If you are weighing HARO-style link building, the attribute on the link matters, and the honest answer is not a clean yes or no.
Are HARO links dofollow? Some are, some are not. Whether an editorial link is dofollow or nofollow depends entirely on the publication’s own policy, not on HARO, Qwoted, or any query platform. Big national news sites often default to nofollow or sponsored attributes on outbound links. Trade publications, niche blogs, and many mid-size outlets hand out plain dofollow links. You do not get to choose, because the editor sets the attribute when the piece goes live. Below is how this actually works and what to expect.
Are HARO links dofollow? The short answer
There is no single attribute for “HARO links.” A press placement earned through a source request is just an editorial link on whatever site published it, and that site decides how to mark it. So the answer splits three ways:
- Many placements are dofollow, which passes ranking signals the way a normal link does.
- Some are nofollow, which tells search engines not to treat it as a full endorsement.
- A few are marked sponsored or ugc, usually on large publishers with blanket policies.
The mix you end up with depends on which outlets pick up your quotes. Aim at trade press and specialist blogs and you will see more dofollow links. Land a quote in a top-tier national outlet and it may well be nofollow, even though that placement is often more valuable for brand and traffic than a dozen smaller dofollow links.
Dofollow vs nofollow, in plain terms
A dofollow link is the default. When a page links to you without any special attribute, search engines can follow it and count it as a signal toward your site’s authority.
A nofollow link carries a rel="nofollow" attribute. It was introduced so sites could link to a source without formally vouching for it. Since 2020, Google has treated nofollow as a hint rather than a hard directive, which means it can still choose to use the link for context even when it does not pass full ranking weight.
Sponsored and ugc are related attributes for paid links and user-generated content. On press placements you mostly care about the dofollow versus nofollow split, since those two cover the large majority of editorial links.
Why publications choose one or the other
Editors are not marking your link nofollow to spite you. It usually comes down to policy.
Large publishers get pitched constantly and want to avoid handing out ranking signals to every source they quote, so many apply nofollow across most or all outbound links automatically. It is a site-wide rule, not a judgment on your specific mention.
Smaller and mid-size outlets often have no such policy. When a trade writer quotes you, the link is frequently plain dofollow simply because that is the default and nobody changed it. Independent blogs and industry publications tend to be the most generous here.
The practical upshot: you cannot predict the attribute before publication, and chasing only dofollow outlets would mean turning down excellent coverage. A quote in a respected national title is worth having whether the link is followed or not.
Do nofollow links still have value?
Yes, and treating them as worthless is a common mistake. A nofollow link on a real publication still does real work.
| What you get | Dofollow | Nofollow |
|---|---|---|
| Passes standard ranking signals | Yes | Treated as a hint since 2020 |
| Referral traffic from readers | Yes | Yes |
| Brand awareness and credibility | Yes | Yes |
| Citation for AI search and other writers | Yes | Yes |
| Sits on a real, relevant publication | Yes | Yes |
A followed link is the stronger signal for classic SEO, no argument. But a nofollow placement on a publication your buyers actually read still drives traffic, puts your name in front of a relevant audience, and creates a citation that AI answer engines and other journalists can pick up later. A healthy link profile is a natural mix of both, which is exactly what earning links editorially produces.
What “HARO links” even means in 2026
Worth clearing up, because the brand people search for is gone. Cision retired the Help a Reporter Out name in 2024, folded it into a platform called Connectively, and then shut Connectively down entirely on December 9, 2024. The old three-times-a-day query emails no longer go out.
The method outlived the brand. Journalists still need expert sources, and sources still earn coverage, now across successor platforms like Qwoted, Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer, and SourceBottle. When people say “HARO links” today, they mean editorial links earned by answering journalist requests on those platforms. For the full story of what happened and where everyone moved, see what replaced HARO. The link-attribute question is identical across all of them, because it was never about HARO in the first place.
Realistic expectations
Here is the honest version, because overpromising on this topic is where a lot of services lose the plot.
You will earn a mix of dofollow and nofollow links. Anyone promising all-dofollow placements from editorial outreach is not being straight with you, since the outlet controls the attribute, not the pitcher. If a service could guarantee the link type, the link would not be editorial.
Not every pitch lands, either. Most do not, and that is normal even for people who do this full time. The math works because a steady volume of sharp, relevant pitches converts a healthy fraction into coverage, and that coverage compounds into a natural profile of real links. The goal is a strong overall profile, not a perfect run. For the pitching mechanics, the HARO link building guide walks through the process.
How we handle dofollow vs nofollow
We run earned editorial outreach across HARO-style platforms, Qwoted, Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer, and SourceBottle, and pitch journalists on your behalf in your voice. On the link-attribute question, our approach is simple and honest.
We target DR40+ dofollow placements, and we point pitches at the platforms, beats, and outlets where dofollow links are common rather than chasing big publishers that nofollow everything.
You pay only for qualified links, so activity that does not turn into a real placement does not cost you. We work white-hat only, earning links on merit rather than buying or trading them, and we exclude grey niches like crypto, adult, gambling, and CBD. Monthly packages run $1,000, $1,750, and $2,250 depending on volume, and you can see the tiers on our pricing. We will not promise a specific number of dofollow links, because no honest service can. What we will do is aim for followed placements on real publications and count only qualified links toward what you pay.
If you want editorial links handled for you, our HARO link building service runs the successor platforms, drafts pitches for your approval, and reports on the links you actually earn. If you would rather talk it through first, get in touch and we will give you a straight read on what to expect for your niche.
Frequently asked questions
Are HARO links dofollow? Some are, some are not. The attribute depends on the publication’s policy, not on HARO or any platform. Major news sites often default to nofollow or sponsored, while trade publications and blogs frequently give plain dofollow links. You cannot know or control it in advance, because the editor sets it at publication.
Do nofollow links from press coverage still have value? Yes. A nofollow link on a real publication still drives referral traffic, builds brand awareness, and creates a citation other writers and AI search tools can pick up. Google has treated nofollow as a hint rather than a strict rule since 2020, so it can still factor in. The attribute is only one part of the value.
Can you guarantee a dofollow link from HARO-style outreach? No, and be wary of anyone who does. The publication sets the link attribute, so no service can promise a specific one without controlling the outlet, which would make it a paid link rather than an editorial one. A service can target outlets that tend to give dofollow and count only qualified placements.
Does HARO still exist in 2026? No. Cision retired the Help a Reporter Out brand in 2024 and folded it into Connectively, which shut down entirely on December 9, 2024. HARO-style link building now runs on Qwoted, Featured.com, Help a B2B Writer, and SourceBottle. The method survived even though the brand did not.
How do you get more dofollow editorial links? Pitch the platforms and beats where dofollow is common, be genuinely useful so editors credit you properly, and send a steady volume of sharp pitches so a healthy fraction convert. You will still earn a mix of dofollow and nofollow placements. The realistic goal is a strong overall profile from real publications, not a dofollow-only run.