--- title: "What Are Dofollow Backlinks?" description: "A dofollow backlink is a link that does not tell Google to ignore it. It is not a ranking switch. Here is how rel attributes actually work." canonical_url: "https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/what-are-dofollow-backlinks" content_type: "article" category: "SEO & Backlinks" author: "FoundrList Team" date_published: "2026-11-02T00:00:00.000Z" topics: ["what are dofollow backlinks", "what is dofollow backlinks", "dofollow backlinks", "dofollow vs nofollow", "rel nofollow"] source: FoundrList --- # What Are Dofollow Backlinks? A dofollow backlink is a link that does not tell Google to ignore it. It is not a ranking switch. Here is how rel attributes actually work. Published: November 2, 2026 · 1,100 words · 6 minute read A dofollow backlink is an ordinary link. The page links to you and does not add rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc". People say “dofollow” because the HTML attribute that exists is nofollow, not dofollow. There is no dofollow attribute to turn on. ## What the rel values mean What you seeWhat it tells GoogleTypical useNo rel, or rel without those hintsA normal link. Google may use it as a signal.Editorial mentions, unpaid listings that chose a normal linkrel="nofollow"A hint not to pass ranking credit, and not to follow for discovery in the old strict sense. Google treats these as hints.Untrusted or user-added linksrel="sponsored"The link is an ad or a paid placement.Paid launches, ads, sponsored postsrel="ugc"The link was added by a user.Comments, forums, profiles Google's documentation says to mark ads and paid placements with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow", and that those attributes are hints. A link without them is an ordinary link. Buying a link so it looks unpaid is the pattern the spam policies call link spam. ## What a dofollow link does not do - It does not guarantee a ranking, a crawl, or an AI citation. - It does not have a fixed “DR value” that transfers as a number of points. - A link from a page nobody visits, on a site built only to sell links, is the pattern Google lists under low-quality directory links. On FoundrList, a free listing's link to your site is nofollow. Paid launch plans are published as dofollow while the listing is live and follows the terms. Ads and sponsored posts use rel="sponsored". Google's own rule for a paid placement is sponsored or nofollow, so treat any dofollow from a paid plan as a product detail, not as proof that Google will count it. If the goal is earning normal links without buying them, read [how to get dofollow backlinks](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/how-to-get-dofollow-backlinks) and the [directory submission guide](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/directory-submission-sites). ## The searches that land on this definition People search what are dofollow backlinks, what is dofollow backlinks, and dofollow vs nofollow. They want the attribute explained, not a spreadsheet of blogs for sale. A dofollow link is the default. You create the other kind by adding rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc". There is no attribute named dofollow to turn on, which is why the phrase is confusing and why it still gets searched. ## How to check a live link 1. Open the page that mentions you. 2. View the source, or use the browser inspector on the anchor. 3. Read the rel attribute. No rel, or a rel that is only noopener, is an ordinary link. 4. If you paid for the placement and the rel is missing, the page is not following Google's guidance. Sponsored or nofollow is what Google asks for on ads and paid placements. 5. Do not trust a comparison table from last year. Directories change the attribute by plan. On FoundrList, free listings use nofollow. Paid launch plans are published as dofollow while the listing is live and follows the terms. Ads and sponsored posts use rel="sponsored". Google still prefers sponsored or nofollow on anything you paid for, so treat the attribute as a description of the markup, not as a ranking result. The longer version is [how to get dofollow backlinks](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/how-to-get-dofollow-backlinks). ## What a link does and does not transfer A normal link can help a crawler discover a URL and can be one signal among many. It does not move a fixed number of Domain Rating points onto your site. Domain Rating is a third-party score. Google does not publish it and does not owe you a ranking because a link exists. A link from a page built only to sell links is the example Google gives when it describes low-quality directory links. ## Questions people ask ### Is dofollow a real HTML attribute? No. Links are followed by default. nofollow, sponsored and ugc are the hints you add when you need them. ### Are nofollow links useless? No. People click them, and Google says it treats the attributes as hints. A relevant nofollow link from a page your buyers read can still send visitors. ### Does FoundrList give a dofollow link? Paid launch plans are published as dofollow while the listing is live and allowed. Free listings use nofollow. Ads and sponsored posts use rel="sponsored". Google still prefers sponsored or nofollow on anything you paid for, so the attribute is not a ranking promise. ### Is a dofollow backlink better than nofollow? A normal link can pass a signal a nofollow link is hinted not to pass. A relevant nofollow link can still send visitors. An irrelevant dofollow link from a spam page is not an upgrade. ### Why do people say dofollow if the attribute does not exist? It is shorthand for a link that is not marked nofollow, sponsored, or ugc. The HTML you will actually see uses those three values, or nothing. ## Keep reading - [How to get dofollow backlinks](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/how-to-get-dofollow-backlinks) - [Free dofollow backlinks, without the spam lists](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/free-dofollow-backlinks) - [Directory submission sites](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/directory-submission-sites) - [Startup backlink guide](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/instant-dr-backlinks-for-startups) ## Sources - [Google Search Central: Qualify your outbound links](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links) - [Google Search spam policies](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies) ## Related guides - [What Is Generative Engine Optimization (GEO)?](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/what-is-generative-engine-optimization) — Generative engine optimization is writing pages so AI answers can find, quote and link them. Google still treats that work as SEO. Here is what to do. - [What Is Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)?](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/what-is-answer-engine-optimization) — Answer engine optimization means structuring a page so the answer is quotable. It is still SEO. Here is the version that helps a startup get cited. - [AEO vs SEO vs GEO: What Founders Should Actually Do](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/aeo-vs-seo-vs-geo) — SEO gets you retrieved. AEO makes the answer quotable. GEO is the research name for citations in generated answers. One page plan covers all three. - [Programmatic SEO for Startups: When a Template Is Worth Publishing](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/programmatic-seo-for-startups) — Programmatic SEO is many pages from one template and a dataset. It works when every URL is genuinely different. Here is the test before you generate them. - [How to Get Dofollow Backlinks for a Startup](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/how-to-get-dofollow-backlinks) — Earn normal links by being worth citing: a clear page, a useful listing, and mentions you did not pay to disguise. Buying links is the approach to skip. ## Source and citation - [Canonical FoundrList article](https://www.foundrlist.com/blog/what-are-dofollow-backlinks) - Cite the canonical HTML URL above. This Markdown file is an alternate representation of the same editorial article.