A dofollow link is a standard HTML hyperlink that passes SEO ranking authority (PageRank / link equity) from the linking page to the target page. It is the default state of every <a> tag — there is no rel="dofollow" attribute, only the absence of rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc". Dofollow links from relevant, high-authority pages are the single strongest external ranking signal in Google.
If backlinks are the currency of SEO, dofollow links are the coins that actually count. Every link-building conversation eventually comes back to one question: is it dofollow? Here is what that really means, how to spot one, and how to earn the kind that moves rankings.
What is a dofollow link?
A dofollow link is any hyperlink that instructs search-engine crawlers to follow it, crawl the destination page, and pass ranking signals from the source. HTML has no positive attribute for dofollow — a link is dofollow by default and stays that way unless one of these attributes is added:
rel="nofollow"— a nofollow link, a general hint to ignore the link for rankingrel="sponsored"— paid or affiliate linkrel="ugc"— user-generated content (comments, forums)
Since Google’s 2019 update, these three now act as hints rather than strict directives, meaning the search engine may still use them for ranking. Even so, dofollow is the strongest, most explicit endorsement a page can give another.
Analysis of billions of search results consistently shows a strong correlation between dofollow backlink counts and top-10 rankings. Backlinko’s 2024 study of 11.8M SERPs found that page-one results have on average 3.8x more dofollow referring domains than page-two results.
Why dofollow links matter for SEO
Three ways dofollow links move the needle:
- Direct ranking signal. Dofollow links pass PageRank — the original signal Google used to rank pages and still one of the strongest in the algorithm.
- Faster indexing and re-crawls. A single dofollow link from a frequently crawled high-authority page can get new content indexed within hours instead of days.
- Topical relevance signals. A dofollow link from a page in your topic cluster tells Google that authorities in your space endorse your content, boosting the entire cluster’s rankings.
How a dofollow link works
<a href="https://target.com/guide/">definitive SEO guide</a>
# Googlebot crawls the source, sees dofollow anchor
FOLLOW → crawls target.com/guide/
PASS PAGERANK from source authority pool
STORE ANCHOR "definitive SEO guide" as topical signal
# Target page benefits from PageRank + anchor relevance
PageRank flow model
A page’s outbound PageRank is divided across its outbound dofollow links. A page with 10 dofollow links passes more equity per link than a page with 100. This is why editorial in-content links from focused articles outperform links from bloated resource pages.
Dofollow link types by value
| Type | Example | Typical value | Effort to earn |
|---|---|---|---|
| Editorial in-content | Journalist citing your research | Very high | High (PR, HARO, digital PR) |
| Guest post link | Byline article on industry blog | High | Medium |
| Resource page link | "Best SEO tools" listicle | Medium | Medium |
| Footer / sidebar link | "Powered by" attribution | Low | Low |
| PBN / paid dofollow | Bought placement | Negative (risky) | Low |
Real dofollow link examples
1. Digital PR win
A research team publishes an original study. A Reuters journalist cites it with a dofollow in-content link to the study page. That single dofollow can compound into more citations and lift rankings across the entire topic cluster.
2. HARO / expert quote
A CMO answers a HARO query about content marketing. The journalist publishes the quote with a dofollow link back to the CMO’s company site. Cost: 20 minutes of writing. Value: one high-authority dofollow.
3. Broken link building
You find a resource page linking to a dead URL. You email the site owner suggesting your working page as a replacement. Result: dofollow link with editorial context.
4. Original tool / calculator
A B2B SaaS builds a free ROI calculator. Over 18 months, 200+ sites link to it as a resource, mostly dofollow. This is the highest-leverage form of link earning — the asset does the work.
Dofollow link vs nofollow link — when each helps
Dofollow link wins for
- Passing PageRank and moving rankings
- Building topical authority in a niche
- Getting new pages indexed quickly
- Strengthening the entire domain’s Domain Rating
- Compounding into more editorial links over time
Nofollow link is fine for
- Referral traffic (users still click)
- Brand exposure and awareness
- Diversifying an otherwise all-dofollow profile
- High-visibility sites that never give dofollow (Wikipedia, Reddit)
- Discovery signals to Google via co-citation
7 best practices for building dofollow links
- Prioritise topical relevance. A dofollow link from a mid-authority site in your niche often outperforms one from an unrelated high-authority site.
- Earn, do not buy. Purchased dofollow links violate Google’s guidelines and can trigger manual actions.
- Create link-worthy assets first. Original data studies, calculators, templates, and definitive guides earn dofollow links passively for years.
- Use HARO and expert-source platforms. A 15-minute quote can produce a Forbes, Business Insider, or Inc. dofollow.
- Fix and reclaim. Audit for lost or broken inbound links quarterly — reclaiming them costs a single email.
- Diversify anchor text. Aim for 40-60% branded, 20-30% naked URL / generic, 10-20% partial-match, and less than 10% exact-match.
- Track velocity, not just volume. A steady flow of new dofollow referring domains beats a one-time spike that flattens.
New link builders often focus on total dofollow count. Google cares about referring domains and their quality, not raw link count. 10 dofollow links from 10 relevant DR60+ sites will out-rank 200 dofollow links from a single scraped directory network.
Common dofollow link mistakes to avoid
- Buying links from PBNs — Google detects link patterns and devalues entire networks.
- Over-optimising anchor text — too many exact-match dofollow anchors trigger algorithmic filters.
- Ignoring toxic inbound dofollows — disavow spammy links before they hurt.
- Only pursuing dofollow — unnatural profile; some nofollow / ugc / sponsored is healthy.
- Not measuring dofollow velocity — sudden spikes look suspicious to algorithmic filters.
How theStacc helps you earn more dofollow links
Most link building fails not because ideas are bad but because outreach is unfocused. theStacc does not run outreach for you. What it does do is publish the kind of pages that earn dofollow links on their own: original data write-ups, definitive guides, and reference pages that other writers cite because they are the clearest source on the topic. Link earning starts with something worth linking to.
Frequently asked questions
A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that passes ranking authority from the source page to the target page. It is the default behaviour of every HTML anchor tag unless the rel attribute contains nofollow, sponsored, or ugc.
It depends on the linking domain’s authority, topical relevance, anchor text, and placement. A single dofollow link from a high-authority relevant page can be worth more than a thousand low-quality links, but a dofollow link from an unrelated spam site can hurt rankings.
Earn them through original research, digital PR, guest posts on relevant sites, HARO responses, resource-page outreach, broken-link building, and creating link-worthy assets like tools, calculators, or industry studies. Never buy them.
Yes, when they come from spammy sites, are part of a private blog network, or use manipulative exact-match anchor text at scale. Google’s SpamBrain and manual reviewers can devalue or penalise a site for a toxic dofollow profile.
A backlink is any inbound link to your site — dofollow or nofollow. A dofollow link is a specific type of backlink that passes PageRank. Most SEO tools separate the two so you can measure equity-passing links independently.
Related glossary terms
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