Sooner or later, anyone who looks after a website runs into the terms “dofollow” and “nofollow”. A supplier offers a “dofollow backlink” for a fee, a directory listing comes with a nofollow tag, or a developer asks whether the links in your blog comments should be marked up differently. The jargon makes a fairly simple idea sound mysterious.
This guide explains the difference between dofollow vs nofollow links in plain terms, including the newer sponsored and ugc values Google introduced, how Google actually treats each one today, and whether dofollow links are still a ranking factor in 2026. It ends with a practical checklist for tagging the links on your own site and a short list of mistakes that can put your rankings at risk.
What dofollow and nofollow links actually are
Every ordinary link on the web is an HTML anchor element with an href attribute pointing to another page. Links can also carry a rel attribute that tells search engines something about the relationship between your page and the page you are linking to.
- A “dofollow” link is simply a normal link with no rel value that restricts it. There is no actual rel=”dofollow” attribute; the term is industry shorthand for “a link without nofollow, sponsored or ugc”.
- A nofollow link carries rel=”nofollow”. It tells search engines you do not want to vouch for the destination or pass ranking credit to it.
To a visitor, both look and behave the same: they are clickable and lead to the same page. The difference only matters to search engines, which use links to discover pages and as one of many signals about which pages are important and trustworthy. Google’s guide to making links crawlable covers the basic link mark-up it can follow.
If links are new to you, it helps to know the three main types first: internal links between your own pages, external links from your site to others, and inbound links from other sites to yours. The dofollow and nofollow question applies to all of them.
The four rel values Google recognises for links
In September 2019, Google announced two new values alongside nofollow in its post Evolving “nofollow”. Its current guide on qualifying outbound links sets out when to use each one.
| Mark-up | What it signals | When to use it | Typical Singapore example (illustrative) |
|---|---|---|---|
| No rel value (“dofollow”) | A normal editorial link you are happy to stand behind | Links you chose to include because they help readers | A clinic linking to the Ministry of Health page on a vaccination schedule |
| rel=”sponsored” | The link is an advertisement, paid placement or part of a paid or compensated arrangement | Paid listings, sponsored posts, affiliate links, links given in exchange for free products | A food blogger linking to a restaurant that hosted a free tasting |
| rel=”ugc” | The link appears in user-generated content | Blog comments, forum posts, reviews written by users | A link a visitor leaves in the comments of a renovation forum thread |
| rel=”nofollow” | You do not want to endorse the page or pass ranking credit, and the other values do not apply | Links you cannot vouch for that are neither paid nor user-generated | Linking to a site you are criticising or have not verified |
Google says you can combine values, for example rel=”ugc nofollow”, and that existing nofollow mark-up on paid links does not need to be changed, although sponsored is preferred for paid placements. The values only affect how search engines treat the link; they do not change anything for visitors.
How Google treats nofollow links today: hints, not commands
Before 2019, nofollow was widely understood as an instruction: Google would not use the link for ranking. Google’s 2019 announcement changed that. It said that nofollow, sponsored and ugc would all be treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude for ranking, and that from 1 March 2020 nofollow would also become a hint for crawling and indexing.
In practice this means:
- Google may still use a nofollow link to discover a page, and may choose to take it into account in some way. It is no longer a reliable block, so do not rely on nofollow to keep a page out of search.
- To stop a page being indexed, use a noindex rule or password protection instead. To control crawling, use robots.txt. Google’s documentation describes these as the proper tools for that job.
- The hint model mainly helps Google understand the web better. For most site owners, the right behaviour is unchanged: mark paid and untrusted links honestly and leave genuine editorial links alone.
Are dofollow links still a ranking factor in 2026?
This is the question behind most searches on the topic, so it deserves a careful answer.
What Google says
Google has consistently described links as one of the signals it uses to understand the web. Its explanation of how Search works describes discovering pages by following links, and its spam policies exist precisely because links can influence rankings. If links did not matter, Google would not need rules against buying them.
What that does and does not mean
It does not mean that more dofollow links automatically produce better rankings. Google uses many signals, including how well content matches the search, its quality and usefulness, page experience and, for local searches, distance and prominence. A single relevant link from a respected Singapore industry association can be worth far more than hundreds of links from unrelated, low-quality sites, and those low-quality links can be ignored or even work against you.
Our view, based on experience rather than a published Google statement, is that earned editorial links still help, but they help most when the page they point to is already genuinely useful. They are an amplifier, not a substitute. Our guide to inbound links and why they matter covers how to earn them.
Do nofollow links have any value?
Yes, even if they pass little or no ranking credit. A nofollow link from a popular news site, a listing on a well-used directory or a mention in a busy forum can send real visitors, build brand awareness and lead journalists or bloggers to link to you editorially later. A healthy link profile naturally contains a mix of both types, because that is how the web works.
Link schemes: where dofollow links become a risk
Google’s spam policies define link spam as links intended mainly to manipulate rankings. Examples Google lists include:
- Buying or selling links that pass ranking credit, including exchanging money, goods or services for links without a qualifying rel value.
- Excessive link exchanges (“link to me and I’ll link to you”) done mainly for ranking purposes.
- Large-scale article marketing or guest-posting campaigns with keyword-rich anchor text links.
- Using automated programmes or services to create links to your site.
- Requiring a link as part of a terms of service or contract without letting the site owner qualify it.
This is why any offer of “permanent dofollow backlinks” for a fee should ring alarm bells. If you pay for a link, Google expects it to be marked sponsored or nofollow. Sites that break these policies can see affected pages rank lower or drop out of results. We explain the wider line between acceptable and risky tactics in white hat vs black hat SEO.
For Singapore businesses, common grey areas include paid listings on “best of” roundup sites, sponsored articles on lifestyle blogs, influencer posts with free products and partner pages that list suppliers in exchange for a discount. Each of these can be perfectly legitimate marketing; the links just need the right rel value.
How to choose the right attribute: a practical checklist
Use the following steps to review the links on your own website. A small business can usually complete this over two or three sessions.
- Week 1 – List your outbound links (marketing lead or developer). Use a crawler or your CMS to export every external link from your site, including those in blog posts, footers, partner pages and comments.
- Week 1 – Identify paid or compensated links (owner). Flag any link you were paid for, that is part of an affiliate programme, or that was given in exchange for a product, service or discount. Mark these rel=”sponsored”.
- Week 1 – Check user-generated areas (developer). Make sure links in comments, forums and user reviews automatically receive rel=”ugc” (most WordPress setups handle comments this way by default, but confirm it).
- Week 2 – Review editorial links (marketing lead). Keep normal links to sources you trust, such as government agencies, industry bodies and reputable references. There is no need to nofollow good citations; linking to useful sources helps readers.
- Week 2 – Nofollow what you cannot vouch for (marketing lead). Apply rel=”nofollow” to links you need to include but do not endorse.
- Week 2 – Leave internal links alone (developer). Do not add nofollow to links between your own pages. It does not “save” ranking credit and can make it harder for search engines to understand your site structure.
- Week 3 – Review inbound links (owner and marketing lead). Check the Links report in Google Search Console to see who links to you. Note any obviously paid or spammy links you arranged in the past and remove or qualify them where you can.
- Ongoing – Write the rule into your process (owner). Add a line to your content checklist and any sponsorship or influencer brief stating how paid links must be marked.
How AI can help you manage links
Link reviews are tedious, which makes them a reasonable job to share with software. AI and automation tools can help to:
- Crawl your site and list every external link with its current rel value.
- Flag links on pages that look like sponsored content but lack a sponsored attribute.
- Summarise the Search Console Links report and highlight unusual new referring domains.
- Spot broken outbound links that send visitors to dead pages.
- Draft outreach emails to sites that mention your business without linking, for a person to edit and send.
Keep their limits in mind. Automated tools cannot reliably know whether a link was paid for; only you know your commercial arrangements. Third-party “authority” scores are estimates made by tool vendors, not numbers Google uses, so treat them as rough guides; our article on what domain authority really measures explains why. And never let a tool place links on other sites automatically, which Google’s spam policies specifically list as link spam.
Marketing2u’s AI SEO Agent includes a site crawler, broken-link checks and a backlinks view using authority scores from free sources, so you can see your link picture in one place. It does not build links or change your robots.txt, and any change to your site waits for your approval.
Common mistakes with dofollow and nofollow links
- Paying for dofollow links. This is the classic link scheme. If money, gifts or discounts change hands, qualify the link.
- Nofollowing every outbound link out of fear. Linking to good sources is normal and helpful. Blanket nofollow can make your content look less connected to the rest of the web.
- Using nofollow on internal links to sculpt ranking credit. This old tactic no longer works the way people hoped and can hide important pages from crawlers.
- Relying on nofollow to hide pages. Since 2020 it is only a hint. Use noindex or authentication for pages that must stay out of search.
- Forgetting influencer and partner content. Sponsored posts and gifted reviews often slip through without a sponsored tag. Build it into the brief.
- Chasing link counts instead of relevance. One link from a relevant, respected source can matter more than many weak ones; see our notes on the benefits of off-page SEO for where links fit.
The takeaway on dofollow vs nofollow links
The difference between dofollow vs nofollow links is really about honesty. A normal link says “I stand behind this”; sponsored says “this was paid for”; ugc says “a visitor added this”; and nofollow says “I am not vouching for this”. Google treats all of them as hints, still uses links as one of many signals, and penalises attempts to manufacture them.
For a Singapore SME, the practical path is clear: mark paid and user-generated links correctly, keep genuine editorial links normal, and earn links by publishing pages that others want to cite. If you are reviewing your site anyway, combine this with a wider SEO audit so link fixes sit alongside the technical and content checks that matter just as much.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a dofollow and a nofollow link?
A dofollow link is a normal link with no restricting rel value, which search engines may use as a signal about the page it points to. A nofollow link carries rel=”nofollow” and tells search engines you do not want to vouch for the destination. Both work the same way for visitors.
Are dofollow links still a ranking factor?
Google still describes links as one of the signals it uses, and its spam policies against buying links exist because links can influence rankings. However, links are only one of many signals, relevance and quality matter far more than quantity, and manipulative links can be ignored or penalised.
Should I use rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow" for paid links?
Google prefers rel=”sponsored” for advertisements, paid placements and affiliate links, but says nofollow is also acceptable and existing nofollow mark-up does not need to be changed. You can combine both values if you wish. What matters is that paid links are not left as normal links.
Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
They usually pass little or no ranking credit, but Google treats nofollow as a hint, so it may still use them for discovery. More importantly, nofollow links from popular sites can send real visitors and raise awareness, which often leads to editorial links later.
Sources and further reading
- Google Search Central: Qualify your outbound links to Google
- Google Search Central Blog: Evolving "nofollow" (September 2019)
- Google Search Central: Spam policies for Google web search
- Google Search Central: Link best practices for Google
- Google Search Central: How Google Search works
Related guides
- Anchor Text: How to Build a Natural Link Profile
- Link Building for Singapore SMEs: Safe Tactics That Earn Real Backlinks
- What Are Inbound Links in SEO And Why They Matter for Your Ranking
- What Are External Links In SEO: 7 Best Practices To Boost Site Rankings
- Off-Page SEO Importance: 7 Benefits Explained
Browse every article in our SEO guides.