A do-follow link passes SEO equity directly to your site and signals to Google that the link counts. A no-follow link carries a tag that tells search engines to ignore it; so it transfers no ranking power, but it can still drive real traffic and get you cited by AI tools. 

Why This Distinction Actually Matters for Your Startup

When you publish a press release, every link inside it either works for your SEO or it doesn't. That outcome comes down to one small HTML attribute. And for a startup trying to grow domain authority without a big ad budget, knowing which type you're getting can save a lot of wasted effort.

Most founders treat press releases like magic link machines. They pay for a distribution package, get 200 syndicated placements, and wonder why their rankings barely move. The answer is usually a link type. 

What Is a Do-follow Link?

Dofollow is the default. No special tag, no added attributes; just a regular hyperlink. When a site links to you with a dofollow, it passes a portion of its authority across to your domain.

•       No rel attribute needed; links are dofollow unless told otherwise.

•       Passes PageRank (Google's measure of page authority) to your site.

•       Counts as a direct ranking signal for Google.

•       Valued as an editorial vote of confidence from the linking site.

•       The type of link every startup's SEO strategy should chase. 

When a journalist at TechCrunch or Forbes covers your company and links back, no rel tag, no instructions to ignore it; that's a dofollow. It counts. It moves your rankings. Those are the links worth earning. 

What Is a No-Follow Link?

Nofollow links carry a specific instruction: rel="no-follow". That tag tells Google not to follow the link and not to pass any equity through it. Google introduced this in 2005 to fight paid link schemes and comment spam.

•       Marked with rel="no-follow" in the HTML.

•       Does not transfer PageRank or raise domain authority.

•       Required on any paid or sponsored link placement.

•       Still delivers referral traffic if the placement is on a visible page.

•       Ignored by AI tools; ChatGPT and Perplexity don't read the rel tag. 

Most paid press release services, PRNewswire, Business Wire, and PRWeb, apply nofollow to every outbound link by default. That's the right call. Google's guidelines make it clear: if you paid for the placement, the links must be nofollow or sponsored. 

Do-follow vs. No-follow: Full Comparison

How Press Release Links Actually Work in Practice

Here is the chain that plays out when you distribute a press release:

•       You add your site URL to the body of the release.

•       You pay a newswire service to distribute it.

•       The service adds rel="nofollow" to your link; automatically.

•       Your release syndicates to 100–400 news sites.

•       You get nofollow links at scale: good for brand visibility, not for DA. 

The real SEO leverage from press releases comes from what happens next. When a journalist reads your release and writes about your startup on their own platform, that article usually carries a dofollow link. That earned coverage is where the equity lives.

If you want a press release strategy built to earn that kind of earned media, the press release service at Viral Impact is designed exactly for that. distribution plus positioning that makes journalists want to cover you.

Does a Nofollow Link Have Any SEO Value at All?

More than most people think. Here is what nofollow links still do:

•       Drive genuine referral traffic when placed on high-traffic pages.

•       Build brand recognition even without passing ranking signals.

•       Contribute to a natural-looking backlink profile; Google expects a mix.

•       Get you cited in AI-generated answers, since AI tools ignore the rel tag.

•       Google's 2019 update reclassified nofollow as a 'hint', not a hard rule. 

For AEO specifically, dofollow versus nofollow is almost irrelevant. Perplexity, ChatGPT, and Google's AI Overviews pull from content they can crawl and understand. If your press release is well-structured, specific, and answers real questions, it can still appear in AI-generated answers regardless of link type.

Pair your press release work with a proper SEO and AEO growth strategy, and the two channels compound each other. PR builds awareness. SEO converts it. 

When to Prioritize Each Link Type: A Scenario Guide

What Google's Guidelines Say About Press Release Links

•       Paid or sponsored link placements must use rel="nofollow" or rel="sponsored".

•       Organic, editorial mentions are fine as dofollow; that's exactly how the system should work.

•       Violating this by buying dofollow links can trigger a manual penalty on your domain.

•       Most reputable newswire services follow these rules automatically. 

For startups investing in press releases as part of a larger content and link-building plan, read the Viral Impact guide on how to build high-quality backlinks for your startup. It covers how PR fits inside a wider off-page SEO strategy. 

The Bottom Line

Do-follow links pass SEO authority. Nofollow links don't, but they still matter. In press releases, most links you buy through paid distribution will be nofollow by default, and that's fine. The link equity comes from earned coverage, not from the wire service placements.

The smartest move is treating press releases as brand and credibility tools that open the door to real editorial links. When journalists pick up your story, the dofollow links follow. 

Want a press release strategy that earns both visibility and authority? Visit Viral-Impact to see how Viral Impact helps startups build the kind of organic presence that doesn't disappear when the ad budget runs out.