When it comes to SEO linking, plenty of emphasis is put on the power is do-follow links. This often means that the opposite of this – the no-follow link – isn’t considered very good. Yet there is still much more to a no-follow link than you might think.
Do-Follow & No-Follow: The Difference
When it comes to effective SEO linking, all links can be classified as do-follow and no-follow, so what’s the difference? The former, do-follow, is in essence the ‘basic’ link. When Google indexes and crawls websites, it takes these links into value when considering the SERP (search engine results page) ranking. This considers various factors, such as the quality of the link, the domain authorities being linked and the natural, organic relevance of the content being linked.
No-follow links, on the other hand, essential turn the link off, instructing googlebots to ignore the link for the purposes of SEO. As a result, a vast number of no-follow links will not move your website up the SERP listings. It’s for this reason that no-follow links aren’t viewed positively, but there are still quite a few benefits to consider.
What A No-Follow Link Can Still Do
While it doesn’t help SEO a no-follow link is still a valuable link. If you’re offering truly great content worth digesting, and you’re exposing it to the relevant audience, there’s still a high chance that people will click a no-follow link.
After all, people reading don’t care whether it’s a no-follow or do-follow html tag – they just click on what appeals to them and grabs their interest. As a result, this can still generate links to your website and, combined with worthwhile content, this can create some noticeable traffic.
Understanding Why People Use No-Follow Links
Before we understand what to do next, it’s important to understand why no-follow links are used. Many websites are overtly cautious and don’t want to risk their SERPs with questionable links. Others simply do it as a standard policy, to ensure all links are relevant. In these cases, it’s an issue of trust. When linking to a new site, that site has no particular reason to trust you, or give you a personal favour in the form of a do-follow link. Yet, that’s where no-follow options shine the most.
Progressing From A No-Follow
When it comes to trust, a no-follow link is a foot in the door. Get your link on someone’s website, and you can see how many people appreciate your content, click through or otherwise benefit from the outreach. In turn, if this works out well for the person hosting your external link, they’re more likely to work with you in the future.
In this manner, it’s not unheard of for a no-follow link to turn into an offer of a do-follow link in the future. Once trust is established, greater achievements can be met. Of course, those companies that passed up on the no-follow link in the first place – mistakenly assuming it was of no value – will miss out on these opportunities entirely.
Here at lowcostseo we know all about the power of links, both no-follow and do-follow, and we incorporate them into our SEO packages and services.