Before the introduction of Dofollow and Nofollow links by Google, the SEO realm was extremely chaotic. Website administrators and bloggers engaged in backlinking practices that are now considered “black hat” methods because of how “spammy” they are.
Today, though, creating an effective backlinking strategy is more challenging than ever before. In fact, up to 41% of marketers claim link building is the most challenging part of SEO. While that’s the case, it’s also a good thing. It means that if you want your site to appear on the first page of Google, you must create web pages that offer value.
Keep reading to learn more about the differences between Dofollow and Nofollow links and how they impact your site’s SEO.
Understanding the Difference in Dofollow vs. Nofollow Links
The main difference between these two types of links is that Dofollow links pass PageRank signals (a.k.a., link juice) while Nofollow links don’t.
Put simply, the distinction between these links is based on how Google’s algorithm views them. When it comes to the technical side of things, the only difference in the links is that Nofollow links include a small tag in the code that looks like this – rel=” nofollow.” With this tag, search crawlers know that the link should not be used to determine the page’s PageRank score.
People visiting the site can still click and view the link.
The links function identically. However, Google views them differently depending on the tag added. The tag is what determines the value of the link. As you would imagine, Dofollow links have more value to your site and pages than Nofollow links.
How Dofollow Links impact PageRank
The PageRank of your website is how much value Google believes the site offers. These signals are points that let Google and other search engines know that the page being linked to offers valuable information or is valuable in some way.
When your page has a higher PageRank, it will typically appear higher in SERPs (search engine results pages). Other factors help pages or sites rank well in the SERPs, too. However, links are considered extremely valuable and an essential sign that the page offers something valuable to search engines.
When your website is ranked higher and links to lower-ranked sites with a Dofollow link, you essentially share the “link juice” you have earned and boost the website’s value with the lower rank. The site that isn’t ranked as well will receive more points for PageRank from the high-quality Dofolow link you provide.
The points above highlight the distinction on why Dofollow links are better than Nofollow links when building links to your site. Even though a Dofollow link is important for SEO, using Nofollow links is also necessary for your website. If you aren’t sure how to implement these types of links, work with the professionals. They can help create and maintain a link-building strategy that will improve your SEO and PageRank.
By, Peter Roesler, President of Small Business SEO. 25+ years in marketing! Yippee.
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