What the attributes do
DoFollow is the default state of a link — it can pass equity, the fuel behind rankings. NoFollow tells crawlers the site doesn't vouch for the target; it was introduced for comments and paid placements.
Since 2019, Google treats nofollow as a hint rather than a directive. NoFollow links can still be crawled, indexed and used as signals. They also send traffic and build brand queries, which indirectly help rankings.
The mix question
A profile that is 100% DoFollow from purchased placements looks engineered, because organically earned profiles aren't like that. Real sites pick up nofollow links from forums, social platforms, press and comments all the time.
We usually advise buyers to let a natural share of nofollow happen rather than forcing purity. Campaigns we run with mixed attributes have never needed 'fixing' later; a few all-DoFollow aggressive campaigns have.
So what should you buy?
For authority building, DoFollow editorial links remain the core purchase — that's what our DoFollow packages deliver, verified per URL. For brand growth and diversification, mentions, press and forum links bring nofollow along with real visibility.
Don't pay extra for someone to manually nofollow things, and don't panic if a placement you bought flips attributes later. What kills profiles is patterns, not individual attributes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Indirectly, yes — through traffic, brand searches and discovery. Directly, they're treated as hints, so some value can pass.
Yes, at delivery. Any provider should list the exact attribute per URL in the report — ours do.