Dofollow Link
A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that instructs search engines to follow it and pass link equity (PageRank) to the linked page. It is the default type for all links unless explicitly specified otherwise.
Reviewed by Alexander Yarovenko · Updated: 2026-07-03
What is a Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is the standard type of hyperlink — there is no special attribute added to make a link dofollow; it is the default behaviour for all <a href> links. Search engine crawlers will follow the link and pass link equity (PageRank) to the destination page. In SEO, dofollow links are the most valuable type of backlink because they transfer ranking authority.
Dofollow vs Nofollow
| Dofollow | Nofollow | |
|---|---|---|
| Default? | Yes — no attribute needed | No — requires rel="nofollow" |
| Crawler follows link? | Yes | Google may or may not follow (hint, not directive) |
| Passes PageRank? | Yes | Officially no; minimal signal at most |
| Counted as endorsement? | Yes — explicit endorsement | No — signals editorial distance |
| When used | All standard editorial links | UGC, comments, untrusted links, ads |
HTML Example
<!-- Dofollow (default — no special attribute) -->
<a href="https://example.com/seo-guide">SEO Guide</a>
<!-- Nofollow (must be explicitly added) -->
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Site</a>Why Dofollow Links Matter
Building dofollow backlinks from authoritative, relevant websites is the primary mechanism for increasing domain and page authority in Google's algorithm. The goal of link building is almost always to earn dofollow editorial links from quality sources — nofollow links from blog comments or forums rarely have a direct SEO impact.