Nofollow vs Dofollow Directory Links: What Changes for New Sites

When you start researching directory submissions, the nofollow vs dofollow debate comes up quickly. Most explanations frame it as binary: dofollow links are valuable, nofollow links are a waste of time. For new sites specifically, that framing leads to bad decisions. The reality is more nuanced, and understanding it changes how you prioritize your early link-building effort.

What the Link Attributes Actually Mean

A dofollow link is the default state of any hyperlink in HTML - there's no actual "dofollow" attribute. When you see a link without any rel attribute, it tells search engine crawlers to follow the link and pass authority from the linking page to the destination. This is what people mean when they talk about a link "passing link equity" or "link juice."

A nofollow link includes rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag. Introduced by Google in 2005, this attribute was designed to let site owners signal that a link shouldn't be treated as an editorial endorsement. Directories, comment sections, and paid placements were early and common use cases.

In 2019, Google updated their treatment of nofollow. It shifted from a strict directive to a "hint" - meaning Google could choose to follow and count nofollow links when its algorithms determine the link has genuine value. This change blurred the previously clear line between the two types.

Two additional attributes also exist: rel="ugc" (user-generated content) and rel="sponsored". Both are treated similarly to nofollow by default. Some directories apply one of these to listing links rather than standard nofollow - the practical effect for your purposes is comparable.

Why Dofollow Links Matter More for Early SEO

Despite Google's more nuanced stance since 2019, dofollow links still carry more consistent and predictable SEO weight. Third-party tools like Ahrefs and Moz calculate Domain Rating and Domain Authority primarily from the dofollow link graph. A dofollow link from a high-DR directory contributes directly and measurably to your own DR in a way that nofollow links typically don't register in those tools.

For new sites - let's say under six months old with a DR under 20 - the absence of dofollow links from credible sources is often the primary reason you're not ranking for any meaningful keywords yet. Your backlink profile hasn't yet signaled enough authority for Google to trust you on competitive terms, and dofollow links from legitimate directories are one of the most accessible ways to start building that signal.

That said, Google's own algorithms are increasingly sophisticated. They can treat a nofollow link from a highly trusted, authoritative source as a positive signal even without passing traditional link juice in the textbook sense. The full picture is always more nuanced than third-party tools can capture. For the full mechanics of how dofollow links contribute to authority building, the complete guide to getting dofollow backlinks covers this in depth.

Why Nofollow Links Are Not Worthless

For new sites specifically, nofollow links serve a purpose that often goes underestimated: driving referral traffic and generating behavioral signals. A nofollow listing on a high-traffic directory can bring consistent visitors to your site month after month. Those visitors generate engagement data - time on site, pages visited, scroll depth - that Google uses as quality indicators alongside the link graph.

There's also the signal of being referenced by an authoritative site at all. When a well-regarded directory includes your project in a curated listing, even with a nofollow link, it tells Google that a real editorial process considered your site worth mentioning. That's a positive signal distinct from the raw link attribute.

Nofollow links also contribute to what SEOs call link diversity. A backlink profile made entirely of dofollow links from directories looks unusual. A natural link profile includes dofollow and nofollow from a range of source types - directories, editorial mentions, social platforms, resource pages. Building only dofollow links is not a realistic organic pattern, and modern algorithms are calibrated to recognize that.

As covered in the broader case for web directories in 2026, the value of directory submissions extends well beyond the link attribute. Traffic, brand exposure, and niche authority are all part of the return, and nofollow links contribute to all three.

How to Check What Type of Link a Directory Gives

Before submitting, it's worth a quick check on what link type you'll get. Here's how:

• Find an existing listing on the directory and right-click the link to the listed site in your browser
• Select "Inspect" to open developer tools and look for rel="nofollow" in the anchor tag HTML - if it's absent, the link is likely dofollow
• Some directories document this on their submission page or FAQ section
• Ahrefs Site Explorer can show link type if you check an already-listed domain's backlink profile and filter by the directory's referring domain

Keep this check to two or three minutes per directory. It's useful context, but it shouldn't be your primary filter for whether to submit. A high-traffic nofollow directory often delivers more actual value than a low-traffic dofollow one when you factor in referral visitors and brand exposure.

The Practical Strategy for New Sites

If your site is new and you're building your backlink profile from zero, the practical framework is straightforward: prioritize dofollow links from quality directories, but submit to both types and track the referral traffic from each.

The dofollow listings build your domain rating. The nofollow listings may generate traffic and brand recognition in parallel. Both contribute to a natural-looking profile. Running them simultaneously is more efficient than sequencing them.

The distinction matters most in your first 6 to 12 months. Once your DR reaches 30 or higher, the incremental impact of a single directory link - dofollow or not - shrinks because you have more existing authority to build on. In the early months, every quality link counts more, which is why being deliberate about link type at that stage is worth the small extra effort.

A Note on What Different Tools Will Show You

Different SEO tools disagree on which of your directory links are dofollow vs nofollow, and they update their indices on different schedules. Ahrefs, Moz, and Semrush each crawl the web independently. A link that Ahrefs hasn't picked up yet may already appear in Moz, or vice versa. Don't draw strong conclusions from a single tool's snapshot - especially within the first few weeks after a new submission.

The ground truth is the HTML on the directory's page itself. That's what Google reads. Third-party tools are approximations that catch up over time. Check the source, not just the dashboard.