Backlinks are essential for improving a website’s SEO rankings, but understanding the different types of backlinks can be confusing. In particular, do follow backlink can be challenging to grasp.
If you’re struggling to understand the differences between do follow and no follow backlinks or are unsure which type is better for your website, this article is for you. We will provide a clear explanation of what a do follow backlink is, how it differs from a no follow backlink, and the benefits of implementing a do follow backlink strategy.
By the end of this article, you’ll have a clear understanding of do follow backlinks, how they can benefit your website. So, let’s dive into the world of do follow backlinks and clear up any misinformation once and for all.
What Is a Backlink?
A backlink, also known as an “inbound link,” is a link from another website to your website.
Backlinks are an essential part of any successful SEO strategy because they signal to search engines that other websites consider your content to be high-quality and trustworthy. In other words, it’s a vote of confidence from another website that your content is valuable and worthy of linking to.
Search engines like Google use backlinks as a ranking factor when determining the relevance and authority of a website. The more high-quality backlinks a website has, the more likely it is to appear at the top of Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs).
However, not all niche relevant backlinks are created equal, and understanding the difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks is crucial.
What Is a Dofollow Backlink?
A dofollow backlink is a type of link that allows search engines to pass “link juice” from one website to another. In other words, it’s a link that search engines recognize and use as a ranking factor when determining the relevance and authority of a website.
When a website links to another website with a dofollow link, it’s essentially telling search engines that the content on the linked website is valuable and trustworthy. As a result, the linked website may see an increase in search engine rankings and organic traffic.
To put it simply, a dofollow backlink is a vote of confidence from one website to another, and it’s an essential part of any successful SEO strategy.
For example, suppose a website about health and wellness has a dofollow backlink to a website that sells natural supplements. In that case, Google will consider the supplement website as a trustworthy source of information, which will help improve the website’s ranking for niche-relevant backlinks related to health and wellness.
Here’s how the code looks like for dofollow links:
<a href=”https://www.naturalsupplements.com” rel=”dofollow”>Natural Supplements</a>
In this code, we’ve set the “href” attribute to the URL of the linked website, which is https://www.naturalsupplements.com.
The “rel” attribute is set to “dofollow,” which tells search engines that this link should pass link juice to the linked website. This means that if this link is placed on a website with high authority, it could potentially boost the search engine rankings of www.natural supplements.com.
What Is a Nofollow Backlink?
A nofollow backlink is a type of link that is tagged with a “rel=nofollow” attribute. This tag is added to the link code in the HTML markup of the page, and it tells search engine crawlers not to follow the link and not to pass any “link juice” or authority to the linked website.
The nofollow attribute was introduced by Google in 2005 as a way to combat spammy and manipulative link building tactics.
By using the nofollow tag on user-generated content, blog comments, and other similar areas, website owners can discourage spammers from leaving irrelevant or low-quality comments with the intention of manipulating their search engine rankings.
When a nofollow link is used on a website, the linked page won’t receive any SEO benefit from that link.
This means that even if the linked page has high-quality content, a nofollow link won’t contribute to its search engine rankings. However, it’s still possible for nofollow links to drive traffic to a website, as users may click on the link and visit the site directly.
Example:
Going with the natural supplement website example, here’s a nofollow link code:
<a href=”https://www.naturalsupplements.com” rel=”nofollow”>Natural Supplements</a>
In this code, we’ve set the “href” attribute to the URL of the linked website, which is https://www.naturalsupplements.com.
However, we’ve set the “rel” attribute to “nofollow,” which tells search engines not to pass link juice to the linked website.
This means that if this link is placed on a website with high authority, it won’t contribute to the search engine rankings of www.naturalsupplements.com.
It’s worth noting that whether a link is dofollow or nofollow is determined by the website that is linking out.
While www.naturalsupplements.com can control whether their own links are dofollow or nofollow, they can’t control how other websites choose to link to them. As a result, it’s important to focus on earning high-quality dofollow links from niche-relevant websites for the best SEO benefits.
The Difference Between Dofollow and Nofollow backlinks
The main difference between dofollow and nofollow backlinks is that dofollow links are considered “followable” by search engine crawlers, while nofollow links are not.
When a search engine crawler encounters a dofollow link, it will follow that link to the linked page and pass along some of the authority and relevance of the linking page to the linked page. This means that dofollow links can help to improve the search engine rankings of the linked page and can also drive traffic to that page.
On the other hand, when a search engine crawler encounters a nofollow link, it will not follow that link and will not pass any authority or relevance to the linked page. This means that nofollow links do not have a direct impact on search engine rankings, but they can still drive traffic to the linked page if users click on the link.
Which Is Better for SEO?
In terms of improving SEO rankings, dofollow backlinks are better than nofollow backlinks. This is because dofollow backlinks pass on link juice, which helps to improve the destination website’s SEO ranking.
However, this does not mean that nofollow backlinks have no value. Nofollow backlinks can still be valuable for driving traffic to a website and increasing brand awareness, enabling you to still reap the benefits of SEO implementation.
Having a mix of dofollow and nofollow links is natural and can be a sign of a healthy backlink profile. It’s important to focus on earning high-quality niche-relevant backlinks, regardless of whether they are dofollow or nofollow, as these types of links can help to improve the overall authority and credibility of a website.
Benefits of Do follow Backlinks
- Improved Search Engine Rankings: Do follow backlinks can help to improve the search engine rankings of a website by passing along authority and relevance from the linking page to the linked page. When a search engine crawls a page with a do follow link to your site, it considers the link to be a vote of confidence in the quality and relevance of your content. This can help to boost your site’s visibility and traffic.
- Increased Website Traffic: Do follow backlinks can also help to drive traffic to your website by providing a direct link to your content. When users click on a do follow link to your site, they are taken directly to your page, which can lead to increased engagement, conversions, and revenue.
- Improved Domain Authority: Do follow backlinks from high-quality websites can also help to improve the domain authority of your site. This is because search engines consider backlinks from authoritative sites to be a strong indicator of the quality and relevance of your content.
- Brand Visibility: Do follow backlinks can also help to increase brand visibility by exposing your content to a wider audience. When your content is linked to from other reputable websites, it can help to build brand awareness and credibility.
While do follow backlinks are an important component of a successful SEO strategy, it’s important to focus on earning backlinks naturally, rather than trying to buy backlinks or engage in other spammy tactics, as this can harm your site’s reputation and rankings in the long run.
Conclusion
Understanding the difference between do follow and no follow links is essential to creating a successful backlinking strategy. While no follow links have their place, do follow links are the holy grail of backlinks, offering significant benefits to a website’s search engine rankings, traffic, and authority.
These links can make a real difference in your online visibility and success. But remember, building a strong backlink profile and implementing a Google marketing strategy, take time, effort, and patience. It’s not something that can be bought or rushed.
So, stay focused on creating great content that people want to link to, and cultivate relationships with other reputable websites in your niche. With a little perseverance and dedication, you can build a powerful backlink profile that drives traffic, boosts your rankings, and helps you achieve your online goals.