A dofollow link is a common term used in SEO, but technically it is not an official HTML tag or rel value. When a link is added normally and does not include a special attribute such as rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc", search engines may treat it as a standard crawlable link by default. For this reason, when SEO professionals use the term “dofollow link,” they usually refer to a regular link that does not carry any limiting link attribute.
Google states that regular links that you expect Google to fetch and parse do not need an additional rel attribute. For example, if you want to cite a source, guide the user to a useful page or naturally link to a relevant website, you can use a standard structure such as <a href="https://example.com">Example Website</a>. These links can help search engines understand relationships between pages. However, the presence of a link does not guarantee that it will directly improve rankings.
Standard links, often called dofollow links in SEO, are important because search engines use links to discover pages and evaluate relationships across the web. Trusted, relevant and editorially placed links may contribute to the authority and visibility of the linked page. In contrast, low-quality, manipulative or paid links can create SEO risk. Therefore, the quality, source, context and naturalness of a link matter more than the label attached to it.
The concept of dofollow links is usually explained together with nofollow links. The rel="nofollow" attribute is used when the linking page wants to limit its relationship with the linked page or does not want to pass ranking signals through that link. For example, if you need to link to a site you do not trust or you manage a comment area where users can freely add links, nofollow can be used. Google has long recommended using rel="nofollow" in areas where users can add links themselves.
A simple nofollow link example is:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Website</a>
In this example, the rel="nofollow" attribute tells Google that the relationship with the linked page should not be treated like a standard editorial recommendation. However, nofollow should no longer be understood as an absolute command in every situation. In a 2019 update, Google explained that nofollow, sponsored and ugc attributes are treated as hints about how links should be considered.
Google recommends using different rel values for different types of links. For advertising, sponsorships, paid placements or affiliate links, rel="sponsored" should be used. For links within user-generated content, such as comments or forum posts, rel="ugc" can be used. For links you do not trust or do not want to be associated with, rel="nofollow" may be preferred. These values can be used separately or together when necessary.
Paid links require particular care. If a brand, publisher or site owner provides a link in exchange for money, products, services, discounts or another form of compensation, that link should be marked appropriately. Otherwise, the link may be interpreted as part of a link scheme intended to manipulate search rankings. For this reason, sponsored content, advertorials, influencer collaborations and affiliate links should be defined with the correct rel attribute from an SEO perspective.
Dofollow links are also frequently discussed in backlink analysis. A normal, unrestricted link that one website receives from another is often called a “dofollow backlink” by SEO tools. If these links come from natural, relevant and high-quality sources, they may contribute to organic visibility. However, focusing only on increasing the number of dofollow backlinks is not a sound SEO strategy. The source of the link, the content context, how natural it is and whether it provides value to users are more important.
Nofollow links should not be considered completely worthless. Even if a nofollow link does not directly pass ranking signals in the traditional sense, it can still provide traffic, brand awareness, discoverability, referral visibility and a more natural-looking link profile. Also, because Google treats nofollow as a hint, it does not mean these links are completely ignored in every case. Therefore, evaluating a link profile only through the dofollow and nofollow distinction is not enough.
The idea that a website must have a specific “balance” between dofollow and nofollow links is also an oversimplification. Having no nofollow links on a website is not automatically a spam signal. Likewise, having many nofollow links is not automatically harmful. What matters is whether the links are natural, relevant, useful for users and aligned with Google’s link guidelines. Instead of trying to artificially adjust link ratios, the correct rel attribute should be used according to the purpose of each link.
The basic principle for dofollow links is to use regular links when linking to trusted sources that provide value to users. It is healthy to naturally link to pages that support the content, add context or are genuinely cited editorially. On the other hand, advertising, sponsorships, user-generated content or untrusted sources should be marked correctly. This structure is important both for user transparency and for helping search engines interpret link relationships properly.
In summary, a dofollow link is not technically a separate HTML tag, but a practical SEO term used to describe normal and unrestricted links. If a link does not have a special rel attribute, it is generally treated as a standard crawlable link by default. Trusted and editorially placed links do not require an extra rel value. For advertising, sponsored content, user-generated content or untrusted links, attributes such as nofollow, sponsored and ugc should be used correctly.
