Dofollow vs Nofollow Links: What They Mean for Directories

A dofollow link is an ordinary link that search engines may treat as a vote of confidence for the page it points to. Nofollow, ugc and sponsored are rel attribute values that tell search engines "don't treat this as an editorial endorsement." When you submit to directories, the link type affects SEO value — but it's only one of several reasons a listing is worth having.

What exactly is a dofollow link?

There's no rel="dofollow" attribute. "Dofollow" is shorthand for a link without a qualifying rel value:

<a href="https://yourproduct.com">Your Product</a>

Search engines can follow this link, crawl the destination and factor it into how they assess that page's authority. Links from relevant, trusted sites are one of the long-standing signals in search ranking.

What do nofollow, ugc and sponsored mean?

Search engines recognise three qualifiers that tell them a link shouldn't be treated as a normal endorsement:

They can be combined, for example rel="nofollow ugc". Since 2019, Google has treated all three as hints rather than strict directives, meaning it may still choose to use them when understanding the web.

Why do so many directories use nofollow?

Directories are, by nature, full of user-submitted links. Marking those links nofollow or ugc protects the directory from being seen as a link scheme and discourages spammers who only want a backlink.

Many reputable platforms — large launch sites, social networks, review sites — nofollow outbound links for exactly this reason. That doesn't make them bad places to be listed.

On DirectoryHunter, for example, listing links are nofollow ugc by default, and only listings our team has manually verified get a followed link. Sponsor ads are always marked sponsored.

Do nofollow links still help?

Yes, in several ways:

1. Referral traffic. People click links regardless of their rel attribute. A busy directory can send customers.
2. Discovery. Writers, curators and bloggers find products on directories and launch sites, then link to them — often with followed links.
3. Brand signals. Being present where your category is discussed builds familiarity and branded searches.
4. A natural profile. Real websites earn a mix of link types. A profile that is 100% followed, exact-match anchor links looks unnatural.
5. Hints, not rules. Search engines may still use nofollow links as signals in some cases.

How should dofollow status affect where you submit?

Use link type as a tiebreaker, not the main criterion. A simple priority order:

1. Audience fit — do your customers use this site?
2. Quality and trust — is it well-maintained, moderated and not a link farm? Check its domain rating as a rough guide.
3. Effort and cost — is the submission quick, free, and reviewed in reasonable time?
4. Link type — dofollow is a bonus on top of the above.

You can browse with these filters directly: dofollow directories, directories with DR 40+, or free submissions.

How do you check a directory's link type?

1. Find an existing approved listing on the directory.
2. Right-click the outbound link and choose Inspect.
3. Look at the <a> tag's rel attribute.
   • No rel, or only noopener/noreferrer → followed.
   • Contains nofollow, ugc or sponsored → not followed.

Note that noopener and noreferrer are security and privacy attributes; they don't affect how search engines treat the link.

Check a few listings, not just one. Some directories follow links only for verified, featured or paid listings, so free listings may differ.

Red flags: when a "dofollow" offer isn't worth it

Be wary of sites that:

• Sell dofollow links openly as an SEO product, with no editorial review.
• List thousands of unrelated sites with no categories or moderation.
• Have no real traffic, community or reason to exist besides links.
• Require a reciprocal link back to them.

Paid links intended to manipulate rankings go against search engine guidelines. A followed link from a link farm can be worthless — or worse.

The bottom line

Dofollow links from relevant, trustworthy sites are valuable, but nofollow links from places your customers actually visit are valuable too. Build a mix by submitting where your audience is, and let followed links accumulate naturally.

Ready to build your list? Start with our guide to submitting to 100 directories and our advice on writing a listing that converts.