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Nofollow backlinks play a critical role in a healthy, natural-looking link profile. While they do not directly pass link equity, Google has confirmed that nofollow is treated as a "hint" rather than a directive — meaning some nofollow links may still influence rankings. More importantly, nofollow directory listings drive real referral traffic and increase brand visibility.
SEO Value of Nofollow Backlinks
In 2019, Google changed how it handles nofollow links. Instead of completely ignoring them, Google now treats rel="nofollow" as a hint — meaning it may choose to crawl, index, or even count some nofollow links for ranking purposes. Beyond this, nofollow directory listings provide several concrete benefits: they drive referral traffic from users browsing the directory, they increase your brand's visibility across the web, and they make your backlink profile look natural. An all-dofollow backlink profile actually raises red flags with Google's spam detection — mixing in nofollow links from legitimate directories signals organic link growth.
Why Nofollow Directory Backlinks Matter
Key benefits of acquiring nofollow backlinks from directories.
Natural Link Profile
A healthy backlink profile contains a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. Having only dofollow links looks unnatural to Google and can trigger spam filters. Nofollow directory links add the diversity that search engines expect.
Referral Traffic
Nofollow links are still fully functional hyperlinks. Users browsing directories can click through to your website regardless of the link attribute. This referral traffic converts at high rates because these visitors are actively looking for solutions.
Brand Visibility & Discovery
Being listed in nofollow directories increases your brand presence across the web. Potential customers, partners, and journalists discover you through these listings, creating opportunities beyond direct SEO value.
Google's "Hint" Signal
Since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a directive. This means Google may choose to follow, crawl, and even count some nofollow links for ranking purposes — especially from high-authority domains.
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Browse all directoriesFrequently Asked Questions About Nofollow Backlinks
What is a nofollow backlink?
A nofollow backlink is a hyperlink with a rel="nofollow" attribute that traditionally tells search engines not to pass link equity to the destination page. However, since 2019, Google treats this as a "hint" rather than a strict directive, meaning some nofollow links may still contribute to rankings. Nofollow links still drive referral traffic and build brand awareness.
Are nofollow directory backlinks worth pursuing?
Absolutely. Nofollow directory backlinks serve multiple purposes: they drive referral traffic from directory visitors, they build brand visibility, they create a natural-looking link profile (which Google favors), and since Google's 2019 update, they may even pass some ranking signals. A strong SEO strategy includes both dofollow and nofollow links.
What percentage of my backlinks should be nofollow?
Natural backlink profiles typically have 20-40% nofollow links. If your profile is 100% dofollow, it can look manipulative to Google's spam detection algorithms. Directory submissions are one of the easiest ways to naturally build a healthy mix of dofollow and nofollow links across your profile.
Did Google change how nofollow links work?
Yes. In September 2019, Google announced that rel="nofollow" would be treated as a "hint" rather than a directive. This means Google's algorithms may choose to crawl, index, or count nofollow links for ranking purposes when they determine the link provides valuable context. This was a significant shift from the previous 14 years where nofollow links were strictly ignored for ranking.
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