With Influencer Marketing and blogger collaborations becoming a vital mix in most brands’ marketing strategies nowadays, follow or nofollow links are becoming common terminology.
In today’s post, we’re going to simplify it all for you, and help show that there are still quite a lot of benefits to nofollow links.
What is a follow or dofollow link?
When a link on a website is designated as “follow” or “dofollow”, this gives a signal to the Google search bots that one website is recommending the content of another. Getting this vote of confidence from another website gives lots of positive signals to Google, boosts your SEO and increases your chances of a high page ranking.
So what’s a nofollow link then?
A nofollow link can be followed by humans but not by the Google search bots. Website publishers use nofollow links as a way to tell Google that they don’t endorse the website being linked to. This could be because another company has paid to have the link featured or because the publishing website hasn’t vetted the links in user-generated content adequately.
Either way, there’s no getting away from the fact that nofollow links aren’t as valuable to SEO as dofollow links. However, they shouldn’t be written off. Nofollow links can still form a central part of an online marketing strategy.
Here are a few ways nofollow links can help your business:
It’s Still An Endorsement
To a reader, a nofollow link looks exactly the same as a dofollow link. In their eyes, a link is an endorsement – a recommendation of relevant and related content that can enhance their experience of the primary content they’re reading. Whilst Google might not be getting the signals that your website is of value, readers who can see or click on a link to your website certainly will.
They Raise Awareness
Any time your brand is linked to, new people come into contact with your brand and your products. With well-placed links and excellent landing pages, this acquaintance could develop into a significant relationship – one where a reader comes to know and trust your brand well and want to buy from you.
You Get High Quality Referrals
If your website is being linked to in the right places and the content you provide at the end of the link is relevant to the context, the referrals you get to your website will be of high quality and easier to convert into a sale. Link building done in the right way, whether with dofollow or nofollow links, provides you with the kind of organic traffic you need for a long term online marketing strategy.
One Link Leads to Another
When you raise awareness of your brand or particular website content through a nofollow link, that link can take on a life of its own. If one person clicks on the nofollow link and finds the information at the end of it really relevant and interesting, they may include the link in their own blog post the following week. And they may choose to create a dofollow rather than a nofollow link, giving your SEO a boost as well as raising awareness.
The ideal for website owners is having a heap of dofollow links on reputable websites. But nofollow links, whilst a compromise, do retain some of the same benefits. Put your nofollow links in the right place to get seen by the right audience and link to high quality landing pages to maximise their value.
