You’re here because you want to learn about dofollow backlinks and how to build high-quality links that actually make a difference for your website. You are in the right place.
You’ve probably heard this a thousand times, backlinks matter. Dofollow backlinks are the ones that pass authority to your site, helping you rank higher on search engines.
But all backlinks are not the same. Some can boost your rankings, while others can do more harm than good. So, how do you get high-quality dofollow backlinks that actually boost your SEO without risking penalties? That’s exactly what we’re going to break down.
What is a Dofollow Backlink?
A dofollow backlink is a hyperlink that does not include any special tags such as rel=”nofollow”, rel=”ugc”, or rel=”sponsored”.
Dofollow backlinks boost the link page’s authority and ranking potential. They are saying to search engines, “Hey, I trust this site and recommend it!”.
Why are Dofollow Backlinks important?
Boost Your Search Engine Rankings
Dofollow backlinks act as stamps of approval for your website. When a well-known site puts a link to your content, search engines take it as a hint that your page deserves attention.
Strengthen Your Website’s Authority
Getting a dofollow backlink from a reputable site tells search engines, “This site knows its stuff!” Over time, this kind of endorsement builds your website’s authority in your niche, making it easier to stand out from the competition.
Drive Referral Traffic and Visibility
Dofollow links also serve as direct routes for users to find your site. When someone follows a link from another website and ends up on yours, that’s referral traffic.
Dofollow backlinks help your rankings, establish trust, and draw more visitors. But the quality of your backlinks is just as crucial as the number.
Get links from trustworthy sources, and see your website thrive.
What is the Difference Between Dofollow vs Nofollow?
When a website includes a dofollow link to another page, it gives search engine crawlers the green light. These crawlers follow the link to the destination page, analyze its content, and consider it as part of the search ranking game.
Even better, dofollow backlinks pass along a little something called “link equity,” which boosts the authority and ranking power of the linked page.
When a website adds the rel=”nofollow” tag to a link, it tells search engine crawlers, “You don’t need to follow or index this link.” In other words, nofollow backlinks don’t pass along link equity or help improve the ranking of the linked page.
But don’t underestimate them.
Nofollow links can still drive traffic to your site and improve brand awareness. Plus, they’re often used to link to sources where passing link equity isn’t necessary, such as sponsored content or comments sections.
Dofollow backlinks help you climb the rankings and build authority. Nofollow links don’t directly impact rankings , but still bring traffic and signal relevance in indirect ways.
When to Use Dofollow Backlinks
Linking to High-Quality, Relevant Content
When you’re linking to another site that provides valuable, trustworthy, and relevant information for your audience, there is no reason not to include a dofollow link. It’s like sharing a trusted recommendation with both your readers and search engines.
This can also build the trustworthiness of your own site.
Citing Authoritative Sources
Whether it’s an insightful study, a well-researched article, or expert advice, linking to authoritative sources with a dofollow link boosts your credibility.
When search engines see you linking to quality sites, it reflects positively on your own site’s authority.
Connecting to Your Own Social Media Profiles
When you link to your social media pages, you’re strategically driving traffic and building connections with your audience across platforms. Using do-follow backlinks here can strengthen the association between your website and your social presence, creating a cohesive online identity.
Highlighting Testimonials or Reviews
When you display feedback or reviews that compliment your product or service dofollow backlinks can boost that trust element. Linking to real testimonials or outside review websites adds credibility to your statements creating a good impression for your readers and search engines alike.
When You Just Want to Share the…Love
Perhaps you’ve discovered a small blog or a specialized resource that merits more attention. By linking to them with a dofollow tag, you’re giving them an opportunity to get noticed. And there’s a chance they might do the same for you in the future.
When Not to Use a Dofollow Backlinks
While dofollow backlinks can work wonders for SEO, there are times when they might do more harm than good. Knowing when to use a nofollow tag instead can save you from potential SEO pitfalls.
Linking to Unreliable or Low-Quality Sites
You’re linking to a website that’s filled with outdated, irrelevant, or outright spammy content. Allowing a dofollow link here could hurt your own site’s credibility. Search engines might see it as a sign that you’re endorsing poor-quality content, which can drag down your rankings.
In these cases, adding a nofollow tag helps you stay in the clear while still providing a link for readers.
Paid Links or Sponsored Content
If you’re linking to a page because you were paid to do so or if it’s part of a sponsorship, it’s vital to mark those links as nofollow. Google views paid links as a potential manipulation of rankings, so adding the nofollow tag ensures you’re playing by the rules.
User-Generated Content
When your site allows comments, forum posts, or other user-generated content, it’s smart to treat those links with caution. After all, you can’t always control what users link to, and leaving them as dofollow could accidentally associate your site with spam or harmful sites.
A nofollow tag acts as a safety net, protecting your site’s reputation without restricting user interaction.
How to check if a link is Dofollow or not
There are some ways you can use to check if a link is nofollow:
Inspect the Page’s HTML Source Code
- Right-click on the link in your browser and select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”.
- Look for the link tag (<a>) if the link has the rel=”nofollow” attribute.
Use Tools
There are several browser extensions available that can automatically highlight nofollow and dofollow links on any webpage, such as NoFollow Simple, SEO Minion, and Link Miner.
Also, SEO tools allow you to check if a link is nofollow or dofollow: Ahrefs, Moz, and SEMrush.
How to Build High-Quality Dofollow Backlinks
Create High-Quality, Shareable Content
It’s the best way to earn dofollow backlinks. Whether it’s in-depth guides, informative articles, or visually stunning infographics, your content needs to provide real value.
Backlinko found that long-form content tends to generate more links, with an average of 77.2% more than shorter articles.
When people find your content helpful or entertaining, they’ll be more likely to link to it. Focus on crafting content that answers questions, solves problems, or offers unique content that makes people say, “I need to share this!”.
Expert opinion
No matter how niche or mainstream your market is, great content remains a significant focus for SEO.
LSEO
Outreach
Outreach campaigns are one of the most effective and proactive strategies for building high-quality dofollow backlinks.
Personalizing and staying relevant are crucial for a successful outreach campaign. First, find websites that match your content, values, and audience. Then, don’t just send emails just asking for a backlink. Instead, try to create a connection. Show real interest in their work and tell them how a link to your content will help their readers.
Make sure your emails catch the attention of a busy inbox. Keep your message short, easy to understand, and engaging. Give them a good reason to say yes: you might have a blog post that could improve their existing content, or you could suggest working together on something new.
And, hey friends, don’t get discouraged if you don’t get a response right away. Follow up politely, and always stay professional. Sending follow-up emails in link-building outreach campaigns leads to a 40% increase in the number of links acquired.
Outreach campaigns boil down to playing the numbers, but if you do them well, they can lead to valuable backlinks. These backlinks bring in traffic and boost your SEO as time goes on.
Guest Blogging on Reputable Sites
Guest blogging stands out as the top link-building tactic, with Authority Hacker reporting that 64.9% of link builders use it in their strategies. When you write for well-known sites in your field, you get a chance to show off your expertise while earning a valuable link to your website.
Just remember to offer top-notch relevant content. Sites are more likely to link back to your page if your article benefits their readers.
Build Relationships with Influencers and Bloggers
Networking is essential in the world of backlinks. Start connecting with influencers, bloggers, and industry leaders in your field. By building strong relationships, you can collaborate on projects, co-author content, or even get mentioned in their posts. This often leads to a dofollow link back to your site.
Leverage Broken Link Building
Broken link building is a clever strategy where you find broken links on other websites and offer your content as a replacement. By doing this, you’re helping the website owner fix a broken link, while earning a dofollow backlink to your site.
To get started, use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to find pages with broken links in your niche. Then, pitch your own content as the perfect replacement. This strategy works well because you’re offering value by solving a problem for the site owner.
Earn Links Through Testimonials and Reviews
One often overlooked strategy is submitting testimonials or product reviews. Many businesses love showcasing customer testimonials on their websites, and they often offer a dofollow link back to your site in exchange. This is especially effective for companies with products or services you genuinely use and enjoy. By writing a thoughtful, genuine review, you not only help the business improve its credibility, but you also earn a dofollow link to boost your site’s authority.
Conclusion
Building backlinks is much easier if it’s offering anything of value that anyone wants to link to.
Focus on building a website that’s worth linking to by providing real value, building relationships, and creating content that people genuinely want to share. High-quality dofollow backlinks will follow.
Frequently Asked Questions
