What dofollow and nofollow mean
When you see a link in HTML like <a href="https://example.com">anchor text</a>, that plain link passes what SEOs call "link equity" or "link juice" to the target page. Google treats it as a recommendation. This is what the industry calls a dofollow link.
The rel="nofollow" attribute tells Google: "I am not vouching for this link." Historically, Google ignored nofollow links entirely. In 2019, Google changed this—nofollow, sponsored, and ugc are now hints, not directives. Google may still crawl the linked page but does not use it as a ranking signal.
Two other attributes exist:
- rel="sponsored" — marks paid links or advertising/sponsorship relationships
- rel="ugc" — marks user-generated content like comments, forum posts, guest articles
How to check a link's rel attribute:
- Right-click the link → Inspect (or press F12)
- Look for the <a> tag in the Elements panel
- Check if rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", or rel="ugc" appears
- If none appear, it is a dofollow link
What this means when you buy a guest post:
When you purchase a dofollow guest post, you expect a link without nofollow, sponsored, or ugc attributes. That link passes equity to your site—if the linking page has authority, some of that authority can flow to your target URL.
Google's spam policies require disclosure of paid links with the sponsored attribute. Publishers who sell dofollow links without proper disclosure violate those policies. Reputable sellers disclose sponsored relationships correctly; buyers should verify the link attribute matches what they paid for.
At altpr.io, our catalog lists dofollow placements on 58 editorial sites. Typical prices range from $15 to $900 depending on niche and site authority. All links are checked daily for 12 months with free replacement if issues arise.
The sponsored and ugc attributes
The rel="sponsored" attribute marks paid links. The rel="ugc" attribute marks user-generated content links (comments, forum posts). Google treats both as hints—not directives—to exclude those links from their ranking algorithms.
Before 2019, only nofollow existed. Google then split it into three to get more precise link classification. A link can carry multiple attributes: rel="nofollow sponsored ugc" is valid.
What good looks like
- A guest post link with rel="sponsored" or no attribute at all (which Google now treats as a hint, same as nofollow)
- A comment section link with rel="ugc"
What bad looks like
- A paid link with no sponsored attribute—this violates Google's link spam guidelines
- A sidebar, footer, or author-bio link—these rarely get marked and are commonly flagged as unnatural
How to check a link's rel attribute
- Right-click the page and select "View page source"
- Press Ctrl+F and search for your target URL or anchor text
- Look for the <a href="..." rel="..."> tag
Or use browser extensions like Ahrefs SEO Toolbar or check directly in Google Search Console under Links > External links.
When you buy a post through altpr.io's catalog, the link appears in the article body. altpr.io checks daily that the page loads, the link is present, and it has no nofollow, sponsored, or ugc attribute. If any of these change, they provide a free replacement within 12 months.
This matters because links without proper disclosure—either through sponsored or by falling outside Google's guidelines—can trigger manual actions. The risk is real for any paid link purchase. What you control is whether the link is placed in-editorial body content (which altpr.io does, never sidebar or footer) and whether the site is monitored for compliance.
How Google treats these hints
Google treats rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored", rel="ugc" and the absence of any of these (what the industry calls "dofollow") as hints — suggestions about how to handle a link, not commands. In practice, Google says it typically respects the attribute: a nofollow, sponsored or ugc link generally does not pass PageRank, while an unmarked link does.
What "hint" means in practice:
- dofollow (no attribute): Google treats this as a hint that the linking page vouches for the target. The link can pass ranking authority. This is what most SEOs want from guest posts.
- nofollow: Google treats this as a hint not to pass PageRank. Used originally for user-generated content and comments to curb spam.
- sponsored: A specific hint that the link is paid or part of a sponsorship. Google expects this on affiliate links, sponsored posts, and guest posts where money changes hands.
- ugc: A hint that the link comes from user-generated content — forum posts, comments, reviews.
Important: Google can still crawl and index the target page regardless of the attribute. A nofollow link does not hurt your site — it simply does not contribute to ranking signals the way a dofollow link does.
What this means when you buy a post: If you buy a guest post and the link carries no rel attribute (or incorrectly uses "dofollow" as an attribute), Google expects it to have been disclosed with rel="sponsored" under its spam policies. Using proper sponsored disclosure does not make the link worthless — research shows Google may still consider sponsored links for ranking in some cases, and the traffic and brand value remain. Marketplaces like altpr.io list only dofollow links (links without nofollow, sponsored or ugc) in their main catalog, and confirm link attributes before delivery. Sites in the altpr.io catalog show median Ahrefs DR 39, with typical go-live in 2 days and daily link health checks.
Sites you can see before you pay
Real sites from our catalog with DR, traffic and a fixed price. Nothing is charged until we confirm.
How to check a link's rel attribute
Before buying a guest post, verify the link you'll receive meets your SEO requirements. Here's how:
Method 1: Browser developer tools
- Navigate to the page containing the link
- Right-click the link and select "Inspect" (or press Ctrl+Shift+I on Windows, Cmd+Option+I on Mac)
- The Elements panel opens with the <a> tag highlighted
- Look for the rel="" attribute inside the tag
- If rel is empty or contains only the target site's domain, it's dofollow
Method 2: View page source
- Press Ctrl+U (Windows) or Cmd+U (Mac) to view the page source
- Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F) and search for your target URL or the anchor text you expect
- Read the surrounding <a> tag for the rel attribute
What good vs bad looks like
- Dofollow: <a href="https://yoursite.com">anchor</a> — no rel attribute or only the target domain
- Nofollow: <a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow">anchor</a>
- Sponsored: <a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="sponsored">anchor</a>
- Ugc: <a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="ugc">anchor</a>
- Combined: <a href="https://yoursite.com" rel="nofollow sponsored">anchor</a> — still NOT dofollow
What altpr.io guarantees
Each site in altpr.io's catalog shows the typical link type. After your post goes live, the order page shows the live URL immediately. Their system performs a daily check confirming the page loads, the link is present, and it carries no nofollow/sponsored/ugc attribute. If any issue arises, you get a free replacement within 12 months.
What to verify yourself
- The link appears in the article body, not sidebar or footer
- The target URL matches what you specified
- The anchor text is correct
- The page is not noindexed (check the meta robots tag or robots.txt)
What this means when you buy a post
When you buy a guest post, the link you want is a dofollow link—one without nofollow, sponsored, or ugc attributes. That's the only link type that passes "link equity" to your site. Here's what that means when you actually purchase a post:
What good vs bad looks like:
| Link type | HTML | Passes equity? |
|---|---|---|
| Dofollow (what you want) | <a href="...">text</a> | Yes |
| Nofollow | <a href="..." rel="nofollow">text</a> | No |
| Sponsored | <a href="..." rel="sponsored">text</a> | No |
| UGC | <a href="..." rel="ugc">text</a> | No |
What to check before you pay:
- Verify the exact URL where your link will live—don't accept "the blog section"
- Confirm the link is placed in the article body, not sidebar, footer, or author bio
- Ask if the site uses noindex on blog posts—your link won't be indexed if they do
What altpr.io does: Our catalog shows 58 editorial sites with median Ahrefs DR 39. You pick the named site, add your target URL and anchor text, then we confirm availability and final price before payment. Your article goes live in about 2 days. We check daily that your link page loads, the dofollow link is present, and there's no noindex. If anything breaks, we replace it free within 12 months.
What this means for your SEO: You get a predictable, verifiable dofollow link on a real editorial page. You know exactly where the link sits, what surrounds it, and that it won't suddenly gain a nofollow tag after publication. That's the difference between buying a link asset and hoping for the best.
Frequently asked questions
What is a dofollow link?
A dofollow link is a hyperlink without a nofollow, sponsored, or ugc attribute, meaning search engines treat it as a normal vote of authority and can pass link equity to the linked page.
Do nofollow links help SEO?
Nofollow links do not pass link equity, so they generally don’t directly improve rankings. They can still drive traffic and add diversity to a backlink profile, but they don’t contribute to authority signals.
How do you ensure the links you sell are actually dofollow?
We perform a daily check on every placed link to confirm the page loads, the link is present, and it has no nofollow, sponsored, or ugc attribute. If any issue is found we replace the link for free within 12 months.
What is the typical domain rating of your editorial sites?
Our inventory spans 58 editorial sites with a median Ahrefs DR of 39, giving you links on reasonably authoritative, niche-relevant pages.
How fast will my link go live after I place an order?
After you pick a site, provide the target URL and anchor, and we confirm availability and price, the link typically goes live in about 2 days.
What happens if my link goes down after placement?
We monitor links daily and offer a free replacement within 12 months if the link disappears, ensuring you retain the SEO value you paid for.
Prices and numbers in this guide come from the live altpr.io catalog on the date above. Read how we vet sites and who we are.