Those new to SEO might be wondering what is all about follow links vs. no follow links.
Not to worry, We’ll put a brief light on it.
The terms “follow links” and “nofollow links” refer to how search engines like Google treat hyperlinks in terms of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and PageRank.
✅ What is a Follow Link?
A follow link is a normal hyperlink that search engines follow when crawling the web. It also passes SEO value, often called “link juice,” to the destination page.
🧠 Purpose:
Helps search engines discover and index the linked content.
Boosts the SEO of the page being linked to.
Contributes to the PageRank of the destination page.
🔍 Example:
Visit Example
🚫 Nofollow Links
❌ What is a Nofollow Link?
A nofollow link includes a special attribute (rel=”nofollow”) that tells search engines not to follow the link or pass SEO value to the target page.
🧠 Purpose:
Prevents SEO manipulation via paid links, spam, or untrusted content.
Often used in:
Blog comments
Forum posts
Sponsored content
User-generated content
🔍 Example:
Visit Example
| Feature | Follow Link | Nofollow Link |
| ———————- | ————————————– | ———————————– |
| Search engines follow? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Passes SEO value? | ✅ Yes | ❌ No (or very limited) |
| Indexing impact? | ✅ Helps indexing | ❌ Doesn’t directly help indexing |
| Common use cases | Internal links, trusted external links | Ads, user comments, affiliate links |
💡 SEO Strategy Tip:
Use follow links for trusted, high-quality resources.
Use nofollow (or related attributes like sponsored or ugc) when:
Linking to sponsored or paid content
Allowing user-generated links
Linking to sites you don’t vouch for.