What Are Do-Follow Backlinks? A Complete Guide to Boosting Your Website’s Authority

In the world of search engine optimization (SEO), backlinks remain one of the most powerful ranking factors. But not all backlinks are created equal.

You’ve probably heard the terms do-follow and no-follow backlinks tossed around in SEO discussions — but what do they actually mean, and why should they matter to your business?

At Absolute Digital, a results-driven Digital Marketing Agency and SEO Agency based in Singapore, we specialize in helping businesses grow through ethical and high-quality link-building strategies. In this article, we’ll break down everything you need to know about do-follow backlinks — what they are, how they work, why they’re so valuable, and how to earn them the right way.

1. Understanding Backlinks and Why They Matter

Before diving into do-follow backlinks, let’s start with the basics — what is a backlink?

A backlink (also known as an inbound link) is a link from one website to another. When another site links to yours, it signals to search engines like Google that your content is valuable and trustworthy.

Why Backlinks Are Important for SEO

• They act as “votes of confidence.”

  The more high-quality sites that link to yours, the more Google trusts your website.

  
  

• They help search engines discover your pages.

  Crawlers follow links to find and index content.

  
  

• They improve rankings.

  Backlinks remain one of Google’s top ranking signals.

  
  

• They drive referral traffic.

  Links from authoritative sites bring real visitors interested in your topic.

  
  

In short: backlinks are credibility currency for your website.

2. What Are Do-Follow Backlinks?

A do-follow backlink is a standard hyperlink that tells search engines to follow it — meaning that it passes link equity (or link juice) from one website to another.

Example:

<a href="https://www.absolutedigital.sg">Digital Marketing Agency in Singapore</a>

This link would be considered do-follow because search engines like Google can crawl it and transfer authority from the linking page to your website.

In Simpler Terms

Think of do-follow backlinks as recommendations from one site to another. When a credible website links to you with a do-follow link, Google sees it as an endorsement — a signal that your site is valuable and trustworthy.

3. Do-Follow vs. No-Follow Backlinks

To fully understand do-follow backlinks, it helps to compare them with their counterpart: no-follow backlinks.

Feature	Do-Follow Backlinks	No-Follow Backlinks
Passes SEO authority	Yes	No
Affects search rankings	Yes	No
Crawled by search engines	Yes	Sometimes
Example HTML tag	<a href="URL">	<a href="URL" rel="nofollow">
Best used for	SEO link building	Paid/sponsored content, user-generated links

When to Use Each

• Do-follow links are ideal for organic citations, PR mentions, and partnerships.

• No-follow links are better for affiliate, sponsored, or untrusted sources to prevent manipulation.

At Absolute Digital, our SEO strategies use a balanced mix of both — focusing on do-follow for authority building, and no-follow for brand exposure.

4. Why Do-Follow Backlinks Are So Valuable

Search engines use do-follow backlinks as a way to evaluate a site’s credibility, authority, and relevance. Here’s why they matter:

a. They Improve Domain Authority (DA)

Every do-follow backlink acts like a “vote” for your site’s credibility. The more high-quality links you have from trusted sources, the higher your domain authority — which correlates strongly with better rankings.

b. They Boost Organic Rankings

Do-follow backlinks signal to Google that your content deserves to rank higher in search results. Pages with more authoritative backlinks tend to rank above those with fewer.

c. They Drive Referral Traffic

When users click through from a do-follow link, you gain relevant, engaged visitors — often from niche or industry-specific sources.

d. They Build Brand Reputation

Being linked from credible sources builds trust and awareness — essential for long-term brand growth.

e. They Strengthen Content Visibility

Search engines crawl do-follow backlinks to discover new pages and index them faster.

5. What Makes a “High-Quality” Do-Follow Backlink?

Not all do-follow links are equally valuable. Google evaluates the quality of the linking website and the relevance of the link to determine how much authority is passed on.

Here’s what makes a do-follow backlink truly effective:

Factor	What It Means
Domain Authority (DA)	Higher DA sites pass more link equity
Relevance	Links from related industries or topics hold more weight
Anchor Text	The clickable text should be natural and relevant
Placement	Links within body content are stronger than in footers or sidebars
Traffic Volume	Backlinks from sites with real traffic add value beyond SEO
Diversity	A natural backlink profile includes links from multiple domains
Followed vs No-Followed Ratio	A balanced mix signals authenticity

At Absolute Digital, our SEO team evaluates every potential link using these criteria to ensure clients only earn authoritative, organic, and safe backlinks.

6. The Role of Anchor Text in Do-Follow Links

Anchor text — the clickable words in a hyperlink — plays an important role in how Google interprets a link’s context.

For example:

• “Click here” → Vague

• “Best SEO Agency in Singapore” → Relevant & descriptive

When your anchor text includes relevant keywords (used naturally), it helps Google understand what your linked page is about.

However, over-optimizing anchor text (stuffing keywords) can trigger spam filters — so balance is key.

7. How to Build Do-Follow Backlinks (The Right Way)

At Absolute Digital, we never buy or exchange links — we earn them. Here’s how your business can do the same using legitimate, white-hat SEO techniques.

1. Create High-Value, Link-Worthy Content

The most natural way to attract do-follow backlinks is by publishing valuable, original content:

• In-depth guides

• Industry studies

• Data reports

• Infographics

• Case studies

When your content genuinely helps people, others naturally link to it as a resource.

2. Guest Blogging

Guest posting on reputable websites within your industry is an excellent way to earn contextual backlinks. Just make sure:

• The site is relevant to your niche

• The article is original and valuable

• The link fits naturally within the content

Absolute Digital uses guest posting to build strong, high-quality links for clients in industries like finance, retail, and tech.

3. Digital PR and Outreach

Build relationships with journalists, bloggers, and media outlets. Pitch stories, data insights, or expert opinions that reference your business — and earn do-follow mentions in return.

4. Collaborate With Local Directories

Listing your business on Singapore-based directories like Best in Singapore or SmartSinga can earn valuable local backlinks. These listings often include do-follow links to your website.

5. Broken Link Building

Find broken links on authoritative sites, reach out to the webmaster, and suggest your content as a replacement. It’s a win-win: you help them fix an issue, and you gain a backlink.

6. Partner With Influencers and Industry Sites

Collaborations with trusted partners, events, or product reviews can result in high-value backlinks that carry both SEO and brand benefits.

7. Use Content Syndication (Carefully)

Republishing your blog posts on platforms like Medium or LinkedIn with proper canonical tags can help amplify reach — but should be done strategically to avoid duplicate content.

8. The Risks of Low-Quality or Paid Backlinks

Not all backlinks are beneficial. In fact, poor-quality links can harm your SEO.

Avoid these black-hat link-building tactics:

• Buying links in bulk

• Using link farms or private blog networks (PBNs)

• Over-optimizing anchor text

• Comment spam or forum link stuffing

• Irrelevant backlink exchanges

Google’s algorithm updates — like Penguin — actively penalize websites that manipulate backlinks. That’s why Absolute Digital only focuses on organic, ethical, and measurable link-building techniques.

9. How to Check If a Link Is Do-Follow

There are several ways to verify if a backlink is do-follow or no-follow.

Option 1: View Page Source

Right-click on the webpage → “View Page Source” → Search for your link. If you see:

<a href="yourwebsite.com">

That’s do-follow.

If it includes rel="nofollow", it’s no-follow.

Option 2: Use SEO Tools

Tools like:

• Ahrefs

• SEMrush

• Moz

• Ubersuggest

… all indicate whether your backlinks are do-follow or not.

10. Measuring the Impact of Do-Follow Backlinks

To know if your backlink strategy is working, monitor:

Metric	What It Shows
Organic traffic	Are your backlinks driving visitors?
Domain authority	Is your site gaining strength over time?
Referral traffic	Are you getting visitors from linked sites?
Keyword rankings	Are your target keywords improving?
Conversion rate	Are new visitors becoming leads or customers?

At Absolute Digital, we combine Google Analytics, Search Console, and Ahrefs to track the impact of every link — so clients see real results, not vanity numbers.

11. How Many Do-Follow Backlinks Do You Need?

There’s no magic number. Quality > Quantity.

A handful of do-follow links from high-authority sites (e.g. .edu, .gov, top news sites) are far more powerful than hundreds from low-quality blogs.

What matters most:

• Relevance

• Authority

• Context

• Consistency

At Absolute Digital, we focus on building link portfolios that grow steadily and sustainably — avoiding spammy spikes that trigger algorithm penalties.

12. Case Study: From Low Authority to Page One

Client: Singapore-Based E-Commerce Brand

When they came to us, their domain authority was just 14. They had hundreds of backlinks — but most were no-follow, low-quality directories, and forum comments.

What We Did

• Conducted a full backlink audit

• Disavowed toxic links

• Built a link acquisition plan targeting relevant Singapore business directories and lifestyle blogs

• Created high-quality content guides that earned organic mentions

Results in 6 Months

• Domain Authority: ↑ from 14 to 42

• Organic Traffic: ↑ 230%

• Top 10 Keyword Rankings: ↑ from 12 to 65

• Leads: ↑ 175%

Quality backlinks — not just quantity — made all the difference.

13. Local SEO and Do-Follow Links in Singapore

For Singapore-based businesses, local backlinks play a key role in ranking for city-specific terms.

Examples of valuable local do-follow sources:

• Singapore business listings (SmartSinga, Best in Singapore)

• Local news sites and blogs

• Partner collaborations within your industry

• Guest posts on regional marketing or lifestyle publications

These links tell Google your business is relevant to Singapore audiences — boosting visibility in local search results.

14. Combining Do-Follow Backlinks With a Full SEO Strategy

Backlinks alone won’t guarantee success — they work best when combined with a holistic SEO approach.

At Absolute Digital, we integrate:

• On-page optimization: Strong content and site structure

• Technical SEO: Fast loading, secure, mobile-friendly

• Keyword strategy: Targeted, intent-driven terms

• Content marketing: Blogs, videos, infographics

• Link-building: Quality, do-follow backlinks for authority

Together, these form a sustainable SEO system that drives long-term growth — not short-term spikes.

15. The Future of Backlinks: What Google Values Now

Google’s algorithms evolve constantly, but backlinks remain foundational. However, context and quality matter now more than ever.

Future-proof backlink strategies will focus on:

• Topical relevance

• E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

• Brand mentions

• Diverse link sources

• User engagement metrics

In short: authentic relationships, not shortcuts.

Build Authority, Not Just Links

Do-follow backlinks are still one of the most powerful tools in SEO — when done right. They can build authority, boost visibility, and bring long-term organic growth.

But they must be earned with strategy, patience, and value-driven content.

At Absolute Digital, we help businesses in Singapore rise above competitors with ethical link-building that aligns with Google’s best practices. Every backlink we build is designed to drive what really matters — traffic, trust, and transformation.

Ready to Strengthen Your SEO With Quality Backlinks?

Contact Absolute Digital — Singapore’s Trusted SEO Agency

📞 Call us at +65 9899 8787

📧 Email us at hello@absolutedigital.sg

🌐 Visit us at www.absolutedigital.sg

Absolute Digital — The Digital Marketing Agency that builds authority that lasts.