Dofollow vs nofollow: what a directory listing is actually worth
What rel=nofollow, sponsored and ugc do to a link, how to read one in ten seconds, and why a nofollow listing can still be worth having.
A directory listing gives you two different things: a link search engines may follow, and a page a human may find you on. They are worth different amounts and most advice conflates them.
| What you see in the HTML | What it means |
|---|---|
| no rel attribute | A plain link. Ranking signal passes. This is what people mean by dofollow — it is not a value you can write. |
| rel="nofollow" | The site is telling search engines not to treat the link as an endorsement. Treated as a hint, not a rule, since 2019. |
| rel="sponsored" | Declared as paid placement. Expect no ranking benefit. |
| rel="ugc" | User-generated. Common on communities and profile pages. |
| a redirect through the directory | The link points at their tracker, not at you. Nothing passes, and the destination can be changed without your knowing. |
How to check one in ten seconds
Open the published listing, right-click your own link, Inspect, and read the
rel attribute on the anchor. If the href is not your domain,
it is a tracker — follow it once and see where it lands.
Do not sort your list by this aloneOf the 1445 destinations we track, 548 are confirmed dofollow and 242 nofollow — and 655 we have not confirmed either way, which is the honest number and the one most lists hide. A nofollow listing on a site your buyers actually read is worth more than a dofollow one on a page nobody opens.
The link is the part you can measure. The referral traffic is the part that pays, and
a directory with real readers sends it whatever the rel says.