Short answer: a link without nofollow, ugc or sponsored in its rel attribute is a followed ("dofollow") link. With any of those three, it's a nofollow link. That's what we report for each verified listing.
The rel values
| rel | Meaning |
|---|---|
nofollow | The site doesn't vouch for the link. |
ugc | The link is user-generated content, like most directory listings. |
sponsored | The link was paid for, like a featured placement. |
| none of these | A followed link (often called dofollow; there is no actual dofollow value). |
Google treats these values as hints rather than strict rules. Neither link type guarantees anything about rankings, and a listing can still send visitors either way.
Redirect links
Some directories link through their own address, such as /out?url=yourproduct.com, to count clicks. The page still points at your product, but not directly. We report these as via redirect rather than guess how a search engine treats them.
What we report for a listing
- Dofollow: a direct link to your domain without nofollow, ugc or sponsored.
- Nofollow: direct links to your domain, all carrying one of those values.
- Via redirect: the listing reaches your product only through a redirect, or names your domain as text.
- Link missing: the page loads but has no link to your product.
- Page gone: the listing page answers 404 or 410.
Link types can change after approval, so they're re-checked on the schedule in how listing verification works.
Why some directories ask for a badge
Many free directories only list a product, or only give it a followed link, when their badge is on the product's homepage. Our badge wall puts the badges of the directories you ordered in one component, so you don't paste them one by one. Directories that need exact markup or a script are flagged, because the wall can't safely reproduce those.