Dofollow vs NoFollow Links: A Top Rochester SEO Services Company Explains

by | Jan 28, 2022 | SEO

If you’re looking for an SEO services company in Rochester, you’ve come to the right place. Backlinks are undoubtedly one of the most critical assets to a solid SEO strategy for a business’s website, and our experts know that.

It has been found that these links are one of the top two most important pieces of criteria for ranking highly on Google’s results pages.1 However, not all backlinks are the same, so companies must know the kinds of links, their benefits, and how and when to use them. This means knowing about Dofollow vs Nofollow links.

If you’re already tuning this information out and would prefer to have someone handle the hassle for you, our team of pros at Full Circle SEM is glad to help. We’re an SEO services company out of Rochester, NY, and Fort Lauderdale, FL. We work with business owners across the country like you to build successful, results-driven SEO strategies to enhance your online presence.

What Are Backlinks and What Purpose Do They Serve?

There’s no simple way to define what a backlink is, so we like to draw a picture (figuratively speaking – we’re no artists) for people instead.

Let’s say you have a website that you want to drive traffic to organically (free, in other words). However, you first need to rank higher in search results so people will see your website. One of the key factors search algorithms look at is backlinks. 

Authoritative sites link to your content, which drives traffic from their audience to your website. Essentially, this passes some of their authority onto you—the higher quality of the source, the higher your credibility.

So, when another website links to your site and when you link to other posts, the algorithm robots see you as a more credible source. Ultimately, this sends more traffic to your site. Need more convincing about the importance of backlinks and a proper link-building strategy? Here are our top 10 favorite stats proving our point:

  1. 52% of marketers say brand mentions have a significant impact on organic search rankings.2
  2. 65% of marketers determine link quality by looking at their domain authority.3
  3. Links are one of the top two criteria used in Google’s page ranking algorithm.4
  4. According to SEO experts, the third most important factor for SEO is external linking.5
  5. Link building is the most challenging part of SEO, according to 41% of SEO experts.6
  6. 48% of marketers use “nofollow” links as part of their strategy.7
  7. 42% of SEO experts spend equal time building both internal and external links.8
  8. 69% of marketers think buying links will positively impact search rankings.9
  9. 51% of SEO experts say two to three internal links should be included in blogs.10
  10. 36% of businesses hire outside help for link-building efforts.11

Dofollow Vs Nofollow Backlinks

Hopefully, by now you’re convinced that backlinks are something you should be using in your SEO strategy – that part is easy. Here’s the catch: there are good links and not-so-good links in the world of link building and SEO. Search engines tend to prefer “dofollow” links more than “nofollow” links.

Do you no-follow that terminology? No problem, we’ll explain.

A dofollow link instructs a search engine to follow a link back to the originating site. Allowing this boosts the original site’s page ranking on the search engine, bypassing some authority onto the destination link.

A nofollow link is basically the opposite. It instructs search engines to not follow the link back to the originating site, basically ignoring it. However, these links still serve a purpose and should be used in a properly designed SEO strategy because they still drive traffic to your website and increase your brand awareness. (In Local SEO, for example, a nofollow link can be just as helpful as a dofollow link!)

In other words, dofollow links are the reigning champ for SEO, but nofollow links are the underdog that shouldn’t be shunned.

SEO Services Company in Rochester

At Full Circle SEM, our experts take link-building strategies to the next level, so if this article left your head spinning or if you just want to pick our brains about the whole thing, we’re here for you. Contact us today to learn why we’re the top choice for an SEO services company in Rochester for many local businesses. With our help, we’ll get your site ranking high on Google and boost traffic flow to your business.

Sources:
[1] https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/link-building-stats
[2] https://www.aira.net/state-of-link-building/link-building-measurement-and-reporting/
[3] https://www.aira.net/state-of-link-building/link-building-measurement-and-reporting/
[4] https://searchengineland.com/now-know-googles-top-three-search-ranking-factors-245882
[5] https://databox.com/seo-friendly-website
[6] http://ww2.conductor.com/rs/conductor2/images/SEO%20Enterprise%20Benchmark%20Study_Conductor.pdf
[7] https://www.aira.net/state-of-link-building/link-building-measurement-and-reporting/
[8] https://databox.com/how-to-use-internal-links
[9] https://www.aira.net/state-of-link-building/the-impact-of-link-building/
[10] https://databox.com/seo-statistics#general
[11] https://www.aira.net/state-of-link-building/in-house-specific-questions/

Justin Ober

Justin built his first website and eBay store while in high school (circa 1999) and has had a hand in internet marketing ever since. After graduating from Penn State University he headed for warmer weather in sunny South Florida, where he worked on both the client and agency side of digital marketing. Yada, yada, yada, he's since managed over $30 million in digital ad spend and is an expert in all things PPC.

If you’re ready to take your brand to the next level, call 888-757-2714 or contact us here today.