When you start diving into guest posting and link building, one of the first technical concepts you'll encounter is the distinction between "dofollow" and "nofollow" links. Understanding this difference is crucial — it directly affects how much SEO value each backlink you earn through guest posting will actually pass to your website.

Many bloggers spend months pursuing guest post placements only to discover that the links they earned were nofollow — and feel frustrated by that. But is a nofollow link truly worthless? Should you only pursue dofollow guest post opportunities?

The reality is more nuanced than a simple yes or no, and this guide will give you a clear, complete picture.

What Is a DoFollow Link?

A dofollow link is simply a standard hyperlink. When a website links to another site without any special attribute modifying its behavior, that link is automatically "dofollow" by default.

When search engine crawlers (Googlebots) encounter a dofollow link, they follow it and pass "link equity" — commonly known as PageRank or "link juice" — from the linking page to the destination page.

This link equity is what powers your website's authority in Google's algorithm. More high-quality dofollow links = higher domain authority = better rankings.

HTML appearance of a dofollow link:

<a href="https://yourwebsite.com">Anchor Text</a>

No special attributes needed — it's the default.

What Is a NoFollow Link?

A nofollow link includes the rel="nofollow" attribute, which was introduced by Google in 2005 to combat comment spam. It instructs search engine crawlers not to follow the link and — traditionally — not to pass any PageRank through it.

HTML appearance of a nofollow link:

<a href="https://yourwebsite.com" rel="nofollow">Anchor Text</a>

In 2019, Google expanded this system by introducing two additional link attributes:

• rel="sponsored" — for paid or affiliate links
• rel="ugc" — for user-generated content (comments, forum posts)

These three attributes (nofollow, sponsored, ugc) all provide hints to Google about the nature of the link, though Google now treats them as "hints" rather than hard directives.

The 2019 Google Update: NoFollow Changed

This is where many outdated guides mislead people. In September 2019, Google announced that it would begin treating nofollow links as "hints" rather than directives. This means Google may choose to follow nofollow links and potentially use them for ranking purposes — at their discretion.

What this practically means:

• Nofollow links from high-quality, authoritative websites may carry some SEO value
• They likely don't pass full link equity like dofollow links
• They still contribute to a natural-looking link profile
• They may influence ranking signals beyond just PageRank (trust, relevance, E-E-A-T)

The Value of Each Link Type for Guest Posting

DoFollow Guest Post Links

DoFollow links from guest posts are the gold standard for SEO. When you secure a dofollow backlink from a DA 60+ website through a guest post, you're earning direct PageRank signal that can meaningfully move your keyword rankings.

Best for:

• Building domain authority
• Improving keyword rankings
• Growing organic search visibility
• Long-term SEO ROI

NoFollow Guest Post Links

Contrary to popular belief, nofollow links from quality publications are not worthless — they're just differently valuable.

They still provide:

• Brand exposure to new, targeted audiences
• Referral traffic directly to your website
• Link profile diversity — an all-dofollow link profile looks unnatural to Google
• Indirect SEO value through the 2019 hint system
• Brand authority signals — being cited in respected publications signals credibility

When Should You Pursue NoFollow Opportunities?

Don't automatically skip a guest posting opportunity just because the links will be nofollow. Ask these questions first:

Is the website highly authoritative? A nofollow link from Forbes, The New York Times, or TechCrunch still carries enormous brand and credibility value — and may pass indirect ranking signals.

Does the website have significant, targeted traffic? If the site attracts 500,000+ monthly visitors who match your target customer profile, the referral traffic value could easily exceed the SEO value of a dofollow link from a smaller site.

Does a nofollow fit your link profile at this time? An unnatural link profile consisting entirely of dofollow links can look suspicious. A balanced profile with a mix of dofollow, nofollow, and UGC links appears more organic.

Is there relationship-building value? Getting published on a major publication — even with nofollow links — can open doors to future opportunities, speaking engagements, podcast invitations, and more.

How to Check if a Site's Guest Post Links Are DoFollow or NoFollow

Before investing time in a pitch, verify the site's link policy:

Method 1: Manual Inspection Open a published guest post on the target site. Right-click on one of the author bio links or in-article links and select "Inspect" (or "View Page Source"). Look for rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag.

Method 2: Browser Extension Use the NoFollow Chrome extension or LinkMiner to visually highlight nofollow links across any page.

Method 3: Ask Directly Some publications clearly state their link policy in their guest post guidelines. If it's not stated, you can simply ask in your pitch email: "I wanted to confirm — are author bio links dofollow?"

Building a Balanced Link Profile

SEO experts consistently recommend building a diverse link profile. A website with 100% dofollow links looks suspicious. A natural backlink profile typically includes:

• 60-75% dofollow links (editorial and guest post links)
• 20-30% nofollow links (press mentions, social profiles, directories)
• 5-10% UGC/forum links

Guest posting contributes to all three categories depending on where you publish. Embrace this diversity rather than fighting it.

Practical Strategy: Prioritizing DoFollow Without Ignoring NoFollow

Here's a simple framework:

Tier 1 — Prioritize (DoFollow, DA 50+, Niche Relevant): These should receive 70% of your outreach effort. Maximum SEO ROI.

Tier 2 — Pursue Selectively (NoFollow, DA 70+, High Traffic): Major publications with real audiences. Referral traffic, brand building, E-E-A-T signals.

Tier 3 — Lower Priority (DoFollow, DA 20-40): Acceptable for niche relevance, but balance with higher-DA opportunities.

Avoid — Regardless of Link Type: Private blog networks, link farms, zero-traffic websites, and any site that accepts any article without editorial standards.

Conclusion

The dofollow vs. nofollow debate is important but shouldn't paralyze your guest posting strategy. DoFollow links are more directly valuable for SEO rankings, but nofollow links from authoritative, high-traffic websites still contribute meaningfully to your overall web presence.

Build a strategy that prioritizes quality dofollow placements while strategically incorporating nofollow opportunities on major publications. This balanced approach produces the strongest, most sustainable SEO results.