Backlink nofollow/dollow
- Thread starter Emmalana
- Start date
- Oct 28, 2020
- 11,663
- 14,635
there's no safe ratio anymore...
I used to be a firm believer in this thing, but a few years ago I saw a website with 100% d0follow links getting heaps of traffic (like, 3+ million visitors a month if memory serves me well), so this ratio is not important anymore if google trusts your site and - probably more importantly - if you are a big brand who gets their traffic outside of google, google will make exceptions for you like they always do with the big guns...
If you do want to be pedantic about it and / or are new to the game aim for 60-80% nofollow links to the 20-40% d0follow ones... that's how I used to do it back in the day (6-7 years ago)...
I used to be a firm believer in this thing, but a few years ago I saw a website with 100% d0follow links getting heaps of traffic (like, 3+ million visitors a month if memory serves me well), so this ratio is not important anymore if google trusts your site and - probably more importantly - if you are a big brand who gets their traffic outside of google, google will make exceptions for you like they always do with the big guns...
If you do want to be pedantic about it and / or are new to the game aim for 60-80% nofollow links to the 20-40% d0follow ones... that's how I used to do it back in the day (6-7 years ago)...
bolshakova
Registered Member
- Oct 6, 2024
- 81
- 19
Building on the natural mix idea, I've found that acquiring links from resource pages and blogs with a high nofollow percentage actually helps to stabilize rankings. In a recent test, a site with 85% nofollow links from resource pages saw a 25% increase in organic traffic over 6 months, while a similar site with only 40% nofollow links from blogs experienced a 12% drop in traffic due to a Penguin-related issue. Focusing on resource page links and natural blog mentions seems to be a more reliable approach than chasing exact ratios.
- Sep 9, 2023
- 3,025
- 1,801
There is no perfect ratio. A natural backlink profile usually has both nofollow and do-follow links. Many people see around 70% do-follow and 30% nofollow as normal.
Search engines like Google value do-follow links more for rankings, but no-follow links still help make your profile look natural and can bring traffic. Focus more on quality links than the ratio.
Search engines like Google value do-follow links more for rankings, but no-follow links still help make your profile look natural and can bring traffic. Focus more on quality links than the ratio.
Digital Crown Agency
Registered Member
- Jan 5, 2026
- 54
- 18
Hey Emmalana, there is no perfect ratio but a natural backlink profile always contains a solid mix of both types.Search engines expect to see nofollow links from places like social media and forums because it proves organic brand growth.Focusing on acquiring strong ******** links while letting nofollow links accumulate naturally is the best approach today.
- Apr 27, 2016
- 6,342
- 2,537
If you are getting good traffic then nofollow links are still good. It is different for every website and niche. It also depends on quality of backlinks.
- Dec 10, 2025
- 330
- 306
The majority should be ******** backlinks. Nofollow backlinks should mainly come from Web 2.0 sites or major social networks and make up around 20–30%. Nofollow backlinks can also provide very good value.
- May 27, 2016
- 11,084
- 2,516
I agree. As long as the backlinks are from high authority and good quality websites, Google nowdays cares little if they are no follow or do follow...
- Aug 23, 2024
- 101
- 53
there’s no magic ratio.
Google doesn’t rank sites based on “50% ******** / 50% nofollow” or anything like that.
what matters more is:
– does the profile look natural
– are the links coming from relevant sites
– is anchor text diversified
– is there a mix of sources (social, forums, blogs, news, etc.)
most natural sites end up with a decent chunk of nofollow links because social, comments, press sites, etc. use nofollow by default.
if you try to engineer a perfect ratio, that’s usually when it starts looking unnatural.
focus on earning real links. the ratio will balance itself.
Google doesn’t rank sites based on “50% ******** / 50% nofollow” or anything like that.
what matters more is:
– does the profile look natural
– are the links coming from relevant sites
– is anchor text diversified
– is there a mix of sources (social, forums, blogs, news, etc.)
most natural sites end up with a decent chunk of nofollow links because social, comments, press sites, etc. use nofollow by default.
if you try to engineer a perfect ratio, that’s usually when it starts looking unnatural.
focus on earning real links. the ratio will balance itself.
studywithJaninYT
Newbie
- Feb 6, 2024
- 32
- 9
From how google treats links today, what actually matters is whether your link profile looks structurally natural for your acquisition channels, not whether it hits a specific ratio
if your links mostly come from places that normally give nofollow then having a high nofollow share is normal
if your links mostly come from places that normally give nofollow then having a high nofollow share is normal
- Aug 28, 2025
- 117
- 45
I usually keep 70–80% ******** links and 20–30% nofollow. But it’s not that critical. You can even have 100% ******** links and everything will be fine — as long as the backlinks are high quality.
Still, as a precaution, I add some nofollow links from forums, Web 2.0 sites, and profiles. It helps diversify the link profile and keeps things looking more natural.
Still, as a precaution, I add some nofollow links from forums, Web 2.0 sites, and profiles. It helps diversify the link profile and keeps things looking more natural.
- Mar 21, 2013
- 24,764
- 31,552
Google now uses human signals instead of static link analysis. If a no follow link drives in thousands of users it's probably more powerful than a do follow link that never attracts any clicks. Not because of the link itself but because google is tracking phones, habits and so on, so that link tells them your site is relevant
Search engines are moving beyond traditional link metrics and paying closer attention to real user behavior. A nofollow link that consistently sends engaged traffic can carry more practical impact than a ******** link that generates zero interaction. The difference isn’t just about link attributes — it’s about measurable engagement. When users click, browse, and interact, those behavioral patterns become strong relevance indicators. In that sense, the value comes less from the technical tag and more from the audience response that signals authority and topical alignment.
- Jan 3, 2013
- 836
- 310
What I experienced is there's no strict ratio. Focus on natural mix, relevance, and quality. Too many ******** links can look spammy as well.
- Dec 13, 2025
- 235
- 32
Backlinks can be ******** or nofollow.
******** links pass SEO value (link juice) to your site, helping improve rankings.
Nofollow links don’t pass SEO value directly but can still drive traffic and help with visibility.
A natural backlink profile should have a mix of both.
******** links pass SEO value (link juice) to your site, helping improve rankings.
Nofollow links don’t pass SEO value directly but can still drive traffic and help with visibility.
A natural backlink profile should have a mix of both.