Let the relationship choose the attribute
Dofollow vs Nofollow Backlinks: What Each Link Attribute Means
The useful distinction is not “good link versus bad link.” It is whether the HTML accurately describes an editorial, sponsored, or user-generated relationship.
The short answer
A “dofollow” backlink is usually just an ordinary link without a qualifying rel value.
Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC give publishers more specific ways to describe a link. Google treats these attributes as hints. Choose the attribute that truthfully matches the relationship, and never mistake an ordinary link for a guaranteed ranking benefit.
“Dofollow” usually means an ordinary link
A normal HTML link does not need a special dofollow value. In SEO reports, “dofollow” or “follow” usually means the link is crawlable and does not carry a qualifying value such as rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc". The colloquial label is convenient, but it can hide the more useful question: what relationship is the publisher describing?
Google says ordinary links do not need a rel attribute when the publisher expects Google to fetch and parse them without qualification. For other relationships, the publisher can add one or more rel values. These values belong to the outbound link’s HTML and are controlled by the site publishing it.
Standard link — no dofollow attribute needed
<a href="https://example.com/guide">relevant guide</a>Nofollow link
<a rel="nofollow" href="https://example.com/guide">relevant guide</a>Sponsored link
<a rel="sponsored" href="https://example.com/guide">relevant guide</a>User-generated link
<a rel="ugc" href="https://example.com/guide">relevant guide</a>Multiple rel values
<a rel="ugc nofollow" href="https://example.com/guide">relevant guide</a>| Common label | Typical markup | What it communicates | Appropriate use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ordinary / follow | No qualifying rel value | A regular editorial link without a special relationship marker. | A publisher independently references a useful destination and no other qualification applies. |
| Nofollow | rel="nofollow" | The publisher would rather Google not associate its site with, or crawl the destination from, that link. | When sponsored or UGC does not fit and the publisher does not want to imply an unqualified endorsement. |
| Sponsored | rel="sponsored" | The link is connected to advertising, sponsorship, or another compensation agreement. | Paid placements, ads, sponsorships, and compensated affiliate relationships. |
| UGC | rel="ugc" | The link appears in user-generated content. | Comments, forums, community posts, profiles, and other contributor-controlled areas. |
Nofollow, sponsored, and UGC are hints
Google announced in 2019 that it treats nofollow, sponsored, and UGC as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search. That wording matters. It is more accurate than saying a nofollow link always passes nothing or that an ordinary link automatically transfers a predictable amount of ranking value.
The attributes help Google understand the nature of a link. They do not turn a weak page into a useful one, and they do not make an ordinary link a ranking guarantee. Relevance, page quality, destination usefulness, crawlability, editorial context, and many other signals remain outside the attribute itself.
A qualified link can also be valuable outside rankings. A relevant reader may click it, remember the brand, share the resource, or later cite it from another page. Measure those outcomes when they matter instead of treating the rel attribute as the entire result.
Separate the attribute from the rest of the review
An attribute tells you something about the publisher’s relationship with the destination. It does not answer whether a person can crawl the URL, whether the destination can be indexed, whether anyone will click, or whether the placement belongs in the paragraph. Review those questions separately. The contextual backlinks guide explains how source page, surrounding passage, anchor, intended reader, and destination fit together.
| Review layer | Question to ask | What the rel value cannot decide |
|---|---|---|
| Link qualification | What relationship does the publisher have with the destination? | It does not grade the page or promise a ranking result. |
| Crawlability | Can a crawler discover and request the URL from a real anchor element? | It does not make a button or JavaScript-only control a standard crawlable link. |
| Indexability | Can the destination be included in a search index? | Nofollow is not noindex; access, robots directives, canonical signals, and content still matter. |
| Referral traffic | Could a person click through to a useful destination? | A qualified link can send visitors, while an unqualified irrelevant link may send none. |
| Editorial relevance | Do the source page, paragraph, anchor, and destination make sense together? | No rel value can rescue an irrelevant insertion or weak destination. |
Which attribute should a publisher use?
Use an ordinary link for an independent editorial reference
When a publisher chooses a destination because it helps the reader and no payment, user-generated context, or trust qualification applies, a regular link can describe the relationship accurately. The publisher still decides the anchor, placement, destination, and whether the link remains live.
Use sponsored for compensation
Google recommends sponsored for advertisements, sponsorships, and other compensation agreements. Nofollow is still accepted for paid links, but sponsored is the more specific description. Compensation can include money, goods, services, or another material benefit. The link insertion versus guest post guide explains why paid or contributed material should not be presented as independent editorial endorsement.
Use UGC for user-generated links
UGC is designed for links in user-generated areas such as comments and forum posts. Platforms may combine it with nofollow, and Google allows multiple rel values. Moderation and abuse prevention still matter; an attribute is not a replacement for community controls.
Use nofollow when the other values do not fit
Nofollow is the general qualification for a link where the publisher does not want Google to associate the site with, or crawl the destination from, that link. It should not be used as a bargaining chip to pressure another publisher into an ordinary link.
How to inspect a backlink attribute
- 01Open the exact source page. Do not rely only on a dashboard label, because crawlers can be delayed or can report a different URL version.
- 02Find the visible link. Confirm that a real reader can see it and that the anchor accurately describes the destination.
- 03Inspect the anchor element. Look for no rel value, or values such as
nofollow,sponsored, andugc. Multiple values can appear together. - 04Check the destination and redirect path. Confirm the link reaches the intended canonical page rather than an error, unrelated redirect, or tracking URL that fails.
- 05Record the relationship, not just the label. Note why the link exists, who controls it, whether compensation is involved, and whether the surrounding context helps the reader.
SEO tools are useful for monitoring at scale, but the source HTML and the visible page are the evidence for one specific placement. The backlink monitoring checklist covers redirects, lost links, context, and attribute changes over time.
Backlink-review checklist
Use this checklist whether you are receiving a placement or publishing the outbound link. The rel value is one field, not the whole review.
- Source page. Record the exact URL, owner, audience, and section where the link appears.
- Context. Read the surrounding paragraph and confirm the destination answers the reader’s next question.
- Destination. Check that it is live, public, relevant, maintained, and not an unexpected redirect.
- Anchor. Make sure the visible words are natural, descriptive, and not forced exact-match text.
- Rel value. Record whether the link is regular, sponsored, UGC, nofollow, or a combination.
- Disclosure. Check whether a paid, gifted, affiliate, or contributor relationship is visible to readers.
- Referral potential. Consider whether the audience has a real reason to click; a score is not a substitute for this review.
- Editorial legitimacy. Confirm that the publisher made the decision and can edit, qualify, remove, or decline the link.
If the placement needs a respectful request, use the link-building outreach guide. If it is already live, use the backlink monitoring checklist to record later changes to the source page, destination, context, and rel values.
Two illustrative reviews
These examples are fictional. They show why the relationship and page evidence matter more than the label a buyer wants to see.
Illustrative example 1: a contributor guide
Imagine buildnotes.example publishes an independently edited migration guide. A fictional founder from relayboard.example contributes a detailed section based on a real workflow. The editor verifies the instructions, discloses the contribution, and links to one public checklist that helps readers complete the step. The correct rel treatment follows the actual relationship and publisher policy; the contributor cannot turn a useful article into a demand for a followed link.
Illustrative example 2: a paid newsletter placement
Imagine founderdispatch.example sells a sponsored issue to fictional product queuepilot.example. The issue identifies the sponsorship and links to a destination that matches the reader’s topic. That can be a legitimate advertising relationship, but the publisher should disclose the commercial context and use its sponsored-link policy. A buyer asking for a “dofollow backlink” would be asking to control or hide the relationship, not to improve the issue.
What not to optimize for
- A forced follow-link ratio. There is no trustworthy universal percentage that every legitimate site should imitate.
- Paid links disguised as editorial links. Google lists buying or selling links for ranking purposes and failing to qualify paid placements among link-spam concerns.
- Exact-match anchors demanded as a condition. The publisher should choose wording that reads naturally and accurately for the audience.
- Rejecting every nofollow opportunity. A useful citation, community profile, media mention, or high-intent referral can help people even when the link is qualified.
- Treating any attribute as proof of quality. Run the exact page through the backlink quality checklist before deciding whether the opportunity deserves time.
A publisher-first decision framework
| Question | If yes | If no |
|---|---|---|
| Was there payment, sponsorship, or another material benefit? | Use sponsored; nofollow remains acceptable for flagging paid links. | Continue to the next question. |
| Was the link added by a user in a community area? | Use UGC, optionally combined with nofollow according to platform policy. | Continue to the next question. |
| Does the publisher want to avoid an unqualified association? | Use nofollow when sponsored and UGC do not describe the relationship. | An ordinary link may be appropriate if it is an independent editorial reference. |
| Does the link help the intended reader? | Keep the context clear and the destination useful. | Remove or rewrite the link regardless of its rel value. |
Where Indie Chains fits
Indie Chains helps founders find relevant publishers and start voluntary conversations. Membership does not buy an ordinary link, and one member cannot dictate another member’s attribute, anchor, placement, or publication decision.
If a collaboration involves compensation or user-generated placement, the publisher should qualify it accurately. If it is an independent editorial reference, the publisher still decides whether an ordinary link is appropriate. Start with reader value and use the platform for discovery—not for guaranteed ranking credit.
Questions founders ask
Is there a rel="dofollow" attribute?
No standard dofollow attribute is required. SEO tools commonly use “dofollow” or “follow” to describe an ordinary crawlable link that has not been qualified with nofollow, sponsored, or UGC.
Does Google completely ignore nofollow links?
Google says nofollow, sponsored, and UGC are hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search. That is different from promising that every qualified link is ignored in every system or that an ordinary link will produce a ranking benefit.
Should paid links use nofollow or sponsored?
Google recommends rel="sponsored" for advertisements, sponsorships, and other compensated placements. Nofollow remains acceptable for flagging paid links, but sponsored communicates the relationship more specifically.
Are nofollow backlinks still useful?
They can still help people discover a resource, send referral traffic, support brand visibility, and document a legitimate citation or community contribution. Their value should not be reduced to whether an SEO tool labels them follow or nofollow.
Sources
Definitions and policy guidance can change. These primary sources were checked while preparing this article.
Describe the relationship honestly, then make the link useful.
Review the exact page with the backlink quality checklist, and use the monitoring checklist to catch future attribute, redirect, or context changes.