The Benefits of Follow and No-Follow Links

FOLLOW LINKS

It is important to discuss the benefits of both follow and no follow links in an SEO sense….

FOLLOW LINKS

It is important to discuss the benefits of both follow and no follow links in an SEO sense. When a website or page receives an inbound link (a hyperlink directing to that page) the page receives a boost in search engine rankings. It is useful to consider a link as a point and the more links you have, the more points you receive.

Google takes these points into account. They keep track of the number of inbound links a page has and from which sites. Google believes that if a page is being referenced by lots of different people, it must be a good page. These pages are then given preference in search engines. The points earned from receiving a link are measured by Google’s PageRank feature. These points are often referred to as ‘link juice’. The juice can be distributed through the site via hyperlinks to new pages. The link becomes more valuable depending on the reputation of the site responsible for the link. A link from a site such as the BBC would be very valuable.

NO-FOLLOW LINKS

No-follow links are links that are not counted in a page’s favour and therefore won’t affect placement in search engines. The no-follow tag informs search engines not to count that link. The reason behind the no-follow tag is to reduce spam on blogs, websites and other areas of the web. Some SEO’s have attempted to artificially boost their ranking using black-hat methods. This includes spamming comment sections on popular sites like the BBC and inserting company links into Wikipedia reference sections. As these methods were effectively ruining useful resources, Google stepped in and introduced the no-follow tag. The no-follow tag has done a lot of good as now most spammers will refrain from posting irrelevant links on blogs, comments and forums knowing the link will not count. Many sites have incorporated the no-follow tag as an automatic setting. This includes Wikipedia in the reference section and anything user-submitted within WordPress.

It is a common misconception that no-follow links are worthless. No-follow links can still provide valuable traffic to your website. Modern search engines consider factors outside of link juice and PageRank. Social media links from both Twitter and Facebook are becoming increasingly valuable, despite being no follow. It is Important to build your brand and not always view links in a purely SEO perspective, remember that links build trust.

Wikipedia links can still be useful, it can result in other follow links. For example, if a Wikipedia page is cited by the BBC website, the page will then possess a invaluable backlink to the BBC. So if your site is linked on the Wikipedia page, this can drive traffic to your site.

We’ve talked about why links are important, regardless of their no follow/do follow status, but you probably still want a few follow links to even out that link profile.

The best ways to get do follow links is the honest way: creating awesome, original content that gets shared and linked to naturally. Other approaches include guest blogging, especially on a site relevant to your own so that you can build referral traffic in addition to getting an SEO boost.

Remember, ultimately you want a healthy balance of do follow and no follow backlinks for the perfect link profile. Although follow links may do more for SEO, no follow links deserve a place in your online marketing strategy. It is a strategy which we employ at Crown Oil.

 

Related content

Access full article

Propolis logo white

B2B strategies. B2B skills.
B2B growth.

Propolis helps B2B marketers confidently build the right strategies and skills to drive growth and prove their impact.