Dofollow is an informal name for an ordinary unqualified link; it is not a required rel attribute value. Nofollow, sponsored and ugc are attributes that describe particular relationships with linked destinations.
What it means for search
Google recommends sponsored for advertising or paid placements, and ugc for links in user-generated content; nofollow remains appropriate in relevant cases. These attributes are treated as hints in Google’s systems. They are not ingredients in a required backlink ratio. A nofollow reference can still introduce real people to a useful resource, even when its direct search contribution cannot be measured.
A practical check
For links your site publishes, identify whether there is payment, a user contribution or a reason not to endorse the destination. Apply the appropriate qualification and verify it in the rendered HTML. For incoming links, record the context without demanding that publishers remove attributes. Review the destination experience and referral traffic. Keep commercial agreements transparent, and ensure any agency understands that paid placements should not be sold as guaranteed ranking credit.
Review the implementation at the link itself rather than trusting a spreadsheet label. Inspect the HTML to confirm the relationship attribute and the destination. For a backlink, the receiving business may have no control over that choice, and a publisher can legitimately qualify it. Keep questions about indexability separate: a relationship hint is not a substitute for a page-level indexing decision. This prevents a link-profile discussion from turning into an unrelated attempt to control whether another page appears in search.
A hypothetical business example
A hypothetical software company sponsors an industry conference. The event page can link to the company with an appropriate sponsored attribute and still help attendees find a relevant supplier. An independent tutorial may separately cite the company’s technical guide. Those references serve different purposes; changing attributes to make a report look more balanced would not improve either reader experience.
Limits and next steps
There is no ideal percentage of followed and nofollow links. A provider’s ratio is not a Google rule, and a link attribute does not turn deceptive content into useful content. Nofollow also is not a general method for preventing a destination from being indexed, because Google may discover that URL elsewhere. Use indexing controls for their intended technical purpose.
A focused SEO audit can connect this work with the pages, enquiries and business decisions it should support.
Common questions
Are nofollow links worthless?
No. They can provide visibility and relevant visitors. Avoid promising a precise ranking benefit or dismissing them solely because of an attribute.
Should all external links be nofollow?
No. Qualify links according to their relationship and purpose rather than applying nofollow indiscriminately to ordinary editorial references.
Terms in this guide
- Backlink — A link from another website to yours. The context and purpose of a link matter; buying manipulative links is not a sound substitute for useful content and real reputation.
- HTML — HyperText Markup Language: the document structure used to describe web content, including headings, paragraphs, links, lists, images and forms.
- Indexability — Whether a page is eligible to enter a search engine’s index. A crawlable page may still be excluded, for example because of a noindex directive or the engine’s own selection.
- SEO — Search engine optimisation: making a website’s content and technical foundations easier for search engines to understand and more useful for people finding it through search.
Related SEO guides
Apply this to your website
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