Google’s link spam update has changed how search engines evaluate backlinks, and that affects both dofollow and nofollow links. If you own a website, publish content, or manage SEO campaigns, it is important to understand that Google is not simply counting links anymore. It is looking more closely at intent, relevance, quality, and natural link patterns.
This means a backlink can help, do nothing, or even create risk depending on how it was earned and how it fits your site’s overall profile. Understanding the difference between dofollow and nofollow links, and how Google treats suspicious link behaviour, is essential for safer backlink building and better organic visibility. For further learning, this backlink building guide can help you understand the basics in a practical way.
What the Google Link Spam Update Is Designed to Do
The link spam update is meant to reduce the influence of manipulative backlinks. Google wants to avoid rewarding pages that gain rankings through artificial link schemes rather than genuine authority. In simple terms, it tries to identify links that were created to game the algorithm rather than to help users.
This matters because websites often try to build authority quickly through low-quality guest posts, irrelevant placements, large-scale link exchanges, or other shortcuts. Google’s systems are designed to devalue links that appear unnatural, overly commercial, or placed without editorial value. That does not mean all paid or nofollow links are useless, but it does mean context now matters much more.
How Dofollow Links Are Affected
Dofollow links are the links most SEO professionals focus on because they can pass ranking signals. After the link spam update, however, not every dofollow link is treated equally. A dofollow backlink from a trustworthy, relevant website is still valuable, but a dofollow link from a spammy or unrelated site may be ignored or discounted.
The update also makes it riskier to rely on patterns that look manufactured. For example, many links from weak directories, bulk placements, or pages built only for SEO can make a profile look unnatural. Even if those links are dofollow, Google may choose not to give them much weight.
Website owners should think about dofollow links as endorsements, not shortcuts. A strong link should come from content that genuinely fits the topic, uses natural anchor text, and appears in a useful editorial context. If you are comparing safe link-building options, Google-safe backlinks are worth understanding before making any decisions.
How Nofollow Links Are Affected
Nofollow links do not usually pass authority in the same way as dofollow links, but they still matter. Google’s link spam systems do not treat nofollow links as worthless. They can still contribute to discovery, referral traffic, brand visibility, and a more natural link profile.
For many websites, a healthy mix of dofollow and nofollow links looks more realistic. If every backlink is dofollow, especially from similar sources, the profile can look suspicious. Nofollow links from social platforms, forums, news mentions, resource pages, or relevant communities can support your overall backlink profile even if they do not directly drive ranking signals.
In practice, nofollow links are useful when they come from real audiences and relevant discussions. They help your brand look established and can support organic growth indirectly. Google is more likely to trust a varied backlink profile than one built only around trying to collect dofollow equity.
What Google Looks at Beyond Link Type
The link label alone is not enough to judge value. Google considers a range of signals when assessing backlinks, including topic relevance, source quality, placement context, anchor text, and the broader link pattern around the domain.
For example, a dofollow link from a highly relevant industry blog may be more useful than several nofollow links from unrelated sites. Likewise, a nofollow mention in a reputable publication can still support brand trust and discovery. The real question is whether the backlink looks earned and useful to readers.
Anchor text also matters. Exact-match anchors used too often can look manipulative, while natural branded or partial-match anchors are usually safer. If your backlinks come from varied and sensible sources, you are more likely to build long-term visibility rather than short-lived gains.
Backlink Quality and Indexing Matter More Now
After link spam updates, backlink quality matters more than backlink quantity. A smaller number of good links often creates a healthier profile than a large volume of weak ones. That is especially true for website owners trying to improve rankings without triggering spam signals.
Backlink indexing also plays a role. If a backlink is not crawled or indexed, it may not contribute much to visibility or discovery. However, chasing indexation aggressively is not a substitute for quality. The link still needs to be relevant, accessible, and part of a legitimate page. If you want to understand this process better, backlink indexing can be a useful topic to review alongside quality control.
For beginners and agencies alike, a better strategy is to focus on links that are likely to be crawled naturally because the pages themselves attract traffic or have genuine value.
Best Practices for Safer Link Building
The safest approach is to build backlinks that make sense to humans first. Search engines are increasingly aligned with that idea. The following practices help reduce risk and improve the chances that your backlinks contribute positively.
- Earn links from relevant websites in your niche or industry.
- Use natural anchor text rather than forced exact-match phrases.
- Mix dofollow and nofollow links so your profile looks organic.
- Prioritise editorial mentions and useful placements over bulk links.
- Review the source site’s quality, content standards, and topical relevance.
- Avoid patterns that look automated, repetitive, or obviously purchased at scale.
- Check whether the backlink supports traffic, trust, or brand visibility, not just SEO metrics.
If you are learning how backlinks are created safely, the backlink building process is a helpful resource for understanding manual and controlled methods.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Many link penalties and ranking problems start with simple mistakes, not complex schemes. One of the biggest issues is assuming that dofollow is always better than nofollow. In reality, both link types can be part of a healthy profile when they appear naturally.
Another common mistake is buying links from poor-quality sources without checking the site’s relevance or reputation. A backlink may be dofollow, but if it comes from a weak or unrelated page, it can add little value and may increase risk. Ignoring anchor text variation is another problem, especially when every link uses the same keyword.
It is also easy to overlook link placement. A footer or sidebar link on an irrelevant site may look far less natural than a link inside a useful article. When in doubt, aim for relevance, editorial context, and user benefit.
Practical Checklist
If you are reviewing your backlink profile after a Google link spam update, use this quick checklist to stay on the safe side:
- Check whether your strongest backlinks come from relevant, trustworthy sites.
- Review the balance of dofollow and nofollow links across your profile.
- Look at anchor text distribution for over-optimisation.
- Identify links from irrelevant, thin, or low-quality pages.
- Confirm that important backlinks are discoverable and indexed where appropriate.
- Remove or disavow only when there is a clear reason and real risk.
- Keep building links through content, relationships, and editorial value.
If you want a broader overview of safe strategies and learning support, Backlink Works offers backlink building and SEO guidance that can help website owners make better-informed decisions.
Conclusion
Google’s link spam update has not made dofollow links useless, and it has not made nofollow links irrelevant. Instead, it has pushed SEO towards a more realistic standard: backlinks should look earned, relevant, and useful. Dofollow links can still support rankings, while nofollow links can support trust, discovery, and a natural profile.
For website owners, bloggers, digital marketers, and agencies, the best long-term approach is to focus on backlink quality, topical relevance, natural anchor text, and safe acquisition methods. If your links help users and come from legitimate sources, they are far more likely to support organic visibility than links built for shortcuts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do nofollow links still matter after the link spam update?
Yes. Nofollow links can still help with discovery, referral traffic, branding, and a natural-looking backlink profile. While they usually do not pass ranking signals in the same way as dofollow links, they still have value when they come from relevant and trusted sources.
Can a dofollow link be ignored by Google?
Yes. If a dofollow backlink appears manipulative, irrelevant, or low quality, Google may discount it. The link type alone does not guarantee value. Google looks at the source page, context, relevance, and overall pattern before deciding how much weight to give it.
Is it safer to have a mix of dofollow and nofollow links?
Usually, yes. A natural backlink profile often includes both types. A mix can look more realistic because real websites attract different kinds of mentions across blogs, communities, media, and resource pages. The key is quality and relevance rather than chasing one link type only.
How should I check if my backlinks are risky?
Review where the links come from, what the pages are about, how the anchors are written, and whether the links look editorial or forced. If a backlink profile is dominated by irrelevant or repetitive links, it may be worth auditing it carefully. A website SEO audit can help identify issues.
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