Get backlinks: every directory, community and listing that gives one, in the order that works

Backlink questions

How do I get backlinks for a new startup?

Start with the places that list you on request: software directories, launch platforms, review sites and registries. This page holds 975 of them. 95 are free, dofollow, carry a domain rating that is the page's own, and are graded worth submitting or better by the source — do those first, twenty per afternoon, and record the URL each listing lands at so you can check it is live. Then earn the harder ones: comparison articles, communities, press.

How many backlinks does a new SaaS need?

The launch plan sets the first bar at a domain rating of 20 and 30 referring domains, which an afternoon of directory forms per week reaches in about a month. Past that, the count matters less than where the links sit: one link from a page your buyers actually read beats ten from directories nobody visits.

Do nofollow backlinks help?

Not for domain rating — a nofollow link passes no equity. They still buy two things worth having: referral traffic from the page itself, and a mention on a surface AI assistants read when they decide whom to recommend. Reddit, LinkedIn groups and most communities are nofollow; the second phase on this page is those, done for the visitors and not for the number.

What does DR mean on a directory, and can I trust it?

DR is Ahrefs' domain rating, 0 to 100. Two caveats on every number here. 99 rows live on a multi-purpose platform — a subreddit, a LinkedIn group, a newspaper section — where the DR belongs to the platform and never becomes yours; those are marked. And every number is one capture from one source; a separate list published the same week disagreed by up to seven points on the same directory. Order the work with DR; do not quote it.

Should I pay for backlinks?

Only where you can name the payback, and never for ranking alone: Google's spam policy treats bought links that pass ranking credit as link spam, and asks that a paid placement carry rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". The third phase here is the paid directories the source rates worth it. On a $0 budget, skip it entirely — nothing below it depends on it.

Which directories should I skip?

350 of the 975 rows are graded low priority or skip by the source itself. They are kept so this page is the whole list rather than a curated slice, and they are the last phase, so nobody starts there by mistake. Mass-submitting to low-quality directories is also on Google's list of link-spam examples.

Sources

1. ↗SEOmade: the startup directory index (seomade.app, 2026)
2. ↗Google, Spam policies for Google web search (link spam) (Google Search Central)
3. ↗Google, Search Central: SEO documentation & quality guidelines
4. ↗Reddit, Reddit Rules (spam & manipulation policy) (Reddit, Inc.)

Compiled by The Marketinque Team to our editorial standards.