# Free backlinks for your startup: we checked 30 "dofollow" sites, and what to do instead

> A viral list promises 30 sites with free dofollow backlinks. We opened every one. Two are dead, six give no link at all, and most of the rest want money, a badge or upvotes. Here's which are worth your time, the SEO setup to do first, and the free traffic sources that beat directories.

By MarketingBuddy team · Published 2026-10-12

Canonical URL: https://www.mymarketingbuddy.com/blog/free-backlinks-for-startups

![A small site in the middle with links running in from launch sites, directories and articles around it, some lines solid and some dashed](https://www.mymarketingbuddy.com/blog/free-backlinks.svg)

Every few weeks a list like this goes viral: "30 websites to get free dofollow backlinks for your startup." Thousands of people bookmark it. Very few check it.

We did. On 12 October 2026 we opened every site on one of the most shared lists and looked at the link each one gives you: whether it's free, and whether it carries the `rel` attribute that tells Google to ignore it.

Here's what we found:

- **2 are dead or abandoned.** One now redirects to a different product; the other hasn't posted since July 2025.
- **6 give you no link Google can follow at all.** They send clicks through a redirect, mark links `ugc`, or have no link to your site on a free profile.
- **Most of the rest want something:** a fee from $15 to $99, a badge on your homepage, or a number of upvotes before the link counts.
- **A handful are worth a morning,** if your product fits their audience.

That's not a reason to skip directories. It's a reason to do them in the right order, after your site is set up to use what they send, and to spend most of your time on the links that actually move rankings.

## What a backlink is actually worth

A backlink does two jobs. It can send **visitors**, and it can tell Google your site is worth ranking. The viral lists sell the second job. The first is usually the one you get.

A few facts worth knowing before you spend a weekend submitting forms:

- **`nofollow`, `ugc` and `sponsored` are hints.** Google uses `sponsored` for paid links, `ugc` for user content and `nofollow` for everything else, and [treats all three as hints](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/crawling-indexing/qualify-outbound-links), not rules. A nofollow link from a page people read can still send customers.
- **Google names directories in its spam policy.** Its [link spam rules](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials/spam-policies) list "low-quality directory or bookmark site links", buying links, and excessive link exchanges. A hundred links from directories nobody visits won't help, and a pattern of them can hurt.
- **Paid links should be marked.** If you pay a directory for a "dofollow" link, Google's policy says that link should carry `sponsored` or `nofollow`. Paying for one to move rankings is exactly what the policy is about. Paying for a launch slot because its audience buys is fine.
- **"Free if you add our badge" is a link swap.** You give the site a link from your homepage in return for one from theirs. One or two won't matter. A footer full of them is the "excessive link exchanges" Google describes.
- **A few good links beat many weak ones.** Google's own Gary Illyes has said links matter less than people think. One link from an article your buyers read is worth more than thirty from directories only other founders browse.

So treat directories as cheap distribution with a small SEO bonus, not as an SEO strategy.

## Before you build a single link: the setup

Links point at your site. If Google can't crawl it, or the page they land on doesn't match what anyone searches, the links have nothing to lift. Do this first. It takes an afternoon.

1. **Verify your site in [Google Search Console](https://search.google.com/search-console)** and submit your sitemap. List the sitemap in `robots.txt` too. Google retired its sitemap "ping", so submitting in Search Console and keeping `lastmod` dates accurate is how you tell it what changed.
2. **Import the site into [Bing Webmaster Tools](https://www.bing.com/webmasters)** from Search Console. It verifies itself in a minute. Bing's results also feed Yahoo and DuckDuckGo, and Microsoft's results feed AI answers in Copilot.
3. **Turn on [IndexNow](https://www.indexnow.org)** if your host or CMS supports it. It tells Bing, Yandex, Naver, Seznam and Yep the moment a page changes. Google doesn't use it, so it's a bonus, not a replacement for Search Console.
4. **Check the basics on every page you care about:** one clear title and meta description, one H1, a canonical URL, and nothing accidentally marked `noindex`. Single-page apps built with React need their marketing pages rendered as HTML, not only in JavaScript.
5. **Add structured data:** `Organization` on your homepage (name, logo, social profiles), and `SoftwareApplication` on your product or pricing page with your price (0 if free). Skip FAQ markup for rich results: Google limited those to government and health sites in 2023 and has since stopped showing them.
6. **Make it fast.** Core Web Vitals are LCP under 2.5 seconds, INP under 200 milliseconds (INP replaced FID in March 2024) and CLS under 0.1, measured on real visitors. Search Console's Core Web Vitals report shows which pages fail.
7. **Build the pages links should point to.** A homepage alone ranks for your brand name. Buyers search for problems, categories and competitors: "[category] for [who]", "[competitor] alternative", "[competitor] vs [competitor]". Make a page for each one that matters. That's where a link from a comparison article or directory does the most good.
8. **Tag every link you submit** with UTMs (`?utm_source=uneed&utm_medium=directory`) so in a month you can see which sources sent people who signed up, not just clicks. Our [tracking checklist](/blog/fix-tracking-before-you-spend) covers the rest.

A word on `llms.txt`: it's cheap to add, but no major search engine or chatbot has said it uses one to decide what to cite, and Google has said it doesn't. Do it if you like. Don't expect it to bring traffic.

## The 30 sites, checked

We read the `rel` attribute on each site's link to a listed product, from the page's HTML, and took prices from each site's own pricing or submit page. Sites change their rules often, and some add `nofollow` to free listings after the page loads, so check your own listing once it's live (how, below). "Followed" means the listings we sampled were followed; on several sites those were paid listings.

### Worth it, if your product fits

| Site | What it is | Cost when we checked | Link | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [DevHunt](https://devhunt.org) | Launch site for developer tools | Free listing (long queue); $19 to launch in a week you pick | Followed | The best value on the list for dev tools |
| [StackShare](https://stackshare.io) | Directory of the tools companies use | Free to add a tool | Followed | Dev tools and infrastructure |
| [SaaSHub](https://www.saashub.com) | Software alternatives and comparisons | Free | Followed once verified, by other people's checks | Verify by email or meta tag, and list yourself as an alternative to each competitor |
| [Uneed](https://www.uneed.best) | Daily launch site | Free queue (can be months); $14.99 fast track; $29.99 to skip the line | Followed on paid listings | Free listings need 20 upvotes for a followed link |
| [Fazier](https://fazier.com) | Launch site | Free with a link back; $29 to ~$99 | Followed | Its pricing page calls only the $49 and $99 tiers dofollow |
| [Microlaunch](https://microlaunch.net) | Launch site | $39 or $79 | Followed | No free tier shown |
| [What Launched Today](https://whatlaunched.today) | Daily launch site | Free queue; paid launches from ~$29 | Followed | Says the free tier gets a lasting dofollow link |
| [Startup Fame](https://startupfa.me) | Startup directory | Free after 7 days with a homepage badge; paid from $19/month | Followed | The link lasts while you're listed |
| [Startup Stash](https://startupstash.com) | Curated startup tools directory | Unclear | Followed | We could only check an old listing |
| [YourStory](https://yourstory.com/companies) | Editorial company profiles | Free; editors decide | Followed | Indian startups only |

### Real traffic or a real link, but you're paying for it

| Site | Cost when we checked | Link | Notes |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [There's An AI For That](https://theresanaiforthat.com) | $49 or more | Followed | The largest AI directory, with real visitors. AI tools only |
| [Toolify](https://www.toolify.ai) | $99, no free option | Followed | AI tools only |
| [G2](https://www.g2.com) | Free profile; paid plans | No website link on a free profile | Worth it for buyer trust and reviews, not links |
| [Launch Llama](https://tools.launchllama.co) | Free (~4 weeks); $39 and up | Free listings were nofollow | Only paid tiers are followed |
| [Ramen Tools](https://ramen.tools) | Free; $27 for a followed link | Followed on paid | Part of a small network that swaps links |
| [Twelve Tools](https://twelve.tools) | Free with a homepage link back; $36 without | Followed | Same network as Ramen Tools |
| [Toolpilot](https://www.toolpilot.ai) | Free with a badge on your site; paid tiers | Followed | AI tools only |
| [MagicBox](https://magicbox.tools) | Free with a link back, or a small fee (sources differ) | Followed | 20,000+ tools on one site, so each link is worth very little |

### Skip

| Site | Why |
| --- | --- |
| aitools.neilpatel.com | Gone: redirects to a different product |
| feedmystartup.com | No posts since July 2025 |
| dang.ai | Clicks go through a redirect that tells search engines to ignore it |
| comparecamp.com | Clicks go through a redirect; listing starts with a form asking your ad budget |
| sidebar.io | A design-links newsletter, not a directory; links go through a redirect |
| activesearchresults.com | A small search engine; there's no listing page to link from |
| sideprojectors.com | A marketplace for selling side projects; no website link on listings |
| hashnode.com | A blogging platform; links in posts are `ugc`. Worth it only if you'd blog there anyway |
| linkcentre.com, viesearch.com, brownbook.net | Old general web directories, full of unrelated businesses: the "low-quality directory" kind |
| code.market | A catalog of scripts and templates, not a startup directory |

So out of 30, about ten are worth a morning for the right product, eight cost money or a link swap for what they give, and twelve we'd skip.

### How to check a link yourself

Once your listing is live, right-click the link to your site and choose **Inspect**. Look at the `<a>` tag:

- No `rel`, or only `noopener` / `noreferrer`: **followed.**
- `rel="nofollow"`, `"ugc"` or `"sponsored"`: **a hint not to follow.** It can still send visitors.
- An `href` that points to the directory's own `/out/`, `/go/` or `/see/` address instead of your site: **a redirect.** Search engines may never connect it to you.

## Free traffic that beats directories

Directories are the easy part. These take more effort and bring more: buyers, and the kind of links Google actually counts.

### 1. Launch days with real audiences

[Product Hunt](https://www.producthunt.com), [Show HN](https://news.ycombinator.com/showhn.html), [Peerlist Launchpad](https://peerlist.io/launchpad), [BetaList](https://betalist.com) and [Indie Hackers](https://www.indiehackers.com/products) send a spike of people who try new things. Product Hunt now picks which launches to feature by hand, and its links are generally nofollow, so plan it for the users, not the link. Show HN requires something people can try right away, with no sign-up wall. BetaList's free queue takes months; paying shortens it. Our [first 100 users playbook](/blog/how-to-get-your-first-100-users) has the launch-day checklist for each.

### 2. Get on the lists your buyers already read

Search Google for `best [category] tools`, `[competitor] alternatives` and `[competitor] vs`. Every article on page one gets read by people choosing a tool this week, and the ones that rank keep ranking. Email each author with one line on who your product is for and one on why it belongs on their list. Offer a free account to test. Expect a reply rate of one in ten; the one is worth it.

Then claim your listing on [AlternativeTo](https://alternativeto.net) as an alternative to every competitor. New listings there are nofollow, but the traffic is people who are actively switching.

### 3. Integration pages and app stores

If your product connects to something, the partner's app directory is a listing on a site with real authority and buyers already inside it: the [Shopify App Store](https://apps.shopify.com), the [Chrome Web Store](https://chromewebstore.google.com), the [WordPress plugin directory](https://wordpress.org/plugins), [Zapier's app directory](https://zapier.com/apps) or a partner's integrations page. Zapier doesn't hand out links; you earn the listing by building a real integration. Same with the others. If you built one already, make sure you're listed.

### 4. Answer journalists

HARO, the old free service where journalists asked for expert quotes, closed in 2024 and came back as a paid product. The free alternatives today are [Source of Sources](https://www.sourceofsources.com) and [Help a B2B Writer](https://helpab2bwriter.com), and [Qwoted](https://www.qwoted.com) has a free tier. Pick the requests in your field, answer within a few hours with something specific and quotable, and one in ten will run. A link from a real publication is worth more than every directory above combined.

### 5. Make something worth linking to

People link to things they can use or cite, not to product pages. Two that work for small teams:

- **A free tool.** A calculator, a checker, a generator: whatever small job your buyers do before they need your product. It ranks on its own, gets shared in communities, and gets linked from "useful tools" lists.
- **Your own numbers.** If your product sees data across customers, publish what you learn, with the method. "We looked at 1,200 [things]; here's what the top 10% do differently." Writers need numbers to cite, and they cite whoever published them.

### 6. Podcasts and guest posts in your niche

Niche podcasts need guests every week and almost always link to the guest's site in the show notes. Look for shows your buyers listen to, not shows about startups. A short pitch with three topics you can talk about from real experience works better than a media kit. Guest posts work the same way, on sites your buyers actually read. Skip any site that charges for a "guest post": that's a paid link.

### 7. Communities, the patient way

Reddit, Indie Hackers, DEV and niche Slack and Discord groups send buyers, not links: most of their links are nofollow. Read each community's rules first. [r/SideProject](https://www.reddit.com/r/SideProject/) is the most open to sharing projects; r/startups and r/SaaS allow it only in their weekly promotion threads. Answer questions for weeks before you mention what you built.

## A 30-day plan

| Week | Do |
| --- | --- |
| 1 | The setup: Search Console, Bing, sitemap, structured data, UTMs. Write your one-sentence pitch, a 50-word and a 150-word description, a logo, three screenshots and a demo GIF, once, for every listing |
| 2 | List on the "worth it" sites that fit your product, five a day. Claim AlternativeTo, SaaSHub, G2 and Crunchbase. Check each live listing's link |
| 3 | Pick one launch day and run it properly. Email ten authors of "best [category] tools" articles |
| 4 | Answer journalist requests three times a week. Start your free tool or data piece. Pitch three niche podcasts |
| Then, monthly | Search Console → Performance: find queries at positions 8 to 20 and improve the page behind each. Check which UTM sources brought sign-ups and do more of those |

## Where MarketingBuddy fits

The [SEO agent](/ai-agents/seo) does the ongoing part of this. It reads your Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools data, finds the searches your buyers make and the pages that are close to page one, writes comparison pages and articles, and publishes them to your blog, WordPress or Webflow after you approve them, then submits them to Bing. It also finds partner and affiliate sites in your niche to reach out to. Nothing goes live until you say so. See how it works for [SaaS and web apps](/solutions/saas).