A "dofollow" link, often just referred to as a "follow" link, is the default state for a hyperlink. It allows search engines to follow it and reach the linked website, letting the link contribute to the linked site's ranking power. In essence, a dofollow link passes "link juice" or SEO value to the website it points to.
The Difference Between Dofollow and Nofollow Links
- Dofollow Links: By default, all the links that you add to a blog post or a webpage are dofollow links. They let search engine bots follow them, leading to better SEO authority for the linked website.
- Nofollow Links: Introduced by Google in 2005, nofollow is an HTML attribute value used to instruct search engines that the hyperlink should not influence the linked website's ranking in search engine results. This means no "link juice" is passed.
The Importance of Dofollow Links in SEO
Dofollow links are vital for several reasons:
- Ranking Boost: They help in improving page rank and SERP (search engine results page) positioning.
- Website Authority: They assist in building the domain authority and trustworthiness of a site.
- Traffic Flow: They can drive organic traffic to the linked site if placed on a high-traffic page or post.
How Dofollow Links Impact SaaS Businesses
- Brand Visibility: For SaaS businesses, dofollow backlinks from industry leaders or authoritative publications can significantly enhance brand visibility and reputation.
- Customer Acquisition: High-quality backlinks can lead potential customers directly to SaaS platforms or offerings, aiding in customer acquisition.
- Competitive Edge: In a highly competitive SaaS marketplace, dofollow links can provide an SEO edge over competitors, ensuring higher organic visibility.
How to Create Dofollow Links
- Guest Posting: Write high-quality content for industry blogs or news outlets and include backlinks to your SaaS platform.
- Collaborative Content: Partner with industry influencers or other businesses to co-create content.
- Public Relations: Engage in PR activities, press releases, and media outreach to gain coverage and links.
- Forums and Community Participation: Join industry forums or communities and actively participate, sharing knowledge and links where relevant.
Monitoring and Analyzing Your Dofollow Links
- Use SEO Tools: Platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Moz can help monitor your backlinks and their impact.
- Monitor Traffic Sources: Using analytics tools, monitor which backlinks are driving traffic to your SaaS platform.
- Regular Audits: Regularly check the health, relevance, and quality of your backlinks to ensure they remain beneficial.
When to Use Nofollow Links
While "dofollow" links can pass on SEO benefits to the linked page, there are specific scenarios where "nofollow" links are necessary or recommended. By using the nofollow attribute, webmasters can tell search engines not to follow the link and not to pass on any ranking equity or "link juice." Here are instances when nofollow links should be considered:
- Untrusted Content: If you're linking to a website or source that you don't entirely trust or can't vouch for its content, use a nofollow tag. This prevents associating your site with potentially harmful or low-quality sites.
- Paid Links: If you've received compensation in any form for placing a link (like in advertisements, sponsored posts, or affiliate links), it's essential to mark them as nofollow. This is in line with Google's guidelines, which state that buying or selling links that pass PageRank (i.e., dofollow links) can negatively impact a site's ranking.
- User-Generated Content: Sites that allow comments, forum posts, or any other type of user-generated content should automatically apply the nofollow attribute to links within that content. This precaution prevents potential spam or low-quality links that could harm your site's reputation.
- Internal Site Links: In some scenarios, you might want to nofollow internal links, such as login pages or private sections of a website, which you don't want search engines to index.
- Widgets or Embedded Content: If you provide widgets or embeddable content that others can place on their site and these come with a link back to your site, it's a good practice to nofollow these links to prevent any potential perception of link manipulation.
- Links in Press Releases: Since press releases are typically distributed to multiple sites and are a form of self-promotion, it's recommended to use nofollow tags for any links within them.
- Temporary Pages: If you're linking to temporary landing pages or content that will soon be irrelevant or removed, consider using a nofollow tag.
Conclusion
Dofollow links play a pivotal role in shaping the SEO landscape, especially for SaaS businesses looking to enhance organic visibility and authority. While building these links requires strategic effort, the dividends they pay in terms of traffic, authority, and customer acquisition make them invaluable.
