Short verdict
A dofollow link can pass ranking signals and a nofollow link usually doesn’t, but both can be worth having. Search nofollow dofollow SEO Malaysia and most advice misses that “dofollow” is only the absence of a restrictive attribute, not a feature you can buy. The answer changes in two cases: paid links must be qualified, whatever the seller tells you, and a nofollow link from a site your buyers read can beat a dofollow link from a site nobody reads.
Nofollow Dofollow SEO in Malaysia: The Side-by-Side Comparison
If you’re still getting to grips with how backlinks work for Malaysian websites, start with the table below. It compares nofollow vs dofollow backlinks on the points that affect your decision, and the label turns out to matter less than you’d expect.
| What to compare | Nofollow link | “Dofollow” link |
|---|---|---|
| What the HTML looks like | Has rel="nofollow" |
No restrictive rel value at all |
| Can it pass ranking signals? | Usually not, so don’t count on it | Yes, if Google judges the link to be genuine |
| How Google treats it | As a hint about the link, not a strict order | As a normal link it can crawl and assess |
| Traffic potential | Depends only on who reads the page | Also depends only on who reads the page |
| Typical Malaysian examples | Social profiles, blog comments, forum posts, some directory listings | Editorial mentions from trade bodies, suppliers, partners and news sites |
| Risk if paid for | Low, because a qualified paid link follows Google’s rules | High, because it counts as link spam under Google’s spam policies |
| What to do with it | Keep it if it sends readers or builds trust | Earn it, and never pay for it |
Nofollow Link Explained Through the Actual HTML
Here is a nofollow link: <a href="https://example.com" rel="nofollow">Example</a>
And here is what people call a dofollow link: <a href="https://example.com">Example</a>
The only difference is that the second one has no rel value restricting it. Nobody needs to add rel="dofollow", because Google doesn’t list that as a value. “Dofollow” is simply SEO slang for a normal link.
The Three Link Attributes Google Recognises
Google Search Central’s documentation on qualifying outbound links names three values, and each one tells Google something different about the link:
- Sponsored marks links that exist because of payment, such as advertorials, ads and affiliate placements.
- UGC stands for user-generated content, which is the rel ugc meaning in full. It covers comments and forum posts.
- Nofollow is the general option, for when the others don’t fit and you’d rather not vouch for the page.
On rel sponsored vs nofollow, Google asks for sponsored on paid links, though its spam policies accept either. You can also combine values, as in rel="ugc nofollow".
Since 2020, Google has treated these attributes as hints, not strict instructions. It may still choose to use a nofollow link, but it won’t tell you when, so you can’t plan around it. If you want to see where links sit in the bigger process, read about the four stages Google uses.
When a Dofollow Backlink Is Worth Chasing
PageRank is Google’s original system for treating a link from one page to another as a kind of vote. That is why dofollow backlink SEO gets so much attention, but a vote only carries weight when it comes from a relevant source and was given for a real reason.
When it works
- A Malaysian trade body lists you as a member
- Your supplier or partner links to you from a page about your work together
- A news site cites you because your story or data was useful to its readers
When it doesn’t
- Guest-post farms that publish on any topic for anyone
- Link packages sold by quantity, such as 50 links for a flat fee
- Sites with no real readers and no connection to your industry
This article is about judging links, not getting them. For the acquisition side, see our guide to link building for better SEO growth.
When a Nofollow Link Beats a Dofollow One
Are nofollow links good for SEO? Don’t expect a direct ranking lift, because Google may ignore them for that purpose. Their value is in referral traffic and brand discovery, and there are more reasons nofollow links earn their place in a healthy profile.
Malaysia note
Buyers here often move from a forum thread, social post or directory listing straight to WhatsApp, with no form fill along the way. If you only count form leads, these enquiries disappear from your reporting and the link looks worthless. Count them.
A Forum Thread or Social Post That Sends Real Enquiries
Picture a renovation contractor mentioned in a forum thread about condo upgrades in Subang Jaya. The link is almost certainly nofollow, yet everyone reading that thread is actively planning to spend money. A dofollow link on a random blog will never put you in front of that reader.
Measure this by WhatsApp clicks. Point the link at a page with a WhatsApp button rather than directly at a wa.me address, then track the button as an event in Google Analytics 4, filtered by referral source. Also ask new enquirers where they found you, because some will screenshot the thread and message you later.
A Mention on a Site Your Customers Already Trust
A nofollow mention on an industry publication your customers already read does a job no ranking signal can. When those readers see your name again in search results, they are more likely to recognise you and more likely to click.
It also supports the reputation side of E-E-A-T, since the key elements of Google E-E-A-T include trust and authority. E-E-A-T and authority sit under the Notability pillar of our RANKED Framework. That said, no one can promise a ranking effect from a single mention, so treat it as a reputation gain and anything more as a bonus.
The RM Maths: Paying for a Link Versus Paying for Readers
Advertorial backlinks in Malaysia are often sold on “SEO value”, but a paid placement should be marked rel="sponsored", which removes the ranking argument. What’s left is the audience, and you can price that. The figures below are illustrative, not market rates.
| Illustrative advertorial | Figure |
|---|---|
| Placement cost | RM2,000 |
| Visits sent | 400 |
| Cost per visit | RM5 |
| WhatsApp enquiries | 8 |
| Cost per enquiry | RM250 |
Now compare that RM250 with what an enquiry costs you from Google Ads, Facebook or any other channel you already run. If those channels are cheaper, the placement lost. If they cost more, or the placement’s readers are unusually close to buying, it may have earned a repeat.
The rule is simple: judge paid placements on the readers they send, never on ranking power. Doing this for every offer, on top of reviewing the links you already have, takes real time and some judgement. If you’d rather hand it over, an SEO agency in Malaysia can do the sorting for you, as long as they show you the reasoning behind each call.
Why “Buy Dofollow Backlinks” Offers Are the Trap to Avoid
Search “buy dofollow backlinks Malaysia” and you’ll find sellers quoting per link, sometimes with a promise of better positions. Google has stated publicly that no one can guarantee a specific ranking position, so treat that promise as your first warning. These are the two mistakes to avoid.
✗ Paying for a dofollow link with no qualification
Google’s policy on paid links is clear: its spam policies list buying or selling links that pass ranking credit as link spam. At best, Google ignores the link and your money is gone. At worst, your site loses visibility, and you’re left cleaning up a problem you paid for.
✓ The fix
Require rel="sponsored" on anything you pay for, and judge the placement on its audience. If the seller refuses, because the “dofollow” is the whole product, walk away.
✗ Panicking about a nofollow-heavy profile
Beginners open a backlink tool, see mostly nofollow links and assume something is wrong. Then they chase a target ratio they read on a forum, which is exactly the mindset that makes link sellers look like a solution.
✓ The fix
Drop the ratio, since Google publishes no such target. Social profiles and forum posts are commonly nofollow, so plenty of normal sites have many of these links. Look at whether your followed links come from relevant, real sites instead.
How to Check Any Link in Under a Minute
Here is how to check if a link is nofollow, from a single link up to your whole profile.
Right-click and Inspect in Chrome
Open the page, right-click the link and choose Inspect. Chrome DevTools opens with that link’s HTML highlighted.
Read the rel value
Look for nofollow, sponsored or ugc inside the link tag. No restrictive value means it’s a normal link, unless the page’s own robots meta tag says nofollow, which applies to every link on that page.
Review attributes in bulk with Ahrefs or Semrush
A backlink report in either tool shows the attribute across all the links it has found, and you can filter by type. If you’re comparing options, here are some link-building tools worth trying.
See who links to you in Google Search Console
The Links report is free and shows your top linking sites and pages. It doesn’t replace checking the attribute, so use Inspect on any link that matters to you.
How to Decide What to Do With Each Link
These five rules cover the links a beginner will actually face, including when to use nofollow on your website.
Keep plain nofollow on your own site for the rare page you need to link to but don’t want to vouch for. WordPress adds nofollow-type attributes to comment links by default, so you usually don’t need to do this by hand. Themes and plugins can change that behaviour, so post a test comment and inspect the link to confirm what your site does.
Nofollow and Dofollow Questions Malaysian Beginners Ask
What is the difference between nofollow and dofollow links?
A nofollow link carries a rel=”nofollow” value telling Google not to associate the two pages, while a dofollow link is just a normal link with no restrictive value. The first usually passes no ranking signals, and the second can. Both can send readers equally well.
Do nofollow links help SEO at all?
Not reliably as a ranking signal, but they can help your business in other ways. Google treats nofollow as a hint, so it may occasionally use one, though you can’t plan around that. The dependable value is referral traffic, enquiries and brand recognition.
How do I check if a backlink is nofollow or dofollow?
Right-click the link in Chrome, choose Inspect and read the rel value in the highlighted HTML. If there’s no nofollow, sponsored or ugc value, and the page has no robots nofollow tag, it’s a normal link. To check many links at once, use a backlink report in Ahrefs or Semrush.
Should I buy dofollow backlinks in Malaysia?
No. Google’s spam policies treat buying links that pass ranking credit as link spam, so you risk paying for something that is ignored or that harms your visibility. If a placement has real readers, pay for those readers and mark the link rel=”sponsored”.
What ratio of nofollow to dofollow links should I aim for?
None, because Google publishes no target ratio. Any figure you see quoted is someone’s opinion. Spend your attention on whether each link comes from a real, relevant site instead.
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Bryan Tan is an SEO Specialist and CEO at Newnormz, helping hundreds of businesses achieve first-page rankings on Google. With a passion for driving organic growth, Bryan blends innovative strategies with hands-on experience to optimize websites for maximum visibility. Always at the forefront of the latest SEO insights and trends, he consistently adapts to the evolving digital landscape.
