Are you struggling to understand the difference between nofollow and dofollow links? — If yes, then you are not alone.
The digital marketing world is complex, and distinguishing between nofollow and dofollow links is a common challenge for many SEO experts and website owners.
Hence, in this article, we uncover the mystery behind these links and understand the differences. These differences will help you make informed decisions and enhance your website’s visibility and authority.
So, let’s get started and compare nofollow and do-follow links
What are Nofollow Links?
Nofollow links are like signposts that tell search engines not to follow them. When you add a nofollow tag to a link, it means you are telling search engines that you don’t want them to consider that link when ranking your website.
For example, let’s say you are writing a blog post and link to a website but are not endorsing it. You can add a nofollow tag to that link to tell search engines that it shouldn’t influence your website’s ranking.
Here is an example of a Nofollow link:
anchor text hereWhy and When nofollow Links are Used?Nofollow links are used for various reasons in the SEO landscape. Here are a few reasons why nofollow links are used:
1) User-generated Content —When users contribute content to your website or include comments beside your blog mentioning their link, you may want to use nofollow links. There are many instances in which readers may include the blog or website link in comments relevant to the topic of your blog on the website. It may be possible that the links added to the comments are not authentic. Hence, to prevent spam and to ensure that you are not endorsing any potentially harmful websites, you can use nofollow links. Using nofollow links will protect your site’s reputation from being associated with low-quality or irrelevant content and safeguard your credibility in the eyes of SERPs. 2) Paid Links —If you are associated with paid advertising or sponsor content where you receive payment against the inclusion of links on your website, you must use nofollow use. This indicates to SERPs that the links added to the blog are not an organic endorsement but a paid placement. For example, if a company pays you to include a link to their product or service in your blog post. Adding a nofollow tag ensures transparency and compliance with search engine guidelines. The reason for using nofollow links in this situation is to avoid any unnecessary search engine complications. 3) Content Syndication —When you share your articles or posts on different websites, it’s called content syndication. To ensure search engines understand that the content is already published elsewhere and not duplicated, you can use nofollow links when linking to your website. This tells search engines not to count these links for ranking your site. It helps keep your website’s search engine optimization (SEO) in good shape and prevents issues with having the same content in multiple places on the internet. What are Dofollow Links?Dofollow links are pathways that search engines follow to explore new websites and determine their importance. When another website links to yours with a dofollow tag, it tells search engines to consider that link as a vote of confidence for your site. For example, Forbes links your website in one of their articles without using a nofollow tag. Integrating your website link in the Forbes article boosts your website’s credibility and improves its chances of ranking higher in search results. Here is an example of a dofollow link:
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