Are Reddit and Quora Links Nofollow? How Smart Marketers Still Win

The Straight Answer: Are Reddit and Quora Links Nofollow?

Yes, mostly. Links in Reddit posts and comments usually carry nofollow and ugc tags. Links in Quora answers are nofollow by default. Anyone who promises you a dofollow trick on either site is guessing.

Here is the plot twist: that is exactly why the smart marketers still show up there. They are not chasing link juice. They are chasing something worth more.

Nofollow in 20 Seconds

A nofollow tag tells search engines, "Do not treat this link as my recommendation." Two cousins exist: ugc for links added by users, and sponsored for paid links. Google treats all three as hints, not strict rules, as explained in its guide to qualifying outbound links. Wikipedia also has a short overview of the nofollow attribute.

Fun fact: there is no tag called "dofollow". A dofollow link is just a link with no nofollow tag.

Why Smart Marketers Still Use Reddit and Quora

A nofollow backlink will not pass the same ranking credit. But look at what else you get:

1. Buyers who are already asking. Nobody on Quora is scrolling by accident. They typed a question because they want an answer. Yours could be it.
2. Pages Google likes to show. Reddit threads and Quora answers often rank for long questions, so one good answer can keep working for years.
3. Trust you cannot buy. A helpful answer with your name on it does more for your brand than a banner ad.
4. A natural link profile. Healthy sites have a mix of followed and nofollow links. A profile made only of followed links can look unnatural.
5. A place in AI answers. Both sites are often used as sources when AI tools answer questions.

3 Myths That Waste Your Time

Reddit vs Quora: Where Should You Start?

Our take: start with Quora if you sell a service and want to answer specific questions. Start with Reddit if you want to learn what your customers really complain about. Ideally, use both.

The 30-Second Link Test

Do not trust anyone's list of "dofollow spots". Test it yourself:

1. Open the page in a private (incognito) window.
2. Right-click the link and choose Inspect.
3. Find rel="..." on the highlighted line.
4. If you see nofollow, ugc or sponsored, it is not a followed link. If there is no rel, it is followed.

The 4-Week Plan

1. Week 1: Complete your Reddit and Quora profiles with a clear, honest bio. Answer questions with zero links.
2. Week 2: Share your first link only when it truly answers the question, and say who you are.
3. Week 3: Run the link test on every link and note which ones survived.
4. Week 4: See which answers brought clicks and write more like those. Drop the rest.

Do This, Not That

How to Get Links That Actually Move Rankings

If ranking power is your goal, put most of your effort into links that editors give you, not links you add yourself:

• Guest articles on relevant marketing and business blogs
• Expert quotes for journalists (platforms like Qwoted and Featured)
• Profiles on trusted agency directories and free listing sites (see our list of 50 free listing sites for your website)
• Original data, checklists or free tools that other sites want to cite

Looking for more places to start? Our guide to free listing sites where you can get links is a good first step.

Then use Reddit and Quora to spread those pieces and bring readers to them. That is the combination that works.

This is what we do every day at BizzBuzz Creations, a digital marketing agency with a team in India and an entity in London, serving businesses in the UK, USA and Australia. We plan SEO, content and link building with relevant sources and clear monthly reporting. We will not promise a fixed Domain Authority or a page-one ranking, because nobody honestly can. We will give you a clear plan and honest numbers.