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Acquiring backlinks is a critical component of any SEO strategy. Backlinks are viewed by search engines as a vote of confidence, so a strong backlink profile is key to a strong position on search engine results pages (SERPs). However, it is important to be aware that there are two main types of backlinks, and they are not created equal. Dofollow backlinks and nofollow backlinks are what they are called, and this post will delve into a comparison so that you can gain a strong understanding of SEO link quality to incorporate into your link-building strategies.
What Are Dofollow Backlinks?
First, you have dofollow backlinks. Essentially, these are the high-value backlinks that can have a huge impact on your SEO ranking. Link-building strategies revolve around creating a quality and diverse dofollow backlink profile that will communicate to search engines that your website is relevant and authoritative.
Dofollow links pass on what is known as “link juice,” which can be described as equity from one site to another - this means a do follow link from a reputable website can carry a lot of weight. Search engine crawlers will also follow these backlinks to discover new web pages and index them in their databases. Generally, dofollow backlinks are inserted editorially, meaning they come from genuine recommendations.
What Are Nofollow Backlinks?
Nofollow backlinks, meanwhile, are links that do not pass on any SEO value to the linked site. This is because they contain a rel="nofollow" attribute, which signals to search engines that no link juice should be passed on. This means that nofollow backlinks do not directly impact search engine ranking.
Although nofollow links are acknowledged by search engine crawlers, they do not follow them or index them in search engine databases. Although there is no direct impact on search engine ranking, nofollow links can have an indirect impact by driving referral traffic - this can improve brand awareness and visibility online. Nofollow links can be found in sponsored content, adverts, and user-generated content, including blog comments.
Overview
While you certainly want to prioritise obtaining dofollow backlinks as part of your link-building strategies, you should not totally neglect nofollow backlinks. Dofollow backlinks will have a notable impact on your search engine ranking and help you leapfrog the competition, but nofollow links can still contribute and help your brand find success online.
As you can see, link-building strategies can be complex and require specialist knowledge. This is why many businesses find it best to use the services of an experienced link-building agency. An experienced link-building agency can build a strong backlink profile to improve your search engine ranking and increase organic traffic to your website.
SEO is critical to success in today’s internet-driven marketplace. Backlinks are a key component of SEO that can directly impact your SERP position, but it is important to be aware of the different types of backlinks. Understanding SEO link quality will help you build the best backlink profile and maximise your SEO efforts.
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