Off-page SEO
Dofollow Link
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What is Dofollow Link?
A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that does not carry any attribute restricting the flow of PageRank. Despite being called "dofollow," this is the default state of any link — there is no actual `rel="dofollow"` attribute in the HTML spec. Search engines follow dofollow links and use them to pass ranking authority (link juice) from the linking page to the destination page.
Dofollow links from high-authority, topically relevant domains are the most valuable type of backlink for SEO purposes. Link-building campaigns primarily target the acquisition of dofollow links because they directly influence a page's ability to rank for competitive keywords. The ratio of dofollow to nofollow links in a backlink profile is a point of analysis when auditing link health.
Why it matters for SEO
Dofollow links are the primary currency of off-page SEO. Earning high-quality dofollow links from authoritative and relevant domains remains one of the most reliable ways to improve organic rankings for competitive keywords.
Example
A food magazine writes a roundup of kitchen tools and links to a knife maker's product guide with <a href="https://knifemaker.example/guide">sharpening guide</a>. There is no rel attribute, so it is a normal, followed link that search engines may use as an endorsement. Had the magazine been paid for the placement, Google's guidelines would require rel="sponsored" on that link instead.
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