Dofollow vs nofollow

In one line

A dofollow link passes ranking authority (“link equity”) to the target; a nofollow link carries a rel=“nofollow” attribute telling engines not to pass it.

The difference

Dofollow links are the ones that directly help rankings. Nofollow links (and their cousins rel=sponsored and rel=ugc) still drive referral traffic, brand awareness and mentions, just no direct link equity.

Why you want both

A profile of only dofollow links looks unnatural and manipulative. Real sites earn a mix: nofollow from social and news, dofollow from editorial coverage and resource pages. Chase relevance and quality, not the attribute.

Frequently asked

Do nofollow links help SEO at all?

Indirectly, traffic, brand signals and a natural profile. They don't pass direct ranking authority.

When should links be nofollow?

Paid/sponsored (rel=sponsored), untrusted, or user-generated content (rel=ugc), per Google's guidelines.

Put this into practice

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Related

What is a nofollow link?
A link that drives traffic but passes no ranking authority, and when to use it.
What is a backlink?
A vote of confidence from one site to another, and why quality beats quantity.