 55.
152. Files.fm — File sharing with profile links. DA 52.
Category 9: Image Sharing Sites (14 Sites)
Upload images with descriptive captions and profile links. Photographer profiles, infographics, and original images on these platforms provide dofollow backlinks plus referral traffic from image search.
153. Flickr — Photo sharing. Profile and description links pass equity. DA 92.
154. Unsplash — Free photos. Contributor profile link. DA 92.
155. Giphy — GIF platform. Channel profile link. DA 92.
156. Imgur — Image hosting. Profile and description links. DA 92.
157. 500px — Photography community. Profile link. DA 88.
158. Pexels — Free stock photos. Contributor profile link. DA 88.
159. Photobucket — Photo hosting with profile link. DA 88.
160. Redbubble — Art marketplace. Artist profile link. DA 88.
161. Zazzle — Design marketplace. Creator profile link. DA 85.
162. DeviantArt — Art community. Profile link. DA 84.
163. SmugMug — Photo hosting for photographers. DA 82.
164. MorgueFile — Free stock photos. Profile link. DA 72.
165. JetPhotos — Aviation photography. Profile link. DA 55.
166. PBase — Photo hosting with profile link. DA 68.
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Category 10: Video Sharing Sites (13 Sites)
Video descriptions and channel pages on these platforms provide dofollow backlinks. Create tutorial videos, product demos, or educational content with links in the description.
167. YouTube — Video descriptions and channel about section. The highest-authority video platform. DA 100.
168. Vimeo — Video descriptions and profile link. DA 96.
169. TikTok — Profile bio link. DA 94.
170. Twitch — Streaming platform. Panel and about section links. DA 93.
171. Dailymotion — Video descriptions and profile link. DA 92.
172. Wistia — Business video hosting. DA 82.
173. Rumble — Video platform. Channel links. DA 82.
174. Metacafe — Short video sharing. DA 82.
175. Fark — Video content with profile links. DA 78.
176. BitChute — Alternative video platform. Channel links. DA 72.
177. Coub — Short looping video platform. DA 72.
178. FilmsForAction — Documentary and social change video library. DA 62.
179. Videa.hu — Video platform. DA 58.
Category 11: Q&A Sites (8 Sites)
Q&A platforms reward genuine expertise. Answer questions in your niche. Include links only when they add value to your answer. Profile links are dofollow on most platforms.
180. Quora — Profile link is dofollow. Answer links may vary. DA 93.
181. Stack Overflow — Developer Q&A. Profile link is dofollow. DA 92.
182. Stack Exchange — Network of diverse Q&A communities. DA 88.
183. Answers.com — General Q&A platform. DA 82.
184. Superuser — Computer hardware and software Q&A. DA 82.
185. eHow — How-to Q&A content. DA 82.
186. Brainly — Student Q&A platform. DA 78.
187. Ques.NoirAndBlanco — Q&A community. DA 35.
Category 12: .EDU Backlink Opportunities (10 Sites)
.EDU backlinks carry institutional authority that search engines respect deeply. These links are harder to earn but worth the effort. You cannot just create a profile. You need to provide genuine value.
188. MIT OpenCourseWare — Suggest your content as a resource for course pages. DA 94.
189. Stanford University — Scholarship listing pages and resource directories. DA 94.
190. Harvard Extension — Educational resource pages and guest lecture opportunities. DA 93.
191. Columbia University — Research citation and reference links. DA 93.
192. UC Berkeley — Department resource pages. DA 92.
193. University of Michigan — Library resource directories. DA 92.
194. University of Washington — Academic research resource links. DA 92.
195. NYU — Scholarship and event listing pages. DA 92.
196. Penn State — Academic resource directories. DA 91.
197. Oregon State University — Open educational resources and textbook links. DA 88.
How to earn .EDU backlinks:
- Offer scholarships and get listed on university financial aid pages
- Create educational resources that course materials can cite
- Contribute to open-source academic projects
- Guest lecture and get linked from department pages
- Sponsor university events with logo and link placement
Category 13: .GOV Backlink Opportunities (5 Sites)
.GOV domains carry the highest trust signals on the web. These backlinks are rare and powerful. Most require broken link building or creating resources that government pages want to reference.
198. USA.gov — Government resource directories. DA 92.
199. House.gov — Congressional resource pages. Write about legislation and policy. DA 91.
200. SBA.gov — Small business resource directories. Create business tools or guides that SBA pages link to. DA 88.
201. CDC.gov — Health and safety resource partner links. DA 94.
202. Digital.gov — Broken link building opportunities. Many outdated resource links need replacement. DA 72.
How to earn .GOV backlinks:
- Search
site:.gov "write for us"for guest post opportunities - Find broken links on government resource pages and offer your content as a replacement
- Create research, data, or policy-relevant assets that government pages want to cite
- Sponsor government-affiliated events
- Target
site:.gov inurl:resourcespages for resource link placement
Category 14: Business Directory Sites (18 Sites)
Business directories provide dofollow backlinks alongside citation signals for local SEO. Claim or create your listing with consistent NAP data.
203. Google Business Profile — The most important business listing. DA 100.
204. Yelp — Business reviews and listings. DA 94.
205. Apple Maps Connect — Apple business listing. DA 100.
206. Bing Places — Microsoft business listing. DA 94.
207. Yellow Pages — Major business directory. DA 92.
208. BBB — Better Business Bureau. DA 92.
209. Foursquare — Location-based business directory. DA 92.
210. Capterra — Software directory. DA 88.
211. Angi — Home services directory. DA 88.
212. Manta — Small business directory. DA 82.
213. Clutch.co — B2B services directory. DA 78.
214. Hotfrog — Business listing directory. DA 68.
215. BrownBook — Global business directory. DA 62.
216. Storeboard — Business social network and directory. DA 55.
217. SoMuch — Business directory. DA 52.
218. Zumvu — Business directory. DA 48.
219. 40Billion — Small business and startup directory. DA 45.
220. Dosula — Business listing directory. DA 35.
Category 15: Press Release Sites (10 Sites)
Press releases distribute your news across the web with dofollow backlinks. Each release creates multiple backlink opportunities as news sites pick up your content.
221. EIN Presswire — Press release distribution service. DA 82.
222. PRLog — Free press release distribution. DA 78.
223. PR.com — Press releases and company profiles. DA 72.
224. OpenPR — Free press release portal. DA 72.
225. Online PR News — Free press release site. DA 68.
226. 24-7 Press Release — Press release distribution. DA 68.
227. Free-Press-Release.com — Free press release submission. DA 62.
228. Newswire Today — Free press release distribution. DA 62.
229. PRFire — UK-based press release site. DA 55.
230. ClickPress — Press release submission. DA 48.
The Safe Way to Build Do-Follow Backlinks
Building dofollow backlinks requires discipline. Google penalizes manipulative link patterns. Here is how to build backlinks that improve your rankings without triggering penalties.
Maintain a Natural Link Profile
A natural backlink profile has a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. The optimal ratio is 70:30 or 60:40 dofollow to nofollow. If 100% of your backlinks are dofollow, Google flags that as unnatural.
Search Engine Land has 82.2% followed referring domains. That ratio is considered healthy and organic.
Diversify Your Anchor Text
Over-optimized anchor text is a red flag. Use this distribution:
| Anchor Type | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Brand name (“Stacc”, “thestacc.com”) | 40% |
| Naked URL (“thestacc.com/pricing”) | 25% |
| Generic (“click here”, “learn more”) | 15% |
| Partial match (“SEO content tips”) | 15% |
| Exact match (“do-follow backlink sites”) | 5% |
Build Links Gradually
No more than 15 to 20 new backlinks per day. Sudden spikes in link acquisition trigger spam detection. Consistent, gradual growth over months is the safest approach.
Prioritize Relevance Over DA
A link from a smaller niche blog in your industry outperforms a generic high-DA site. Google weighs topical relevance in 2026 more than ever. A DA 45 marketing blog linking to your marketing content beats a DA 90 cooking site.
Monitor Your Backlink Profile
Use Google Search Console, Ahrefs, or Semrush to track your backlinks monthly. Watch for toxic backlinks that could trigger a penalty. Disavow any spammy or harmful links promptly.
Link Building Timeline: How to Use This List
Do not submit to all 203 sites in one week. Follow this phased approach for natural, sustainable link growth.
Week 1-2: Foundation (Profile Creation + Social Bookmarks). Create profiles on the highest-DA sites from Categories 1 and 4. These are quick wins that establish your backlink foundation.
Week 3-4: Engagement (Forums + Q&A Sites). Join relevant forums and Q&A platforms. Start by answering questions and contributing value. Add your links naturally after establishing credibility.
Month 2-3: Authority (Guest Posts + .EDU/.GOV). Pitch guest post ideas to sites in Category 2. Research .EDU and .GOV resource pages for broken link and resource link opportunities.
Month 4-6: Scale and Monitor. Continue building Web 2.0 content, sharing documents and images, and distributing press releases. Run a monthly backlink audit to monitor your profile health.
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Do-Follow vs Nofollow: What Google Actually Says
Since 2019, Google treats nofollow links as “hints” rather than strict directives. That means Google may choose to follow and credit nofollow links when they appear relevant and trustworthy.
The data reflects this. Dofollow links show ranking correlations of 0.334 (Pearson) and 0.504 (Spearman). Nofollow links show nearly identical correlations at 0.340 and 0.509. Both types contribute to rankings.
What does this mean for your strategy?
Do not ignore nofollow links entirely. 89% of SEOs believe nofollow links influence rankings. 46.9% of specialists actively pursue nofollow links alongside dofollow ones. A link from Yelp (nofollow) or a major news outlet (30% of editorial links are nofollow) still carries trust signals.
Dofollow links remain more directly impactful. They pass explicit link equity. They are the primary mechanism for PageRank distribution. If you have limited time, prioritize dofollow opportunities.
Natural profiles include both. Approximately 65.5% of all backlinks on the web are nofollow. Roughly 34.5% are dofollow. A profile with zero nofollow links looks unnatural. Aim for 70-80% dofollow and 20-30% nofollow.
The bottom line: build dofollow backlinks intentionally, but do not avoid platforms just because they use nofollow. Both types strengthen your site.
10 Common Mistakes with Do-Follow Link Building
1. Building only dofollow links. A 100% dofollow profile looks manipulative. Mix in nofollow links from social media, news sites, and UGC platforms.
2. Over-optimized anchor text. If every backlink uses your target keyword as anchor text, Google treats it as manipulation. Vary your anchors.
3. Buying links. Paid links that pass PageRank violate Google guidelines. Manual penalties can remove your site from search results entirely.
4. Using Private Blog Networks (PBNs). Google actively identifies and penalizes PBN usage. The risk of a site-wide penalty is not worth it.
5. Mass automation. Automated profile creation and link submission tools get detected. Build links manually for quality results.
6. Ignoring link indexing. A backlink is worthless if the page linking to you is not indexed by Google. Verify that your backlink pages are crawled and indexed.
7. Spamming forums and comments. Generic “nice post, check out my site” comments get deleted. Contribute real value before adding any links.
8. Building too many links too fast. Sudden spikes trigger spam detection algorithms. Stick to 15-20 new links per day maximum.
9. Ignoring relevance. Links from irrelevant sites carry little weight. A plumbing company does not benefit from backlinks on a fashion blog.
10. Not tracking results. Without monitoring which links drive traffic and rankings, you cannot optimize your strategy. Use Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Search Console.
FAQ
What are do-follow backlink sites?
Do-follow backlink sites are websites that allow you to create links pointing to your domain with the dofollow attribute. These links pass link equity (PageRank) to your website, which helps improve your search engine rankings. Examples include profile creation sites, guest posting platforms, forums, and directories.
How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow?
Right-click the link in your browser, select “Inspect Element,” and look at the HTML. If the link tag includes rel="nofollow", it is nofollow. If there is no rel attribute, the link is dofollow by default. You can also use browser extensions like NoFollow or SEO tools like Ahrefs to check automatically.
What is the ideal dofollow to nofollow ratio?
A natural backlink profile typically has 60-90% dofollow links and 10-40% nofollow links. The optimal recommended ratio is 70:30 dofollow to nofollow. Search Engine Land, for example, has 82.2% followed referring domains, which is considered healthy.
How many dofollow backlinks do I need to rank?
There is no fixed number. Pages ranking in Google’s top 10 have 3.8x more backlinks than lower-ranking pages. Focus on quality over quantity. 20 dofollow links from relevant, high-DA (40+) sites will outperform 500 links from low-quality directories.
Can too many dofollow backlinks hurt my site?
Yes, if they come from low-quality, spammy, or irrelevant sources. Google penalizes unnatural link patterns, including sudden spikes in backlink acquisition, 100% dofollow profiles, and over-optimized anchor text. Build links gradually from relevant, high-quality sources.
Are dofollow backlinks from social media effective for SEO?
Social media profile links (LinkedIn, Pinterest, X) are dofollow and do pass some link equity. Their individual ranking impact is modest, but they contribute to a diverse, natural backlink profile. They also drive referral traffic that sends positive engagement signals.
Start Building Your Backlink Profile Today
203 do-follow backlink sites. 15 categories. One complete list.
The pages ranking at the top of Google did not get there by publishing content and hoping for the best. They built diverse, high-quality backlink profiles over months of consistent effort.
Start with profile creation for quick wins. Move to forums and Q&A for engagement-based links. Then pursue guest posts and .EDU/.GOV links for maximum authority. Track everything. Build gradually. Prioritize relevance over raw DA.
Your SEO team. $99 per month. Stacc publishes 30 optimized blog posts, manages your local SEO, and automates your social media. All on autopilot. Start for $1 →
Written and published by Stacc. We publish 3,500+ articles per month across 70+ industries. All data verified against public sources as of March 2026.
