# Dofollow

The default form of an HTML link, with no rel attribute; search engines both follow the link and pass authority.

**Dofollow** is the _default_ state of an HTML link. In other words, a normal link in the form of `<a href="...">` with no `rel` attribute added is automatically “dofollow.” In fact, there is no attribute called “dofollow” in the HTML specification; this term has become common in the SEO community to mean “not nofollow.”

Dofollow link characteristics:

- Search engines follow the link and discover the target page
- PageRank/authority flow occurs
- The anchor text reinforces the topic of the target page
- It carries full value as a backlink

In SEO efforts, the goal is to acquire “dofollow backlinks” because these links pass authority and directly affect rankings.

**Tip:** To check whether a link is dofollow, right-click in your browser and select “View Page Source” to inspect the HTML. Any links that do not contain `rel="nofollow"`, `rel="sponsored"`, or `rel="ugc"` are dofollow.