🔍 Quick Answer
Customers often ask whether links placed on Marquee publications are dofollow. Link attributes can differ between publications and can change over time, so the most reliable approach is to check the live link and confirm the policy for your specific publication with our team. This article shows you how to do both, and what to do if your link was rejected.
📖 Dofollow vs. Nofollow: The Basics
Every link on a web page can carry an instruction that tells search engines how to treat it:
- Dofollow (the default, with no special tag): search engines may follow the link and count it as a signal pointing to your site.
- Nofollow: asks search engines not to pass ranking credit through the link.
- Sponsored: marks the link as paid or commercial.
- UGC: marks links in user-generated content, such as comments or forums.
A link without any of these labels is treated as a standard (dofollow) link. Search engines may also treat labels as hints, not strict rules.
🛠️ How to Check Whether Your Link Is Dofollow
Once your link is live, you can verify it in under a minute:
- Open the published article in your browser.
- Right-click the page and choose View Page Source.
- Press Ctrl+F (Cmd+F on Mac) and search for your domain name.
- Look at the link code around your URL. Check its rel attribute.
- If you see nofollow, sponsored, or ugc in the rel attribute, the link is not a standard dofollow link. If there is no rel attribute, or it contains none of those values, the link is dofollow.
You can also use a free browser extension that highlights nofollow links on any page, which is handy if you do not want to read page code.
✅ Confirming the Policy for Your Publication
If you need a definite answer before you place an order, our team can confirm the current link policy for the publication you are considering. Have these details ready:
- The name or URL of the publication
- The page or campaign you plan to link to
- Whether you need dofollow links specifically
This helps us give you an accurate answer based on the most up-to-date information.
⚠️ If Your Link Was Rejected
A rejected link does not necessarily mean something is wrong with your site. Common reasons can include:
- The target page is not closely related to the publication's topics
- The page does not meet the publication's content or quality guidelines
- The anchor text or link request looks overly promotional
- The destination page is thin, unfinished, or not publicly accessible
Check any rejection notes shown in your order or campaign first. They usually point to the cause.
🚀 Finding Alternatives After a Rejection
If you still need a quality link, try these steps:
- Adjust the target page. Choose a page that closely matches the publication's subject, such as a helpful guide or resource instead of a sales page.
- Refine the request. Use natural, descriptive anchor text and avoid exact-match keyword stuffing.
- Choose a different publication. Pick one that is closely aligned with your industry and audience.
- Check the link attribute again. If dofollow is a requirement, confirm it before ordering.
- Mix your link types. A healthy backlink profile usually includes both dofollow and nofollow links. Nofollow links can still bring referral traffic, brand visibility, and a natural-looking profile.
💡 Tips to Reduce Rejections
- Make sure the destination page loads quickly and is publicly accessible.
- Match your topic to the publication's audience.
- Keep requests informative rather than promotional.
- Review the publication's guidelines before you submit.
💬 Need More Help?
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be instantly connected with a member of our team.