Skip to main content

Search FoundrList

Search launches, makers and skills, or jump to a page

SEO & Backlinks

How to Get Dofollow Backlinks for a Startup

FoundrList Team

7 min read1,300 words

View as Markdown
Indigo abstract gradient

Quick answer

Earn normal links by being worth citing: a clear page, a useful listing, and mentions you did not pay to disguise. Buying links is the approach to skip.

You get a dofollow backlink when another site links to you and does not mark the link nofollow, sponsored, or ugc. The reliable way is to publish something specific and then show it to people who already write about that topic. Paying someone to place an unmarked link is link spam under Google's policies, even if the seller calls the list “high PR dofollow.”

A sequence that does not depend on a broker

  1. Give people a URL worth citing. A product page with a real description, or a guide that answers one question and names its sources.
  2. Make the link obvious. Your “about” and docs pages should point at the canonical product URL so you do not split mentions across five addresses.
  3. List the product where your buyers already look. A directory run for readers, not for link buyers, is a normal citation. Check the rel attribute after you go live.
  4. Tell communities you are actually in. Indie Hackers, a relevant subreddit that allows launches, and a Show HN post are mentions you earn by showing up, not by invoicing a link vendor.
  5. Ask for a correction or a mention only when you have a fact they got wrong or a resource their article is missing. One relevant sentence beats a template “please link to me.”

How to find candidates

Search the query your page answers and open the pages that already rank. Those authors are the people for whom a link might help their reader. In a keyword tool, look at who links to the current top result, then ask whether your page adds something theirs does not. “Dofollow backlinks list” posts that sell spreadsheets of blogs are the wrong list: the sites on them are often paid placements.

What we will not tell you to buy

Skip offers for cheap dofollow packages, private blog networks, and “high PR” lists with no page you can read. Google's spam policies name buying or selling links for ranking purposes, and low-quality directory links, as examples. If you pay for a placement, the honest markup is rel="sponsored".

A paid FoundrList launch is a placement on our site. The terms currently publish that link as dofollow, and free listings as nofollow. Google still says paid placements should use rel="sponsored" or nofollow, so do not treat the attribute as a ranking result. If you want submissions done for you, the directory submission guide explains the separate service and its limits.

Why the high-volume variants are a trap

How to get dofollow backlinks has a large traffic potential because the pages that rank also catch buy dofollow backlinks, free dofollow backlinks, and high PR lists. Those are not the same intent. This page is for earning a normal link. It is not a catalog of sites that will publish anything. Google's spam policies name buying or selling links for ranking purposes, and low-quality directory links, as examples of link spam.

A page worth citing

  • A product URL that states what the product does in the first screen.
  • A guide that answers one query and names its sources, like this one.
  • A number you measured, with the method in the same paragraph.
  • A correction of a fact a popular article got wrong, which gives you a reason to write to the author.

Then show that URL to people who already write about the topic. Search the query, open the pages that rank, and see whether your page adds something theirs does not. One relevant sentence in an article a buyer reads is worth more than a row in a dofollow backlinks list. If the offer is a package of cheap links, skip it. The free dofollow backlinks page explains why those lists disappoint.

A directory your buyers browse can be a normal citation. Check the live rel attribute after you are listed. Start with a short list. The directory submission guide compares how submission works, and the startup directory list is the longer catalogue. Paying FoundrList for a launch buys a placement on our site. It does not buy a bundle of third-party dofollow links, and it does not buy a ranking.

Questions people ask

How many dofollow backlinks does a new site need?

There is no number that flips a ranking on. A few relevant links to a page that deserves to rank beat a pile of unrelated ones.

Can I get dofollow links for free?

Yes, when someone cites you without being paid. Profiles and comment sections are usually ugc or nofollow, and they are a weak plan. See the free-links guide for the distinction.

Should I disavow nofollow links?

No. Nofollow is already a hint. Disavow is for links you believe are harmful and that you cannot get removed.

How fast do dofollow backlinks start working?

A crawler has to fetch the page that links to you, then fetch your URL. That can be days or weeks. There is no switch that flips on the day the link goes live.

Should I disavow links that are nofollow?

No. Nofollow is already a hint. Disavow is for links you believe are harmful and that you cannot get removed.

Keep reading

Sources

About the author

FoundrList Team

Founder launch & growth editors

The FoundrList team writes practical guides for founders launching, distributing, and growing software products. Our work focuses on clear, verifiable tactics without vanity metrics or guaranteed ranking claims.

Read our editorial and corrections policy.

Choose FoundrList for the page that stays up

When the article says list the product, list it here. FoundrList is the directory we run, and it is the one we recommend.

  • List on FoundrList first. The page stays in the directory after launch day.
  • Free to list. A paid launch publishes a dofollow link while the listing is live.
  • Product Hunt is one day. FoundrList is the page you send people to next month.