Keeping track of do-follow and no-follow links in your blog posts is essential for SEO optimization, affiliate link compliance, and overall link health.
This beginner guide shows how to easily identify these links using free browser extensions, especially if you're managing a Blogger blog.
Before we elaborate more about this do-follow and no-follow topic, let's find out what are they.
What Are DoFollow and NoFollow Links?
When you add a hyperlink to your blog, it’s either a DoFollow or NoFollow link.
These terms tell search engines how to treat the link for SEO purposes.
Do-follow and no-follow links are fundamental concepts in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
They dictate how search engine crawlers (like Googlebot) treat a hyperlink.
Essentially, they are attributes added to the HTML link to provide instructions to search engines.
DoFollow Links:
A dofollow link is the standard, default type of hyperlink.
When a search engine crawler encounters a do-follow link, it passes link equity (also known as "link juice") from the linking page to the linked page.
This transfer of equity is crucial because it acts as a vote of confidence from one website to another, helping the linked page improve its ranking potential in search results.
Code: It doesn't require a special attribute; the basic HTML anchor tag is sufficient:
<a href="[https://example.com](https://example.com)">Example Link</a>
Purpose: To signal to search engines that the linked content is valuable and should be considered for ranking.
These DoFollow links can improve the search engine rankings of the pages you link to.
NoFollow Links:
A nofollow link is created by adding the attribute rel="nofollow" to the link's HTML.
This attribute instructs search engine crawlers not to pass link equity to the destination page and to generally not use the link for indexing or ranking purposes.
Code: The rel="nofollow" attribute is explicitly added:
<a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example Link</a>
Purpose: Webmasters typically use no-follow tags in situations where they don't want to implicitly endorse the linked content or to comply with search engine guidelines.
Common uses include:
- Paid/Sponsored Links: To disclose that a link is an advertisement or part of a paid arrangement, preventing the exchange of link equity for money, which Google considers a violation of its guidelines.
- User-Generated Content (UGC): Links in comments, forum posts, or other user submissions, as these are often unregulated and could lead to spam.
- Untrusted Content: Linking to a source but withholding an endorsement.
Understanding the difference between DoFollow and NoFollow is essential for maintaining a healthy link profile, especially when you're linking to other sites from your blog.
Using the right type of link helps you stay compliant with Google's guidelines and protects your blog from SEO penalties.
Check Do-Follow and No-Follow Links In Blogger Posts
Understanding the difference between do-follow and no-follow links helps you:
- Ensure you're not leaking SEO value (link juice) unintentionally
- Follow Google’s guidelines on paid and affiliate links
- Audit guest posts and user-submitted content
- Improve your site's trust and authority signals
Tool #1: NoDoFollow Firefox Extension
The easiest way to check link types is by using a free Firefox add-on called NoDoFollow.
It highlights links on any webpage so you can quickly see which are do-follow and which are no-follow.
Steps to Install and Use NoDoFollow:
- Visit the NoDoFollow extension page on Mozilla.
- Click on the "Add to Firefox" button.
- Once it finishes downloading, click "Install".
- Restart Firefox when prompted by clicking "Restart Now".
- After restarting, right-click on any web page and select "NoDoFollow" from the context menu to toggle link highlighting.
Do-follow links will be highlighted in blue and no-follow links in red (or depending on your browser settings).
Alternative Firefox Extensions
If NoDoFollow isn’t your style or you want more features, here are two other great options:
- Check Nofollow Links – Quickly scans pages and highlights no-follow tags.
- Highlight Nofollow Links SEO – Great for SEO professionals who want to see link attributes clearly.
NoFollow Extension For Chrome
If you are Google Chrome users, use any of these No-Follow checker extensions:
They work similarly and they are also free to use.
Links Helps Blogger SEO
Checking and managing your link types can improve your blog’s performance in search engines. Here's how:
- Improves internal linking strategy by passing link equity where it matters
- Reduces the risk of Google penalties for unnatural linking
- Helps with on-page SEO optimization for Blogger
- Supports better content audits and cleanup
Conclusion: Do-Follow And No-Follow Links In Blogger
Regularly auditing your outbound links is one of the easiest ways to boost your blog’s SEO.
In other words, stay compliant with search engine guidelines.
Whether you're running a personal blog, niche site, or managing affiliate content, these browser tools can help you stay in control.
👉 Need more Blogger SEO help? Check out my full guide: On-Page SEO Tips for Blogger
DoFollow/NoFollow Google Updates
Google introduced two more specific attributes in 2019:
rel="sponsored": For links created as part of advertisements, sponsorships, or other compensation agreements.
rel="ugc": For links within user-generated content, such as comments and forum posts.
While Google recommends using sponsored and ugc where appropriate, nofollow remains a valid attribute.
The key change is that Google now treats all no-follow attributes nofollow, sponsored, and ugc as hints rather than strict directives.
This means that while they generally won't pass equity, Google may still choose to crawl and use them for understanding the web's structure if it deems it necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I check do-follow and no-follow links in Blogger?
You can check do-follow and no-follow links in Blogger by using browser extensions like NoDoFollow (Firefox) or NoFollow Simple (Chrome). These tools highlight link types directly on your posts or any web page.
Why should I care about do-follow and no-follow links?
Do-follow links pass SEO value to other sites, while no-follow links do not. Managing them correctly helps maintain your blog's SEO integrity and avoids penalties for unnatural linking.
Are there any free tools to check link types in Blogger?
Yes! Free tools like NoDoFollow for Firefox and NoFollow Simple for Chrome allow you to quickly check and highlight do-follow and no-follow links on any Blogger post or page.
Can I change a link from no-follow to do-follow in Blogger?
Yes. In Blogger's HTML view, simply remove rel="nofollow" from the link tag to make it a do-follow link. Use this carefully to avoid SEO issues with sponsored or low-quality links.