How To Check If A Backlink Is Follow Or Nofollow
© 5 June 2026 by Solent Media Marketing
Many SEO tools will tell you whether a backlink is follow or nofollow.
Sometimes they are right.
Sometimes they are not.
If you want to know for certain, JUST DO IT YOURSELF.
Step 1
Visit the page that contains your backlink.
Not the homepage.
Not the domain.
The exact page where your website is being linked.
Step 2
Find your backlink on the page.
You need the actual clickable link that points to your website.
Step 3
Right click the link.
Select:
Inspect
This will open Chrome DevTools.
Step 4
Look at the highlighted HTML.
Chrome will usually jump directly to the code for that link.
You are looking for something similar to:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk">
Step 5
Check for a rel attribute.
Follow Backlink
If you see:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk">
with no rel attribute attached, it is generally treated as a normal follow backlink.
Nofollow Backlink
If you see:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk" rel="nofollow">
the backlink is nofollow.
Sponsored Backlink
If you see:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk" rel="sponsored">
the backlink is marked as sponsored.
UGC Backlink
If you see:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk" rel="ugc">
the backlink is marked as user generated content.
Step 6
Check every backlink individually.
Do not assume every link on the website uses the same settings.
One page may contain follow links.
Another page may contain nofollow links.
Method 1: Hover Over The Link
Open the page containing the backlink.
Move your mouse over the backlink.
Look at the bottom-left corner of Chrome.
If you see:
https://yourwebsite.co.uk
it’s probably a direct link.
If you see:
https://directorysite.com/out/123
or
https://directorysite.com/redirect?id=456
it’s probably a redirect.
Method 2: Inspect The Link
Right-click the backlink.
Click Inspect.
Chrome DevTools opens.
Look for the highlighted <a> tag.
Find the href= value.
Direct link example:
<a href="https://yourwebsite.co.uk/">
Redirect example:
<a href="/out/123">
or
<a href="/redirect?id=456">
or
<a href="https://directorysite.com/out/123">
If the href points somewhere other than your website first, a redirect is being used.
Method 3: Open In New Tab
Right-click the backlink.
Click Open Link In New Tab.
Watch the address bar carefully.
If you briefly see:
directorysite.com/out/123
before arriving at:
yourwebsite.co.uk
a redirect occurred.
Method 4: The Most Reliable Method
Right-click the backlink.
Copy Link Address.
Paste it into Notepad.
If the copied URL is:
https://yourwebsite.co.uk
Direct link.
If the copied URL is:
https://directorysite.com/out/123
or
https://directorysite.com/redirect?id=456
Redirect link.
This is usually the fastest and easiest way to check.
What You’re Looking For
You’re simply asking:
“Does the backlink point directly to my website?”
If YES:
Direct link
If NO and it goes somewhere else first:
Redirect link
That’s it. No SEO theory.
The Important SEO Bit
People often see:
redirect
and immediately think:
SEO value = zero
That is not necessarily true.
The questions become:
- Is the backlink follow or nofollow?
- Is the redirect a 301, 302 or something else?
- Can search engines crawl through it?
- Is the page itself indexed?
- Is the page relevant?
This does not automatically make the backlink useless.
Because that’s genuinely correct.
The mistake is treating SEO like:
Redirect = Bad
Nofollow = Bad
Follow = Good
Reality is much messier than that.
And ironically this is another example of my favourite framework
HEURISTIC vs VERIFIED.
Step 7
The only thing missing is traditional PageRank transfer.
That is a very different statement from:
“This backlink is worthless.”
The real lesson is:
Follow backlinks are OBVIOUSLY better.
Nofollow backlinks are STILL useful.
The internet is not divided into:
“valuable”
and
“worthless.”
It is a spectrum.
A completed business profile with a nofollow backlink is usually worth more than no profile at all.
A local directory with a nofollow backlink may still send referral traffic.
A mention on a relevant website may still build trust.
A citation may still help reinforce business information across the web.
The mistake many people make is reducing SEO to a collection of binary decisions.
Follow or nofollow.
Good or bad.
Useful or useless.
Real SEO rarely works like that.
Most signals exist on a spectrum.
Which is probably the most realistic SEO lesson in this entire article.
And perhaps the most important lesson is this:
There is a huge difference between:
“I found a string.”
and
“I inspected the actual backlink.”
There is a huge difference between:
“I think this backlink is nofollow.”
and
“I verified it.”
That is the difference between assumption and evidence.
Or the difference between a heuristic finding and a verified finding.
Frequently Asked Questions
The easiest way is to inspect the backlink directly. Visit the page containing the backlink, right click the link and select Inspect. Look for a rel attribute inside the HTML link. If you see rel="nofollow" the backlink is nofollow. If there is no rel attribute present it is generally treated as a follow backlink.
The nofollow attribute tells search engines that the website owner does not want the link treated as a traditional endorsement. It does not mean the linked website is low quality and it does not automatically make the backlink worthless.
You can usually find this by inspecting the link or copying the link address. If the backlink points to another URL before taking visitors to your website then a redirect is being used. Many websites do this for tracking and reporting purposes.
No. A redirect simply tells you how the backlink has been implemented. Many large websites use redirects for analytics and click tracking. The presence of a redirect alone does not tell you whether the backlink is valuable or not.
Some SEO tools use historical data and may not have updated recently. If you cannot find the backlink on the live page, inspect the page yourself to confirm whether the link still exists.
Backlink checker tools are useful for finding opportunities and monitoring links, but they should not be treated as proof. If a backlink matters, verify it by inspecting the actual page and link.
Many websites use redirects to track clicks, monitor outbound traffic and collect analytics. A redirect does not automatically mean the backlink is low quality or has no value.
In many cases, yes. A nofollow backlink can still generate traffic, increase visibility and help people discover your business even if it does not pass traditional PageRank signals.
The biggest mistake is assuming they have verified a backlink when they have only found a clue. Finding a URL, report or tool entry is not the same as inspecting the actual backlink.