It is the question that decides your budget more than any other, and it is usually answered badly. Across the 1,268 outlets in the 01Wire catalogue, 680 offer a dofollow link and 588 offer nofollow — a near-even split. The price difference between them is not even at all.
The price gap, measured
| Link type | Outlets | Median price | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dofollow | 680 | ₹24,011 | ₹2,079 – ₹338,000 |
| Nofollow | 588 | ₹8,011 | ₹748 – ₹169,000 |
A dofollow placement costs roughly three times the median nofollow placement. That is the single clearest pricing pattern in the catalogue.
What the difference actually is
A dofollow link passes ranking signals from the publishing site to yours. A nofollow link carries a tag telling search engines not to pass those signals. Both links work identically for a human being: same click, same visit, same article.
Worth knowing: Google has treated the nofollow attribute as a hint rather than a strict instruction since 2019, and most large publishers apply nofollow or sponsored tags to press release links as standard policy. So the distinction is real, but it is softer than it is usually sold.
When dofollow is worth the premium
- You are building domain authority deliberately, as part of an ongoing SEO programme rather than a one-off announcement.
- The outlet is genuinely relevant to your sector. A dofollow link from a publication in your industry is worth more than one from a general-interest site with a bigger audience.
- You have the budget to do it repeatedly. One dofollow link changes very little. A consistent pattern over months is what moves rankings.
When nofollow is the better buy
- Your goal is credibility. A logo wall of "as seen in" placements, or a link you can send to investors and customers, does not care about the tag.
- The publication is one your buyers actually read. Referral traffic from a relevant nofollow placement beats a dofollow link nobody sees.
- You want reach per rupee. At a median of ₹8,011, you can place across several nofollow outlets for the price of one dofollow placement.
The mistake to avoid
Buying dofollow links in bulk from irrelevant sites is the oldest failure mode in this category. A sudden run of links from unrelated publications is a pattern search engines are specifically built to spot, and it can do more harm than doing nothing. Relevance first, link type second.
A simple way to decide
Ask what you will do with the placement the week after it goes live. If the answer is "add it to the press page and send it to prospects", nofollow is fine and you should spend the difference on a better-read publication. If the answer is "it is one of twelve placements in a six-month SEO plan", dofollow is what you are paying for.
How search engines actually treat these links
Google introduced the nofollow attribute in 2005 as a strict instruction. In 2019 that changed: nofollow, along with the newer sponsored and ugc attributes, became a hint that Google may choose to ignore. At the same time Google has been explicit that links in press releases and paid placements should carry a sponsored or nofollow attribute.
The practical reading: a dofollow link from a relevant, credible publication is worth more than a nofollow one, but the difference is smaller than the price gap implies, and neither is a shortcut.
A worked budget comparison
Say you have ₹75,000. At catalogue medians that buys roughly:
| Approach | Placements | What you end up with |
|---|---|---|
| All dofollow | ~3 at ₹24,011 | Three link-passing placements. Slow compounding SEO value. |
| All nofollow | ~9 at ₹8,011 | Nine credible mentions. Strong "as seen in" footprint, referral traffic, no direct link equity. |
| Mixed | ~2 dofollow + ~3 nofollow | Some link value plus visible breadth. The option most businesses should take. |
The mixed approach wins for most because the two link types do different jobs. Buying only one is optimising for a single outcome you probably do not have exclusively.
How many links do you actually need?
There is no threshold that flips a ranking. What matters is the pattern: links appearing steadily over months, from sites that plausibly relate to what you do. Three dofollow placements a quarter from relevant publications does more than thirty in one week from unrelated ones, and carries none of the risk.
Auditing what you already have
Before buying more, check what you own. Pull your existing backlinks in any standard SEO tool and sort by referring domain. If you find a cluster of links from unrelated sites acquired in a short window, fix that before adding to it. If your existing links are relevant but nofollow, dofollow is a reasonable next purchase. If you have almost nothing, relevance matters far more than attribute.
The honest summary
Link type is a real factor that is routinely oversold. Buy the publication your customers read. Check the link type second. If both are available at a price you can repeat quarterly, you are making a good decision.
Frequently asked questions
Will one dofollow link improve my rankings?
On its own, almost certainly not. Link building works cumulatively, and a single placement is rarely enough to move a competitive term.
Are nofollow links worthless for SEO?
No. They still generate referral traffic, brand mentions and discovery, all of which have indirect value. They simply do not pass ranking signals directly.
How do I know which type an outlet offers?
Every outlet on 01Wire lists its link type on the product page, and you can filter the catalogue by Do Follow or No Follow placements.