Skip to content
Free SEO Tool

Dofollow / Nofollow Link Checker
Know Which Links Pass PageRank

Instantly check the link attributes of any URL or backlink. Find out if a link is dofollow, nofollow, sponsored, or UGC β€” and understand exactly how much link equity each placement is passing to your site.

βœ… Dofollow Detection
🚫 Nofollow Tags
πŸ’° Sponsored Labels
πŸ‘₯ UGC Flags
πŸ”

Link Attribute Checker

Enter a page URL or paste links to check their follow attributes

✦ Link Attribute Results
0
Total Links
0
Dofollow
0
Nofollow
0
Sponsored / UGC
# URL Attribute PageRank Passed Value

πŸ’‘ Want guaranteed dofollow links from real publishers?

Every guest post through Linkscope is a dofollow contextual link β€” verified before delivery.
Get Dofollow Links β†’
Link Building Education

Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What's the Difference?

Every hyperlink on the web has link attributes that tell search engines how to treat the link. The two most important are dofollow (the default β€” no special tag) and nofollow (rel="nofollow"). Understanding these attributes is critical for evaluating the true value of any backlink opportunity.

A dofollow link passes "link equity" (sometimes called PageRank or link juice) from the linking page to yours, directly contributing to your domain authority and keyword rankings. A nofollow link carries a tag instructing Google not to follow the link for ranking purposes β€” though Google has clarified it treats nofollow as a "hint" and may pass some equity from very authoritative sources.

The 4 Link Attribute Types

  • Dofollow (default): No special tag β€” full PageRank passes. Found on editorial content, guest posts, and most quality placements. The most valuable link type for SEO.
  • rel="nofollow": Originally created to combat spam. Google treats as a hint β€” high-authority nofollow links (Wikipedia, major news sites) may still pass some equity and provide brand signals.
  • rel="sponsored": Required by Google for paid links/advertisements. Technically should not pass PageRank, but many paid guest posts still use dofollow (a policy violation Google rarely enforces for genuine editorial content).
  • rel="ugc": User-Generated Content β€” used for forum posts, comments, and social media links. Tells Google the link wasn't editorially placed, reducing its ranking value.

When Nofollow Links Are Still Valuable

  • Brand mention signals β€” Google tracks brand mentions and association with authoritative sites even without PageRank passing
  • Referral traffic β€” nofollow links from high-traffic sites like Reddit or Quora drive real visitors regardless of SEO value
  • Link profile diversity β€” a profile with zero nofollow links looks unnatural and may trigger algorithmic scrutiny
  • Relationship building β€” contributing to major publications, even with nofollow links, builds credibility that opens doors to dofollow placements

Frequently Asked Questions

Do nofollow links help SEO at all? +
Yes, indirectly. Google's 2019 announcement confirmed nofollow is now a "hint" rather than a directive β€” meaning Google may choose to follow and count nofollow links from highly authoritative sites. Beyond potential direct equity, nofollow links from major platforms drive referral traffic, build brand signals, and contribute to a natural-looking link profile. A backlink profile with zero nofollow links is suspicious β€” natural profiles always contain a healthy mix.
How do I check if a link is dofollow? +
Right-click the link on any webpage and select "Inspect" or "Inspect Element." Look for rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag HTML. No rel attribute (or rel="dofollow") means it's dofollow. You can also use browser extensions like MozBar, Ahrefs SEO Toolbar, or the Check My Links Chrome extension to overlay link attributes on any page. For bulk checking, Ahrefs and Semrush backlink reports show follow status for every link in your profile.
Should I only build dofollow backlinks? +
No β€” an all-dofollow backlink profile is unnatural and can trigger algorithmic red flags. Organic link profiles typically contain 60–80% dofollow and 20–40% nofollow links. When building links intentionally, prioritize dofollow placements (they directly drive rankings), but don't avoid nofollow opportunities from high-traffic or high-authority sources. The goal is a diverse, natural-looking profile that a real brand would organically accumulate.

Get Guaranteed Dofollow Links from Real Publishers

Every link placed through Linkscope’s marketplace is a dofollow, contextual backlink from a real editorial site β€” verified before delivery. No nofollow surprises. Browse 100K+ publishers from $5/link.

BOOK CONSULTATION