Updated 21 October 2026
A dofollow link is a normal link with no label, which can pass ranking credit. A sponsored link is labeled rel="sponsored" to tell Google it was paid for, and a nofollow link is labeled rel="nofollow" to say the site doesn’t vouch for it. Google asks for paid links to be sponsored or nofollow, so when you buy a placement, you are mainly paying for the readers, the brand mention and the site’s reputation, not for ranking credit.
Here’s what each label means, what Google says about them, how to check which one you got, and how to decide what’s worth paying for.
What is a link attribute?
A link attribute is a small tag inside a link’s code that tells search engines how to treat that link. Readers can’t see it, but it’s part of every link you buy.
It’s one of several things that decide whether a link is worth having. Topic, real traffic and site quality matter just as much. Our pillar guide on how to check if a backlink is good covers those.
The three labels side by side
| Label | What it looks like in code | What it tells Google | OK for paid links? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dofollow (no label) | <a href="..."> | A normal link the site stands behind | No, under Google’s rules |
| Sponsored | <a href="..." rel="sponsored"> | The link is an ad, sponsorship or paid placement | Yes, and it’s Google’s preferred label |
| Nofollow | <a href="..." rel="nofollow"> | The site doesn’t want to vouch for the link | Yes, also acceptable |
| UGC | <a href="..." rel="ugc"> | The link came from user content, such as a comment | Not the right label for a paid placement |
Sources: Google’s guide to qualifying outbound links and its spam policies.
“Dofollow” isn’t a real attribute
Google’s documentation lists three values for paid, untrusted or user-made links: sponsored, ugc and nofollow. There’s no “dofollow” value. “Dofollow” is industry slang for a link with none of those labels. If a seller writes rel="dofollow" into a link, it isn’t one of the values Google lists, so treat that link as unlabeled.
What Google actually says
Three points from Google’s own documentation matter most when you’re buying.
1. Paid links should be labeled
Google’s spam policies list buying or selling links for ranking purposes as link spam. The same page says Google understands that buying and selling links is “a normal part of the economy of the web” for advertising and sponsorship, as long as the links are labeled nofollow or sponsored.
2. Sponsored is preferred, nofollow is fine
When Google introduced the new labels in 2019, it said that for flagging paid links it prefers sponsored, “but either is fine and will be treated the same”. It also said there’s “no wrong attribute except in the case of sponsored links.” Labeling a normal link as sponsored does little harm. Leaving a paid link unlabeled is the problem.
3. All three are hints
In the same 2019 announcement, Google said sponsored, ugc and nofollow are now “treated as hints about which links to consider or exclude within Search.” In plain terms, Google decides for itself how much any link counts. A nofollow link isn’t guaranteed to be ignored, and a dofollow link isn’t guaranteed to count.
You can also combine labels. Google says you may list several rel values on one link, such as rel="nofollow sponsored".
So what are you paying for?
If paid links should be sponsored or nofollow, and those labels tell Google not to pass ranking credit, it’s fair to ask what the money buys. A good placement still gives you:
- Readers. People who read the article can click through to your site.
- A brand mention. Your business is named and described on a site your customers trust.
- AI visibility. In an Ahrefs study of 75,000 brands, mentions of a brand across the web were more closely linked with appearing in Google’s AI Overviews (0.664) than backlink count (0.218). That’s a correlation, not proof of cause.
- Association. Being published on respected sites in your field is useful for reputation, whatever the code says.
Some sellers charge more for a “guaranteed dofollow” link. Be clear about what that means: you’re paying extra for a paid link that goes against the letter of Google’s rules. Our guide on whether buying backlinks is safe lays out the risk levels.
The label for readers is a separate thing
The rel attribute is for search engines. The words “Sponsored” or “Advertisement” at the top of an article are for people. They’re different, and you may need both.
In the US, the Federal Trade Commission’s guide to native advertising says disclosures needed to avoid misleading people must be “presented clearly and prominently.” It lists “Ad”, “Advertisement”, “Paid Advertisement” and “Sponsored Advertising Content” as terms likely to be understood, and calls “Promoted” at best ambiguous. Rules differ by country, so check what applies where the site’s readers are.
How to check which label you got
- Open the live article in Chrome, Edge or Firefox.
- Right-click your link and choose “Inspect”.
- Read the highlighted code. Look for
rel="..."inside the<a>tag. Norel, or arelwith only values likenoopener, means it’s a plain (“dofollow”) link. - Compare it to what you were promised. If it differs, raise it with the seller straight away.
- Check again next month. Site owners sometimes add labels later, or a plugin changes every outbound link at once.
Free browser extensions can highlight nofollow links on a page, but the “Inspect” method works everywhere and shows you exactly what’s in the code.
Which should you buy?
- If you want to stay within Google’s rules: buy sponsored or nofollow placements on relevant sites with real readers. Judge the site, not the label.
- If a seller offers dofollow: know that it’s outside Google’s guidance for paid links, and that the risk grows with how many you buy and how spammy the site is.
- Whatever you choose: get the label in writing before you pay, and check it after the article goes live.
For most small businesses, the site matters more than the attribute. A sponsored article on a site your customers read is worth more than a dofollow link on a site nobody visits. The same logic applies whether you buy a guest post or a link insertion; see link insertion vs guest post for that choice.
How BuyLinks handles labels
Every site in your plan shows the link attribute the publisher applies, such as sponsored or dofollow, before you approve anything. You decide what you’re comfortable with. Every site is checked before it can be used, and only about 1 in 7 sites in our database passes; you can read how we grade sites.
After publication we check every link monthly for 12 months. If a link goes live with a different attribute from the one we stated, or its attribute changes later, you get a replacement or a refund under our 12-month guarantee. We never promise rankings.
Frequently asked questions
Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
They aren’t meant to pass ranking credit, but Google treats nofollow as a hint, so it decides for itself. The more reliable value is readers, brand mentions and the reputation of the site that links to you.
Is a sponsored link the same as a nofollow link?
For paid links, Google says the two are treated the same. The difference is meaning: sponsored says the link was paid for, while nofollow says the site doesn’t vouch for it. Google prefers sponsored for paid placements.
Will I get penalized for a dofollow paid link?
Not necessarily, but it’s against Google’s spam policies. Outcomes range from the link being ignored to lower rankings or a manual action. Google doesn’t publish how often each happens.
Can a site change my link’s label after I’ve paid?
Yes. Owners update old posts, and some plugins change all outbound links at once. That’s why it pays to check links regularly and to buy with a written guarantee that covers attribute changes.
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