Dofollow backlinks
that transfer authority.

Dofollow Backlinks: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Earn Them

The top-ranking page on Google has, on average, 3.8 times more backlinks than the pages sitting in positions two through ten. That gap doesn't reflect luck — it reflects deliberate, sustained effort to earn links that actually pass authority. And the most important category of links for that purpose is dofollow backlinks.

Not all backlinks move the SEO needle equally. Understanding the distinction between link types, and knowing how to acquire the ones that genuinely contribute to rankings, is foundational knowledge for anyone serious about organic search performance. This guide covers the mechanics of dofollow links, why they're indispensable, and five proven methods for earning them.

The Mechanics of a Dofollow Link

A dofollow link is a standard hyperlink that instructs search engine crawlers to follow it, index the destination page, and pass SEO value — commonly called link juice or link equity — from the source site to the target site. In practical terms, when a high-authority website places a dofollow link pointing to your page, it transfers a portion of its authority to you. That transferred authority contributes to your Domain Authority (DA), your Domain Rating (DR), and ultimately your ranking potential across relevant search queries.

The technical default in HTML is dofollow. Any standard link written without additional attributes is treated as dofollow by search engines. The distinction only arises when a webmaster explicitly adds the nofollow attribute to instruct crawlers not to pass value through a link.

Three mechanisms explain how dofollow links produce their SEO effects:

Crawling and indexing. When Google's Googlebot encounters a dofollow link, it follows that link to the destination page, crawls it, and adds it to Google's index. For new content or newly launched sites, a dofollow link from a high-traffic source can accelerate indexing from weeks or months down to a matter of hours. Only 5% of all websites have any backlinks pointing to them — meaning the majority of web content is discovered slowly, if at all.

Link equity transfer. The authority of the referring domain flows through the dofollow link to the destination. A link from a site with DR 85 carries far more weight than one from a DR 15 blog. This transferred equity accumulates over time, strengthening your site's overall authority profile and improving its competitiveness for challenging keywords.

Anchor text signalling. The clickable text within a dofollow link communicates context to search engines. If the anchor text reads "eCommerce SEO guide," Google understands that the destination page covers that topic. Research shows that sites with high anchor text diversity achieve an average search ranking of 1.3, compared to 3.5 for sites with low anchor text diversity — a difference that underscores why natural, varied anchor text matters across a backlink profile.

Dofollow vs. Nofollow: The Core Distinction

The nofollow attribute was introduced by Google in 2005 to combat comment spam and other manipulative link practices. A nofollow link tells search engine crawlers not to follow the link or attribute any ranking value to the destination. Google may still crawl the page through other means, but the link itself doesn't function as a ranking signal.

One figure puts the relative prevalence in perspective: only 10.6% of all backlinks across the top 110,000 sites are nofollow. The overwhelming majority of links on the web are dofollow by default — which means most link-building efforts, when they land placements on legitimate sites, result in dofollow links unless the publisher explicitly chooses otherwise.

This doesn't mean nofollow links are worthless. They contribute to a natural-looking backlink profile, can drive referral traffic, and since Google's 2019 update treating nofollow as a "hint" rather than a directive, may carry some indirect ranking influence. But for the core purpose of building authority and improving rankings, dofollow links are the primary lever.

Five Reasons Dofollow Links Are Non-Negotiable for SEO

They Directly Fuel Google's PageRank Algorithm

PageRank — the original algorithm Google developed to evaluate webpage importance — operates primarily through link signals. Each dofollow link pointing to a page contributes to its PageRank score, weighted by the authority of the linking domain. More high-quality dofollow links mean higher PageRank, higher DA and DR, and a stronger foundation for ranking competitive terms.

Google uses over 200 factors to rank websites, but backlinks — specifically dofollow backlinks from credible sources — consistently rank among the most significant. Without them, even technically excellent sites with well-optimised content struggle to break through in competitive search landscapes.

They Create a Compounding Credibility Signal

When multiple reputable sources link to the same site through dofollow links, it creates a cumulative trust signal that search engines weigh heavily. A single dofollow link from a well-known publication is valuable; a pattern of such links across several authoritative domains becomes a structural advantage that's difficult for competitors to replicate quickly.

The credibility extension also reaches human visitors. A user who discovers your site through a link on a trusted source arrives with a pre-established level of confidence — they already know you've been endorsed by a source they respect.

They Generate Measurable Referral Traffic

Beyond their SEO effects, dofollow links on active, high-traffic pages drive direct referral visitors. Sites with between 30 and 35 backlinks typically generate over 10,500 monthly organic visits. When a linking page attracts substantial traffic from its own organic rankings or social distribution, a dofollow link there becomes a persistent source of qualified visitors — people who arrived via a trusted context and are already interested in what you offer.

They Accelerate Content Discovery

Search engines discover and index new content primarily by following links. A page with no external links pointing to it may take weeks to be found by crawlers. A page earning a dofollow link from a high-authority domain within days of publication can be indexed and ranked almost immediately. For time-sensitive content — news, product launches, seasonal guides — this speed differential is commercially significant.

They Create a Durable Competitive Moat

Backlink profiles built through genuine editorial links are among the most defensible SEO assets a site can develop. Unlike rankings achieved through on-page optimisation alone, which competitors can replicate relatively quickly, a backlink profile accumulated through sustained outreach and content investment takes years to match. Analysing competitors' dofollow backlink sources through tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush reveals which publications are receptive to their type of content — and gives you a roadmap for targeting the same or higher-quality placements.

Five Proven Methods for Acquiring Dofollow Backlinks

Method One: Guest Posting on Authoritative Sites

Guest posting remains the most widely adopted link-building tactic, used by over 64% of link builders. The reason for its durability is straightforward: it reliably produces contextual dofollow links embedded within the body of relevant content on credible sites — the highest-value placement format available.

The critical variable is site selection. A guest post on a low-traffic, low-authority blog adds little to a backlink profile. The same effort directed at a recognised industry publication with genuine organic traffic and editorial standards produces a link that contributes meaningfully to domain authority and generates referral visitors.

An effective guest posting workflow involves four stages: identifying target publications using authority metrics (DA, DR, organic traffic); crafting a specific, personalised pitch that references the publication's existing content and proposes a topic with clear audience value; writing to the editorial standards of the host site rather than your own; and confirming in advance that the publication permits dofollow links within article bodies rather than restricting links to the author bio.

Quality should consistently take priority over volume. A single well-placed guest post on a DR 70 site outperforms a dozen posts on low-quality domains that exist primarily to sell links.

Method Two: Source Contributions Through Media Platforms

Platforms that connect journalists and content creators with expert sources — such as Help a B2B Writer — offer a reliable route to dofollow links in high-authority publications. The premise is simple: writers need expert input and credible sources for their articles; if you provide that input, you earn attribution and typically a backlink.

The advantage of this method is the authority profile of the placements it generates. Publications using these platforms often have substantial domain authority because they produce content that earns organic links at scale. A single successful response can result in a dofollow link from a domain with DR scores in the 70s or 80s.

Speed is the determining factor in success rates here. Writers operate on tight deadlines, and the first qualified responses they receive tend to be the ones they use. Keeping responses concise, specific, and directly relevant to the query — without padding or self-promotion — significantly improves the likelihood of being cited.

Method Three: Resource Page Placements

Resource pages — curated lists of useful tools, guides, or references compiled for a specific audience — are one of the more direct dofollow link acquisition opportunities available. Site owners build these pages to help their readers, which means they're actively receptive to additions that genuinely serve that purpose.

Identifying resource pages in your niche involves Google search operators: queries structured around "best resources for [topic]," "helpful tools for [industry]," or "recommended reading [niche]" surface relevant pages efficiently. The evaluation criteria before outreach should include the domain's authority, the relevance of its existing resources to your content, and whether the page appears actively maintained.

Outreach for resource page placements should be specific about why your content belongs on the page — not generically valuable, but specifically useful to the audience this resource page serves. A pitch that demonstrates you've read the existing resources and can articulate how yours complements or extends them converts at meaningfully higher rates than a standard template.

Method Four: Broken Link Building

Ahrefs data consistently shows that around 66% of all links on the web are broken — pointing to pages that no longer exist, have moved without redirects, or return errors. This represents a substantial inventory of replacement opportunities, where you can provide genuine value to a site owner while earning a dofollow backlink in return.

The process requires three elements working together: an efficient method for finding broken links on relevant, high-authority pages; content on your own site that genuinely matches the intent of the original dead link; and outreach that leads with helpfulness rather than asking for a favour.

Tools that facilitate finding broken links include Ahrefs' Site Explorer, Screaming Frog, and browser extensions like Check My Links. The Wayback Machine is useful for verifying what the original linked content covered, ensuring your replacement is genuinely relevant rather than tangentially related.

Outreach success in broken link building depends on framing. The message should inform the site owner of the problem, specify exactly where the broken link appears, and offer a specific replacement — all in a tone that's helpful rather than transactional. Follow-up is worth building into the process; many site owners appreciate the notification but address it slowly, and a single polite follow-up often converts requests that went unacknowledged.

Method Five: The Skyscraper Technique

Developed by Brian Dean of Backlinko, the Skyscraper Technique addresses a specific dynamic in how dofollow links accumulate: content that currently holds many links does so because it was the best available resource at the time those links were placed. It doesn't remain the best indefinitely — and when you create a demonstrably superior version, the sites already linking to the original have a clear reason to update their link.

The technique works in three phases. First, identify content in your niche that has attracted substantial backlinks — BuzzSumo and Ahrefs' Content Explorer are useful for this. Second, analyse what made the original content linkable and determine where it falls short: outdated statistics, incomplete coverage, poor visual presentation, absence of interactive elements. Third, build a version that addresses all of those gaps — more current, more comprehensive, better designed, and enriched with original data, infographics, or tools.

The promotion phase is what separates the Skyscraper Technique from simply publishing better content and waiting. Direct outreach to the sites linking to the original — explaining specifically why your version is a stronger resource for their readers — produces the dofollow links that make the technique effective. Personalisation at this stage matters significantly; a generic "I made something better" message performs poorly compared to an outreach email that acknowledges the specific context in which the site currently links to the original.

Build a Dofollow Backlink Profile That Compounds Over Time

The five strategies above work best in combination. Guest posting builds topical authority through contextual editorial links. Media contributions produce high-authority placements with minimal content creation overhead. Resource page placements add diversity and topical relevance signals. Broken link building converts existing opportunities with relatively low acquisition cost. And the Skyscraper Technique creates scalable link-earning assets that continue attracting backlinks beyond the initial outreach campaign.

What connects all five is the underlying principle: dofollow links earned through genuine value creation and editorial outreach produce authority that search engines reward consistently, and that competitors find difficult to match quickly.

If you're ready to build a dofollow backlink profile designed around your specific competitive landscape, Andrew Linksmith develops and executes link acquisition strategies for businesses where organic search performance directly drives growth. Get in touch at [email protected] to discuss your current backlink profile and where the strongest opportunities lie.