If you’re new to SEO, you might be wondering what the buzz is about when it comes to follow links versus no-follow links.
Feeling confused?
No problem – I am here to clear it all up.
Content Outline
What is a Follow Link?
To grasp follow vs. no-follow links, let’s delve into how links work in SEO.
When a webpage receives a link from another site, it gets a small SEO boost – think of these links as points.
The more points you have, the better, just like winning a game.
Google pays attention to these points by analyzing the number and quality of links a page has.
If many sites link to a page, Google assumes it’s valuable and deserves a higher position in search results.
Links flow from reputable sites to others through hyperlinks, with high-authority sites boosting link juice the most.
PageRank is the metric Google uses to calculate these points, also known as “link juice.”
Now, let’s talk about follow links – these are the links that count as points, carrying SEO link juice and elevating the page rank of the linked-to sites, helping them climb higher in search engine results.
What is a No Follow Link?
When other websites link to your site, it’s like a vote of confidence. Follow links are the friendly votes that boost your website’s popularity and help it appear higher in search results.
It’s like making new friends who really like you.
On the other hand, no-follow links are like shy friends who don’t want to boost your popularity. When websites use a special tag, it tells search engines, “Hey, don’t count this as a vote for that website.” So, no-follow links don’t contribute much to a website’s popularity contest.
In short, follow links are the popular votes that make a website stand out, while no-follow links are the quieter ones that don’t impact the popularity game much.
<a href=”http://www.website.com/” rel=”nofollow”>Link Text</a>
Think of the nofollow tag as a little sign that says, “Don’t count this link as a vote.” But why would someone use this tag? Well, there’s a good reason!
Imagine you are having a party and inviting lots of friends. Some friends might be genuine admirers, but others might be there because you paid them or for different reasons. The nofollow tag is like telling everyone, “Hey, don’t consider these guests when deciding who’s popular or important.”
In the online world, websites use the nofollow tag to guide search engines. It helps avoid issues like paid promotions or spammy links from influencing a website’s popularity unfairly. So, it’s not mean; it’s more like keeping things fair and honest in the online party of search engine rankings!
A World Without No Follow = Spamalot
Alright, let’s break it down! Imagine PageRank is like a popularity contest for websites. The more links a website has, the more popular it seems.
And guess what? Popularity gets you a higher spot in Google’s rankings!
So, when websites get lots of natural, dofollow links, they collect more “link juice.” Think of link juice as votes in the popularity contest.
The more votes (link juice), the better the chances of winning and being shown to people searching on Google.
Let’s face it: We are living in the not-so-perfect world of the internet, and some folks want to cheat the system.
These self-proclaimed SEO “experts” tried sneaky tricks to fool search engines and make their websites look way more popular than they actually were.
Picture the chaos: in the days before the nofollow tag, people went a bit crazy with link-building to boost their website rankings.
It was like a wild race to get as many links as possible, even if it meant spamming the entire internet. Blog comments turned into a mess with loads of self-promotion and random links.
Even Wikipedia wasn’t spared – folks were trying to sneak their websites onto hundreds of Wikipedia pages just for that precious link juice. The blogging community got worried. Spammers were ruining the chance for genuine discussions and community building.
Then, in 2005, Google entered the picture as sort of a web police, bringing order to the chaos. Google’s Matt Cutts and Jason Shellen of Blogger introduced the nofollow attribute, putting a stop to the chaos by saying,
“Hey, don’t count these spammy links!” It was like a superhero move to save the internet from link-building madness!
NoFollow: The Tag the Internet Needs, But Not the One it Deserves
You can think of the nofollow tag as an internet superhero cape – it protects the internet from sneaky and spammy SEO tactics. Sure, it points out the not-so-great side of SEO, but we can’t deny its importance.
The nofollow tag has been a game-changer. Most SEO spammers don’t bother dropping irrelevant links on blogs or forums when they know they won’t get that prized follow the link.
Big platforms like WordPress and Wikipedia automatically slap the nofollow tag on user-submitted links, preventing spammy behavior. While blog comment spam still pops up, the nofollow tag has definitely dampened it.
As a webmaster (basically, the manager of a website), you might wonder when to use the nofollow tag. It’s like a bouncer for certain links:
- Paid links (buying link juice is a no-no!)
- Comments
- Forums
- Anything Google sees as “untrusted content”
Some webmasters might ditch the nofollow tag to reward commenters who contribute positively to the blogging community, but that’s totally up to each webmaster’s choice.
Are No Follow Links Aren’t Worth the Trouble?
No, nofollow links aren’t worthless at all! Even if they don’t boost your SEO, they still bring in valuable referral traffic.
Picture it like this: a thoughtful blog comment or a helpful forum post, whether it’s nofollow or not, can bring a ton of people to your site. And guess what? Some of them might turn into leads or even customers!
We all know that search engines today are smart. They look at more than just link juice and PageRank. Social signals from places like Twitter and Facebook are becoming super important, even if they’re nofollow.
The real trick is to build your brand. Don’t just think about what links are good for SEO; think about what links are good for your business and brand. Links, whether nofollow or not, help build trust.
And hey, don’t ignore Wikipedia links. They can be a bit picky, asking for niche and unique content. But if you land a link, it can bring some cool results – maybe even other dofollow links.
There’s this cool story about a travel site ranking first on Google because of a Wikipedia link. Someone from the BBC noticed it, linked to the site, and bam—now the travel site has links from Wikipedia and the BBC.
Even if Wikipedia links are nofollow, they can still bring traffic and maybe snag you some awesome dofollow links later on.
How to See if a Link is Follow or No Follow
To distinguish between follow and nofollow links, you can follow these steps:
Using Chrome:
Go to the navigation bar and click View > Developer > View Source. Alternatively, right-click on a page and select Inspect Element.
Then, click Edit > Find and type “nofollow” into the search box. All instances of the nofollow tag will be highlighted.
Using Firefox:
Right-click on the page and choose View Page Source.
Then, do an Edit > Find and search for “nofollow” in the search box. This will highlight all instances of the nofollow tag.
For SEO professionals who want an easier way to track nofollow links, there are extensions available for Chrome and Firefox that automatically highlight these links on the pages you visit. Here are a couple of extensions:
For Firefox:
SEO Quake
SearchStatus
For Chrome:
NoFollow Simple
These extensions make it simpler for SEO experts to identify and keep track of both nofollow and dofollow links on the web pages they explore.
How to Get Follow Links
Getting follow links is crucial for a balanced link profile, and here are some honest ways to do it:
Create Awesome Content: Make content that’s fantastic and original. When people love it, they’ll naturally share and link to it, giving you those valuable follow links.
Guest Blogging: Write articles for other websites, especially ones related to your topic. This not only boosts your SEO but also brings in new visitors to your site.
Remember, the key is to produce great content and engage with other sites in a genuine way. You’ll naturally earn the following links.
Quick Links
Conclusion: Follow vs NoFollow Links? Which Is Best?
Keep in mind that a mix of follow- and no-follow backlinks is the ideal setup for a well-rounded link profile.
While follow links might give a bigger boost in SEO, both types play important roles in your online marketing strategy.
So, aim for a healthy balance to make your link profile strong and effective.
