If you’ve been online for any length of time then you have run across the terms “DoFollow” and “NoFollow”. When I first heard these terms I had no idea what they meant so I went in search of an explanation that I could understand.
Now being such a non-techie kind of gal, some of these explanations I was finding were way over my head. I guess they just assume that the only people who would be interested in understanding all of this stuff would be programmers or webmasters.
What is DoFollow?
I’m going to do my best to explain this to you as simply as I know how.
When you create a link (or URL) it automatically has the DoFollow tag. It all has to do with HTML coding but we don’t really have to understand how that all works. There are some sites that want the NoFollow tag so they put a special code in the HTML coding that will prevent that link from being a DoFollow. The NoFollow code looks like this:
rel=”nofollow”
Why Do People Use NoFollow?
The NoFollow tag was created mainly to help control spam. Since commenting on blogs has always been a great way to build links back to your own site, people would leave comments on blogs for the sole purpose of building backlinks to their own site. When they implemented the NoFollow tag, people would have to find other sources to build links.
The NoFollow tag is also used because some sites don’t want to pass their Page Rank to another site. Most of the major blogs have NoFollow tags on their site just because of this reason.
You also might want to consider using these tags for untrustworthy sites. You definitely want to be sure and do your research before you start pointing your link to any old site.
Most paid links also use these NoFollow tags as well. Its the best way to prevent links from influencing search results that could be a negative impact to users.
Most major sites use NoFollow tags in their outbound links while most blogging platforms and services implement the NoFollow tag by default.
Are you a DoFollow Blog?
So do you know if you are a DoFollow” Blog? There is one way you can solve that issue really quick. Just download the DoFollow plug-in that WordPress created. You can just type in DoFollow in the “Add Plug-in” section or download it by clicking here.
How to Locate DoFollow Blogs
There are several suggestions I provided for you in my post “How to Build Backlinks the Easy Way” of some services that will help you search for DoFollow blogs. Be sure to read that one again, it’s not long.
Another really cool way is if you use Firefox, just download the “Quirk Search Status” addon. This is really a cool little tool that will let you highlight any NoFollow links on any site. You just right click on the icon and then click on “Highlight Any NoFollow Links. It’s the quickest way to find out if the site you are on is sharing the love or not.
If you would like to locate other sites and services to find out if they do have DoFollow tags, I located a Squidoo lens that was created by Mark where he really dives way down into the various sites that have these tags. Oh, and his lens is also a DoFollow site so be sure and share the love when you visit. You can access his information by visiting http://www.squidoo.com/dofollow.
What About NoFollow Sites?
So does this mean that you should never comment or share the love on NoFollow sites? Absolutely not!
There are a few reasons I believe it’s good to still comment on blogs with NoFollow links. First off, Google mainly looks at a variety of links and the NoFollow links are also included in their search. Second, it’s still a great way to let other people who have visited a particular blog to follow you back to yours and leave their comments. I definitely would not rule them out.
I hope this was helpful with you understanding why having a DoFollow blog will be beneficial to your overall success. It’s very easy to implement by just installing the plug-in I suggested. That will handle everything for you in an instant.
By the way, this is a DoFollow blog and I appreciate your comments. I will return the favor, I will visit your blog and I will leave a comment. It’s a great way to not only get more traffic to your blog but also share the love and meet some really wonderful people. I’ve also learned a LOT just from visiting and reading other blogs.
So, don’t forget to share the love!!!
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
For those who get only 5-10 spam per day. I still use dofollow. It is important because we still need Search Engine Result.. If we use nofollow, the SERP could decrease and it effect on our traffic
Hi Zolar,
Thanks for stopping by and for your comment. Wow, you mean some people only get a little bit of spam. Wow, they are lucky but I’m sure that won’t last long.
We definitely need search engine results but for those who already have a high Page Rank, they aren’t willing to share. I guess that does make sense but for the rest of us, it’s pretty important.
Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to comment. It’s always appreciated.
Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, thank you for the post (and sorry if this comment is posted to you twice, something went wrong with my original one).
I am always looking for dofollow resources to improve the traffic to my website, and as you mentioned dofollow links are a great way to get both visitors and search engine traffic.
However, I do think that the rel nofollow is a very bad – and only temporary – fix to an inherit flaw in Google’s algorithm: they are putting too much value in incoming links and can’t manage the influx of new links created from “user generated content”.
Hey Dave,
Well, luckily I only received one of your comments so that’s good! And, I do appreciate you stopping by my blog and leaving me a comment. Love to see new faces.
Like you, I think Google has some areas that need improving but overall I can’t say that they are doing a horrible job. I mean it is their site so we are the ones that have to follow their rules. But every once in a while they slip and that’s when we can start doing our thing, at least for a while.
Thanks again for visiting and for your comment. It’s always appreciated.
Adrienne
This was exactly what i was looking for! so happy i found this post because you go into the DoFollow/NoFollow in such depth. Had no idea their was so much involved in these attributes, will defiently help me with both site building and back linking!
Hey Pamela…
Glad I was able to help and shed some light on this subject. I found it to be very confusing when I was first getting started which is why I try to explain it to the best of my ability so others can understand. Good luck with your site and thanks for stopping by.
Adrienne
The blog is quite helpful for me.
Glad you are finding some information useful. Hope you’ll be back to visit more often.
I found this blog very interesting. I will tell all my friends about it……
Glad to hear that… Thanks for stopping by and for your comment.
Yeah…thats really a informative post. I’m new blogger it would be sure helpful information for me. Thanks for sharing!
You are so very welcome and glad this information was helpful. This is something new bloggers need to be aware of. Appreciate you stopping by and for your comment.
Thanks for these insights Adrienne. It’s great to finally see a detailed description about the difference between ‘nofollow’ and ‘dofollow’!
You are so very welcome, glad it was helpful to you. I appreciate your comment.
Thanks for this Information.. This is really Helpful.. I will definitely follow your blog and refer to my Friends…
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 9, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Thank you Shery, I appreciate that and glad you found this helpful!
Good tips. I have tried may things but none has worked except when I wrote something controversial last year. I am even offering free gifts so come on down!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
June 2, 2011 at 8:47 AM
If you ever need any assistance with that, give me a shout. I’m sure I have some things that may help you move forward. If you also go through more of my posts, you’ll hear from a lot of my blogging friends on this subject.
Thanks for stopping by and your comment.
Awesome post. I am really impressed from this blog. It’s very useful for us. Thanks
Twitter: adriennesmith40
June 16, 2011 at 8:58 AM
I appreciate you saying that and I’m happy to hear.
Nice information, valuable and excellent design, as share good stuff with good ideas and concepts, lots of great information and inspiration, both of which we all need, thanks for all the enthusiasm to offer such helpful information here.
Education Essays recently posted..A2ZEssays: Careers in Criminology
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 14, 2011 at 10:12 AM
I appreciate that, thanks for the encouraging words. Wow!
Do you plan to keep this site updated? I sure hope so… its great!
Education Essays recently posted..A2ZEssays: Careers in Criminology
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 14, 2011 at 10:13 AM
I have been writing consistently on this blog for the past two years. In the near future I do intend to make some changes but will continue to share information. That my friend you can count on.
You have a nice blog. It is an amazing feat to be a successful blogger at this age. However I would like to know how many visitor you get on the blog. Also the Google ads are not found on the blog.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 15, 2011 at 10:48 AM
I don’t have ads on my blog so that’s pretty obvious. That’s not what my blog is all about, it’s about building relationships.
I get several thousand visitors a month, somewhere around 3,500. Not a huge amount of traffic but good enough for me. It will continue to grow over time, that I’m sure of.
Thanks for your comment…
its..very nice.. thanks for the info was very interesting and useful. This article title is very relevant to the content. thank you friend..
Do-follow has its advantages as well as its disadvantages. I can understand both sides. But it’s everybody’s choice what they do with their blog. In my opinion, a do-follow blog shows it cares about its readers and is not afraid to work a little harder to show it.
Martin recently posted..Getting your CDL and Having Insulin Diabetes
Twitter: adriennesmith40
July 19, 2011 at 6:50 PM
I agree with that Martin, totally! Thanks for sharing.
Adrienne, as always, you give free tips that others would charge for. Thanks for all the helpful tips!
Rosanna recently posted..Lights Along Our Path
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 10, 2011 at 10:05 AM
You are so very welcome Rosanna. Hope all is well with you!
Another completely helpful and easy-to-understand tidbit from Adrienne! What would I do without you?! I would be completely blog compromised. Just uploaded the plugin – I presume that means I am now dofollow, right? Simple as that?
Ruth – The Freelance Writing Blog recently posted..The #1 Reason You’re Not Earning at Least $100/Hour
Twitter: adriennesmith40
October 10, 2011 at 2:43 PM
Hi Ruth,
Ah, I’m so happy to hear that! See what we don’t know! I didn’t know either until someone explained it to me. All that time, no clue whatsoever! Don’t you feel that much smarter now?
That’s really all you do! Of course since I have the CommentLuv plug-in now, I don’t need this plug-in so I was able to uninstall it and save me some space. I don’t recall it having any settings but it will tell you if you need to set something up.
Glad this helped! Happy blogging!
Hey Adrienne isn’t it ironic that nofollow sites look for dofollow sites and loving them yet aren’t willing to give back and “share some link love” on their own site?
We are allow direct links for our guest bloggers but not for commenters (yet). But, since we love comment luv so much on other blogs, we are thinking of adding it on to our SEO blogs – as we think that minor SEO losses will pay off greatly with traffic and blog popularity. Was that the case with your blog when you started using comment luv (I am assuming the answer is yes since you are still using comment luv)?
AlehBarysevich – SEOPowerSuite Software Provider recently posted..How To Optimize Header Tags Of Your Website for Good SEO
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 15, 2011 at 8:57 AM
Hi Aleh,
I have scratched my head over that one many times. Oh sure, the big boys don’t want to give it out but they sure want some of their own. Imagine that!
I’ve been using CommentLuv for so long now Aleh. I truly believe it’s one of the best plug-ins around and the best way to acknowledge your readers for sharing their views with you on your posts. So my answer would definitely have to be yes.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about this. I appreciate that!
Hey Adrienne, as a quick update, as of today our SEM blog is now CommenLuv-able
Feel free to stop by and leave a comment on any post you find interesting. Cheers, Aleh
AlehBarysevich – SEO Software Provider recently posted..7 Easy Steps to Ranking Highly In Google Shopping Results
Twitter: adriennesmith40
November 16, 2011 at 8:22 AM
Congtats on that Aleh! Welcome to CommentLuv! I’ll be sure to stop by later and check one of your posts out.
I’m solid DoFollow, Adrienne, and welcome folks who want to tap some link juice from my puny rank 1 site. My CommentLuv settings are pretty loose because I get a kick out of having visitors drop by. When I start ranking (and maybe I never will!) maybe I’ll worry about keeping all the juice to myself.
Astro Gremlin recently posted..7 Funny Amazon Customer Reviews
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 14, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Hey Astro,
I’m thrilled to hear that you have a dofollow blog. My only suggestion would be to be careful who you approve in your comments section because if you get too much spam pointing to your site, Google will see that as your content not being relevant and you will never move up in the search engines. You do want quality links pointing to you which is why it’s very important to only approve those who are at your blog for the right reasons. Link juice is nice, but if that’s all you’re after, you’ll never build a business that way.
Thanks for sharing…
Hi Adrienne,
I just read this post and I had a better understanding of the terminology Nofollow and Dofollow. Thank you for sharing your love and your knowledge. I will try to install the plugin in my wordpress site. Unfortunately my second blog is not yet a wordpress blog and I have no idea if it is nofollow or dofollow…I don’t have the option to install the plugin..Now I understand more and more the necessity to migrate in a wordpress site…
Thank you for your help.
Lenia recently posted..SEO Toolset
Twitter: adriennesmith40
December 29, 2011 at 10:53 AM
Hi Lenia,
So glad this post was helpful.
When I first started I didn’t understand this terminology either which is of course why I write about so many things here that we all aren’t aware of if we are just starting our blogging journey. Once you start understanding more of how everything works, you can share your knowledge with others and help them along their journey as well.
As always, I appreciate your comment and thank you so much for sharing this with me. Enjoy your day Lenia and I’ll visit your blog soon.
~Adrienne
Another great informative post Adrienne. I feel that your blog is perhaps the greatest source of information for the novice blogger.
The information is great, I changed my blog to a dofollow blog-Thank You. I went to the directory you recommended in your post. In the sign-up instructions it states: [Quote: All we ask is that you find a way to link back to the directory or donate, if you've found our service to be of use.] How do I find a way to link back to the directory? That doesn’t make sense to me. Could you help me out and clarify the request? Thanks,
Pat
Twitter: adriennesmith40
February 5, 2012 at 8:50 PM
Hi Pat,
Welcome back and I appreciate that. What I love sharing are things that I have learned as I’ve made my way online. There is just so much to learn and so much to do so I like to make it a little bit easier for the new blogger to learn so they won’t have to figure this all out on their own.
You could either write a post or maybe in the P.S. to one of your upcoming posts just let your readers know that you found a great dofollow directory that your readers will find beneficial. You can just share the link right there. You can either put the entire URL there or hyperlink it. If you need help with that, just let me know.
Hi Adrienne,
I recently started blogging & was really confused about so many things like SEO,keywords, Links,do-follow,directory submissions etc. You made things so simple for me..i have been reading ur post from last 2 days.. & loved ur work..
great work.. thanks.
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 14, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Thank you for sharing that Sangram and if you have any questions about anything you need assistance with, don’t be bashful. I do love to help.
Enjoy your week!
~Adrienne
Thanks for this post – I have been blogging for a while now and still have problems with follow / no follow tags. I moderate my comments through blogger and find my spam my comments come in spurts, but thankfully I can delete them before the actually post on my individual posts. I will be following along with your entries so that hopefully, I can improve my followings with your tips.
Thanks again!
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 15, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Hi Kat,
You are welcome.
You are using a free platform so you’re going to probably have more problems in this area. If I were you and if you are serious about building a business online I would switch to a self hosted blog. You don’t have a lot of leeway with a free platform I’m afraid.
I started using the “free platform” so that I could “learn the ropes” so to speak. I have purchased my own site (http://inspirationcanbefoundeverywhere.com/) and am working on learning WordPress (hoping that it will be an easy conversion for me now that tax season rush is over) and then when I’m more comfortable getting my posts moved from blogspot.com to this site.
Hopefully that makes sense and it is the way to go. Even after 3 years I’m still “feeling my way”
Kat Meller recently posted..A better sense ……..
Twitter: adriennesmith40
May 15, 2012 at 10:34 AM
That’s great to hear Kat and wordpress is not difficult at all. I have a free training site, you’ll find the tab above, that will walk you through how to use wordpress. I’m thrilled that you made this change and have no doubt the transition will go smoothly.