Dofollow vs nofollow links: what they mean for SEO

There's no dofollow attribute in HTML. A "dofollow" link is just a normal link without a rel value that restricts it. A nofollow link has rel="nofollow", which tells Google you don't want to associate your site with the linked page or pass ranking credit to it.

The three rel values Google supports

Google treats these attributes as hints rather than strict commands. You can combine them, such as rel="ugc nofollow".

<a href="https://example.com">Normal link</a>
<a href="https://advertiser.example" rel="sponsored">Paid link</a>
<a href="https://commenter.example" rel="ugc">Link in a comment</a>

What "link juice" means

Link juice is SEO slang for the ranking credit a link is thought to pass from one page to another, an informal way of describing PageRank. Google doesn't use the term. What it does say is that links help it find pages and understand them, and that sponsored or nofollow links shouldn't pass ranking credit.

When to use nofollow or sponsored

• Any link you were paid for, given free products for, or gave as part of a deal: sponsored.
• Links your users add: ugc, unless you trust and review them.
• Links to pages you don't want to vouch for: nofollow.
• Everything else, especially your own pages and sources you cite: a normal link.