What are the best free dofollow backlink sites for startups?

The cleanest free dofollow backlinks come from launch platforms and software directories that link to your site once you are listed: Puthusu, Builders.to, SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, BetaList, F6S, and Uneed are commonly cited examples. Puthusu grants a permanent dofollow backlink the moment your launch is published. Always verify the rel attribute, because directory policies change.

Does Product Hunt give a dofollow backlink?

No. Product Hunt marks its outbound product links with rel="ugc" (user-generated content), which Google treats like nofollow, so it passes no ranking authority. Product Hunt is excellent for referral traffic and social proof, but not for link equity.

How do I check if a backlink is dofollow or nofollow?

Open the page, right-click the link to your site, choose Inspect, and read the anchor tag. If the rel attribute is missing or only contains values like noopener or noreferrer, it is dofollow. If rel contains nofollow, ugc, or sponsored, it passes no SEO value.

Are free directory backlinks safe for SEO in 2026?

Yes, when they come from relevant, moderated, real-traffic sites. Google's spam policies target manipulative link schemes, so mass-submitting to hundreds of low-quality directories can hurt you. A handful of high-quality, on-topic dofollow listings is safe and useful.

Free dofollow backlink sites for startups (2026)

“Free dofollow backlink sites” is one of the most-searched phrases in startup SEO, and most of the lists you will find are padded with dead links and sites that quietly switched to nofollow. This is an honest version: how to confirm a link is actually dofollow, where startups can still earn one for free in 2026, and which popular platforms pass no SEO value at all.

First, what “dofollow” actually means

A dofollowlink is one search engines follow and count, passing ranking authority (“link equity”) to your site. A nofollow link looks identical to a human but carries a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass that authority. Google also treats rel="ugc" and rel="sponsored" the same way. We go deeper in how to get a dofollow backlink for your startup.

How to verify a link is dofollow in 10 seconds

Open the page that links to you.
Right-click your link and choose Inspect.
Read the <a> tag. No rel, or a rel with only noopener / noreferrer, means dofollow. If you see nofollow, ugc, or sponsored, it passes no equity.

Do this before you spend time on any “dofollow” list. It is the only way to know for sure, because sites change their policy without announcing it.

Where startups can earn a free dofollow backlink in 2026

Launch platforms (the cleanest source)

Launch platforms give you a real, permanent dofollow link to your site once your product is listed, often in exchange for adding their badge to your own site (a fair, reciprocal exchange).

Puthusu - every approved launch gets a permanent, indexed product page and a dofollow backlink the moment it goes live, plus daily, weekly, and monthly rankings.
Builders.to and similar maker directories - a followed link from your project page once it is published.

Software directories (commonly dofollow - verify the rel)

SaaSHub, AlternativeTo, BetaList, F6S, and Uneed are frequently cited as dofollow listings for new products. Confirm the rel on your specific listing - some pages differ from others on the same site.

Brand-mention sites (often nofollow, still worth it)

Profiles on Crunchbase, LinkedIn, and publishing on Medium or dev.to usually pass little or no link equity, but they build the multi-source brand presence that AI answer engines weigh heavily when deciding who to cite. See how to get your product mentioned by AI search.

Popular platforms that are nofollow (so you set expectations)

Product Hunt - outbound links use rel="ugc". Great for a launch-day spike, no link equity. More in our Product Hunt launch guide.
Most social media (X, Reddit, Facebook) - outbound links are nofollow by default.

Quality over quantity (this is the 2026 rule)

The era of submitting to 500 directories to inflate your authority is over - Google’s link-spam systems neutralize or penalize it. Aim for a small set of relevant, moderated, real-traffic dofollow listings, and add them at a natural pace (a few per week) rather than all at once. Our list of the best startup directories and do backlinks still matter for SEO cover the strategy in full.

If you want one source that is dofollow by design and permanent, launch your product on Puthusu - the backlink is granted on publish, not earned by climbing a leaderboard, so the SEO value starts compounding from day one.