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Dofollow vs nofollow in 2026: what still passes value

The link attributes changed, Google's treatment changed, and a lot of advice is out of date. Here's what dofollow, nofollow, sponsored and ugc actually do now.

The OptiLink TeamLink acquisition & indexing
October 10, 2026 2 min read
Key takeaways
  • Since 2019, nofollow (and sponsored/ugc) are 'hints' Google may or may not count — not a hard block.
  • Dofollow editorial links are still where the reliable ranking value lives; build for those.
  • A natural profile has a mix — an all-dofollow profile can itself look engineered.

If your mental model of link attributes is from a 2015 blog post, it's wrong in ways that matter. Google changed how it treats nofollow in 2019, added new attributes, and the practical guidance shifted with it. Here's the current state, plainly.

The attributes, and what each means now

  • dofollow (no rel attribute, or rel="follow") — a normal link. This is where reliable ranking value comes from.
  • nofollow (rel="nofollow") — since March 2019, a hint. Google may choose to count it for ranking and crawling, or not. It's no longer a guaranteed block.
  • sponsored (rel="sponsored") — the correct tag for paid or affiliate links. Also treated as a hint.
  • ugc (rel="ugc") — for user-generated content like comments and forum posts.

The headline change: nofollow stopped being a hard wall. Google reserves the right to use those links as signals. In practice, a dofollow editorial link is still far more valuable and predictable — but a nofollow link from a major, relevant publication is not worthless the way the old model assumed.

Treat "hint" literally: Google decides case by case. You can't control which hints it honors, so you optimize for the links you can rely on — relevant, editorial, dofollow — and let the rest be a natural bonus.

What to actually build for

Build for relevant, editorial, dofollow links as your core. They're the ones with predictable value. But don't obsess over scrubbing every nofollow out of your profile:

  • A natural backlink profile has a mix of dofollow and nofollow. Real sites link both ways.
  • An all-dofollow profile is itself a red flag — it looks curated, because it is.
  • Nofollow links from relevant, high-traffic sites still drive referral traffic and brand exposure, which have their own value.

The practical checklist

  1. Prioritize dofollow editorial placements on relevant sites.
  2. Don't refuse a great nofollow link from a strong, relevant source — take it.
  3. Tag your own paid and affiliate links sponsored, and comment/forum links ugc. Getting this wrong on your side risks manual action.
  4. Verify what you earn: a link described as dofollow isn't always one.

That last point is why OptiLink checks the rel attribute on every placement and tracks it live — so the links in your profile are the ones you think they are, and the dofollow value you're paying for is actually there.

#backlinks#dofollow#link-building

The OptiLink Team

Link acquisition & indexing

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