Number of DoFollow Links counts the anchor elements on a page whose rel attribute does not contain the text nofollow — including links that carry no rel attribute at all. “DoFollow” is only a reporting label; dofollow is not a required HTML value, and a higher count is a comparison point across the ranking field, not a target to inflate.
| Factor ID | RG-LNK-007 |
|---|---|
| Family | Links on the page |
| Measurement | Anchor-element count |
| Measured zone | Rendered page body |
What it measures
This factor counts recognized anchor elements whose rel attribute does not contain the text nofollow. It lets you compare, across the ranking field, how many links a page exposes without an explicit nofollow mark. The count includes both internal and external links, and it uses “DoFollow” purely as a reporting label — dofollow is not a real HTML rel value that pages need to set.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses anchors from the rendered, script-free page body. It trims and lowercases each rel value, then counts every link whose rel text does not contain nofollow — including links with no rel attribute at all. Other rel values such as sponsored or ugc do not cause exclusion unless the same rel text also contains nofollow. Internal, external, and percentage subsets are measured separately.
What RankGear looks for
<a href="/pricing">…</a> counts (no rel)
<a href="/x" rel="noopener">…</a> counts (rel has no "nofollow")
<a href="/x" rel="sponsored">…</a> counts (sponsored, not nofollow)
<a href="/x" rel="nofollow">…</a> not counted
<a href="/x" rel="sponsored nofollow">…</a> not counted| rel value on the link | Counted as DoFollow? |
|---|---|
| (no rel attribute) | Yes |
| noopener / noreferrer | Yes |
| sponsored | Yes — unless the rel also contains nofollow |
| ugc | Yes — unless the rel also contains nofollow |
| nofollow (alone or combined) | No |
How to optimize it
Use ordinary links for editorially chosen internal navigation and legitimate references, and apply rel values according to the actual relationship and applicable search-engine guidance — especially for paid, sponsored, affiliate, or user-generated links. Do not add, remove, or relabel links simply to move this count; treat it as an observation, not a target. Focus on useful destinations, accurate anchor text, transparent relationships, and a coherent link structure.
Important considerations
- Links without a
relattribute count as dofollow. - Internal and external links are combined in this single total.
sponsoredorugclinks can still count unless they also containnofollow.- The factor does not verify destination quality or whether a link is crawlable in practice.
- Read this count alongside the nofollow, internal, external, sponsored, and UGC link factors.
- This is a descriptive count that relates to position within a measured result set; it does not by itself cause or guarantee a ranking.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.