eCommerce Glossary: DoFollow vs NoFollow Links

Glossary
Full Glossary
What Is Meant By Dofollow Links And Nofollow Links

Links help search engine bots check websites and affect how your site is fairing on the search engine rankings. Dofollow links are identified by search engine bots and are used to go from one website to another, checking which sites are connected.

If you link to a quality website, your site’s ranking on the search engine results goes up as the bots identify your site as quality. Therefore, links are an integral part of bringing in traffic, and using them correctly can help you reach more people.

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Any standard regular link is a dofollow link. Dofollow links can connect websites and bring your site up on search engine rankings. Usually, when a link is posted, its default state is that of a dofollow link. Dofollow links are used by search engine bots to identify websites and check which websites are connected. This is what creates "link juice" and increases a webpage's ranking.

It is highly beneficial for your site if another popular site links with you. The dofollow link is then identified as that of a reputable site, and automatically, your page appears on the top of search engine results.

Any link that you have on your website is a dofollow link unless you make it otherwise with a (rel=”nofollow”) attribute. If you have a new blog post, then the link is going to be a dofollow link all the time. Now, you can choose to change it or keep it as a dofollow link. However, if it is on someone else's post, you cannot change the link's nature.

What Really is a Nofollow Link and How to Create One

A nofollow link usually looks like a normal link. However, they have an extra code attached. This piece of code is used by search engine bots to identify the link as a nofollow link and thus not follow it. Nofollow links can link websites, but they do not directly affect the search engine rankings of a website. Nofollow links usually help to control spam comments.

They also stop those who practice Black Hat SEO from making any profits from links left on comment sections. Nofollow links are usually used by popular sites that generate a lot of traffic and, therefore, also have to deal with a lot of spam activity.

Nofollow links are usually obtained from content like social media posts and comments, comments on blog posts, sponsored content, press releases, widgets, and different forums. Now, even though nofollow links have no direct impact on search engine rankings, they can sometimes connect to a part of the target audience. Therefore, you should not ignore them completely.

How To Create A Nofollow Link

As mentioned before, when you post a link, it is going to be a dofollow link by default. Now you can change this and create a nofollow link. To do so, you will need to edit the link code from your blog editor. The steps to do that and create a nofollow link are:

  • Step 1: Open your blog editor and change to HTML view. This will allow you to edit the code immediately.
  • Step 2: Go through the available links and find which you want to change to a nofollow link.
  • Step 3: Edit the link and add the HTML tag rel=”nofollow” to create the nofollow link. This code is usually known as the attribute, and when added, it immediately changes dofollow links to nofollow links.

You will have to create nofollow links if you accept sponsored posts. This will help you control the activity on the sponsored posts or articles and deal with any spam that they might generate.

Understanding the Use Applications of Different Links

Dofollow links and nofollow links function separately and cannot be compared. Dofollow links can benefit your website directly as they do affect the search engine rankings. However, nofollow links are there to help you manage the activity on certain posts. They are important when you are connecting or partnering with third-party sites.

If you have a lot of sponsored posts, advertisements, or text link ads, then you should use nofollow links to filter out the spam. Using nofollow links on paid partnership posts also help search engine bots understand that you are not involved in any link schemes.

There is no specific ratio of dofollow links or nofollow links. When you post any content, the links are going to be dofollow links. But you can choose to make certain links nofollow links. There might be third party content on your website that might draw unsolicited comments, and to prevent that from happening; you can use nofollow links. Usually, a 50/50 ratio is recommended when you are using both dofollow and nofollow links.

But you should check for which links you need to add the nofollow attribute and how it will benefit you. Now, since you cannot edit links on someone else's website, you can request them to change the links if required. However, you should keep in mind that they might have valid reasons for creating a nofollow link or keeping a link as a dofollow link.

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When you are building your website and then posting content, you must do your research about links. To understand what links to use, analyze the backlinks used by your competitors. Check the high authority linking pages and determine which links are dofollow and which are nofollow. Dofollow links are going to improve your site's search engine rankings but nofollow links can direct prospects towards your site.

Both these links have enough value and need to be used properly, especially if you wish to engage with popular pages and take on advertisements or partnerships that are bound to make your site more visible. Therefore, it is important to invest in both equally and create links that are going to have a good impact on the growth of your website.