Concept
Dofollow and nofollow links
A dofollow link passes SEO value to the linked page; a nofollow link, marked with the rel="nofollow" attribute, generally does not.
Dofollow by default, unless marked otherwise
By default, every link is dofollow, unless a website owner explicitly marks it as nofollow. This typically occurs with advertisements, user-generated content (comments, forum posts), or links for which the webmaster deliberately chooses not to endorse.
Nofollow is a hint, not a rule
Since 2019, Google no longer treats nofollow links as a strict directive, but rather as a suggestion that may nonetheless be taken into account, particularly when a large number of nofollow links pointing to the same page indicate consistent visitor behavior.
Why the ratio matters
A backlink profile consisting entirely of nofollow links lacks the type of authority signal that Google weights heavily. A healthy mix, with a substantial proportion of dofollow links from relevant, authoritative sources, is what link-building strategies aim for.
Want to know which part of your backlink profile actually passes on value? Check out our Link Building service or schedule a strategy session.