Number of DoFollow External Links counts the links on a page that point to other websites and are not marked nofollow. It returns a whole number, and a higher count is not inherently better — read it as an observation about how a page cites the wider web, not a target to hit.
| Factor ID | RG-LNK-006 |
|---|---|
| Family | Links on the page |
| Measurement | Count |
| Measured zone | Anchor links in the rendered page body |
What it measures
This factor counts absolute links to other hosts whose rel value does not contain nofollow. “DoFollow” here means the absence of that directive — it is not an HTML attribute you add. A link is external when its destination host differs from the host of the page being analyzed, and it is a “dofollow” external link when nothing in its rel tells crawlers to skip it.
How RankGear measures it
RankGear parses the anchor tags in the rendered page body, requires an http: or https: destination, and compares the destination host with the analyzed page’s host. Links to a different host are external. Among those, it counts the ones whose trimmed, lowercased rel value lacks nofollow. Relative URLs and non-http(s) destinations are excluded before counting.
What RankGear looks for
<!-- counted: external host, rel has no nofollow -->
<a href="https://example.org/study">source</a>
<!-- not counted: nofollow present in rel -->
<a href="https://example.org/study" rel="nofollow">source</a>
<!-- not counted: relative / same-host URL -->
<a href="/pricing">pricing</a>| Link on the page | Counted? |
|---|---|
External host, rel lacks nofollow | Yes |
External host, rel contains nofollow | No |
| Relative or same-host URL | No (not classified as external) |
Non-http(s) destination (mailto:, tel:, javascript:) | No |
External host with rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" (no nofollow) | Yes — those directives are separate from nofollow |
How to optimize it
Link to authoritative external resources when they support a claim, provide evidence, identify a source, or help users complete a task. Use descriptive anchor text, and confirm destinations stay trustworthy and relevant over time. Treat the count as an observation rather than a target — do not add or strip links just to move the number.
Important considerations
- More external links are not inherently better — relevance and support for the claim matter more than volume.
- Relative URLs are not classified as external, so they never enter this count.
- The
sponsoredandugcdirectives are treated separately fromnofollowin this calculation; onlynofollowexcludes a link here. - Avoid adding or removing links solely to reach a numeric target.
- This is a prioritization signal that tracks with position within a measured result set — it is a correlation, not a guarantee that any given count will change a page’s ranking.
Related factors
Part of the Factors reference · how RankGear measures · glossary.