A dofollow link is a term from the field of search engine optimization (SEO) and refers to hyperlinks that are evaluated by search engines such as Google as to whether or not they contribute to improving the ranking of a web page. Basically, there are two types of links: Dofollow and Nofollow. While dofollow links can positively influence the ranking of a website, nofollow links are ignored by search engines when it comes to evaluating websites.
Dofollow links are the default variant for all hyperlinks on the Internet, unless they have been explicitly set to Nofollow. The main purpose of Dofollow links is to support the search engines' Pagerank algorithm. Search engines use this algorithm to determine the relevance and authority of a web page in relation to certain search terms or keywords. As a rule, the more high-quality dofollow links point to a web page, the better its ranking in search results.
Advantages of dofollow links
Dofollow links bring some advantages for website owners:
- Improved ranking: As mentioned above, dofollow links can improve a website's ranking in search results, as they are taken into account by search engines when calculating pagerank.
- Increased visibility and traffic: A higher position in search results usually leads to greater visibility and thus more visitors to a website.
- Strengthening online reputation: Dofollow links can help boost a website's online reputation by serving as a sign of recognition and recommendation from other websites.
Dofollow vs. Nofollow
Nofollow links, on the other hand, are links that are specially provided with an attribute (rel="nofollow") that signals to search engines not to use them to calculate rankings. Nofollow links can be used for comments in blogs or forums, for example, to reduce the number of spam links.
The right ratio of dofollow and nofollow links also plays an important role in successful search engine optimization. A natural and balanced ratio is recommended to emphasize the authority of a website in the eyes of search engines.
