Getting backlinks is hard. And getting traffic? Even harder.
But some websites still give you both for free.
I made a list of 35+ free sites and directories where you can add your product. You’ll get a real link to your site (a site backlink) and start getting clicks.
But first, let me explain how it works.
There are a few strong backlink strategies:
Guest Posting
Content Marketing
Expired Domains with Backlinks
Listing in Directories
Building Free Tools
Internal Link Building
All these strategies have the same goal: get backlinks for free from other websites.
But not every backlink is good. You need quality backlinks from trusted websites.
A quality backlink is a link from a trusted, high-authority site.
Google trusts these sites. So if they link to you, Google starts to trust your site too.
Also, big sites have lots of visitors. So you don’t just get SEO value — you can get real traffic too.
The page that links to you might also rank high in Google search. That means even more people can find you.
Backlink Strategy: List in Directories
Listing your site in online directories is a simple and effective backlinks SEO strategy.
You submit your website to free website submission sites that match your niche or industry.
This helps you get backlinks for free from sites that are relevant to your business.
These backlinks can improve your Google rankings and boost your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
There are free and paid directories.
But here, we’ll focus only on free business directories that work.
I’ll share a free backlink sites list of 35 trusted websites where you can list your product and get free backlinks.
But be careful — not all directories are safe.
Low-quality or spammy sites can harm your rankings.
Always choose reputable sites that bring real traffic and SEO value.
What is quality directory?
Not every directory is good for your site.
Some can even hurt your SEO.
That’s why you need to check each one before adding your site.
You can use tools like Ahrefs to check site authority and backlink quality.
Here’s what to look for in a good directory:
It has real traffic
It ranks in Google search
It has a strong domain rating (DR)
It looks clean and trustworthy
It links out to relevant websites, not spam
Avoid directories that look fake, outdated, or full of low-quality links.
Always choose trusted, real directories that help your rankings not hurt them.
Here’s what to look at:
1. Non-Spammy Websites
Avoid spammy or low-quality directories.
If a site looks old, broken, or full of ads — skip it.
Too many pop-ups or aggressive ads are a red flag.
It usually means the site has low-quality traffic and poor user behavior.
These are signals Google watches closely.
And if you get links from such sites, it won’t help your SEO. It might even hurt your rankings.
2. Good Domain Authority
Check the site’s Domain Rating (DR).
DR shows how strong and trusted a website is.
It’s a score from 0 to 100, higher is better.
Try to pick directories with a high Domain Rating.
That means the site has a strong backlink profile and good authority.
When you get a link from a trusted site, it passes some of that authority to your site too.
This is the foundation of a free backlink strategy that works long-term.
3. Check Linking Websites
Look at how many websites link to the directory, not just the total number of backlinks.
Some sites have thousands of backlinks, but only a few linking websites.
This means they get many links from the same sources again and again.
That’s a red flag.
Getting a backlink from this kind of site won’t help your SEO.
It shows the site might be spammy or used for link farming.
You want links from directories that have a diverse backlink profile — lots of different websites linking to them.
4. Check Backlinks Quality
If a website has a lot of backlinks, it usually means it’s trusted and has authority.
Many other websites link to it and that’s a good sign.
The more real backlinks from different websites, the more trust it builds.
But don’t stop there.
Click on some of the backlinks and check:
The pages where the links are
The content on those pages
The anchor text used
Make sure most backlinks come from real, clean websites not spammy or restricted ones.
If many links come from bad or shady sites, it’s not a good site to use.
5. Dofollow vs Nofollow Links
Dofollow is a regular link.
It passes value and trust to the page it links to.
People call this “link juice” or you can just say it passes authority.
Nofollow is different.
It tells search engines not to pass link authority.
When a crawler sees a nofollow link, it may still visit the page.
But it won’t pass SEO value.
Nofollow is often used for:
Sponsored links
User-generated content
Untrusted sources
Some people avoid nofollow links.
But that’s a mistake.
A natural backlink profile includes both dofollow and nofollow.
If all your links are dofollow, it can look suspicious to Google.
Also, nofollow links can still bring traffic — and that traffic is a strong signal for rankings.
So don’t ignore nofollow.
Try to get both types of backlinks.
What are the benefits of online listings?
Adding your brand to online listings has a lot of benefits.
For example:
They give you dofollow or nofollow backlinks
Most of these sites have high authority
They can improve your Google rankings
Help you get real traffic and more visibility
Increase trust and site authority
Many people who visit these sites are already looking for services. So the traffic you get is more targeted than from ads or cold emails.
And the best part?
Most online listings are free.
Big brands spend a lot of money on SEO and ads. But with listings, you can boost your visibility without spending much.
List of directories for free backlinks
Here’s a curated list of trusted websites where you can submit your startup or project to get free backlinks, build authority, and get relevant traffic.
Good for launching products or startups. Relevant traffic and voting on your product brings visitors. Launch queue: 2–3+ months. Pay $49 for fast-track. Free dofollow backlink and SEO value.
Submit your project and get a dofollow backlink. If others mention your listing, you also get second-level backlinks.
Quick form. Backlink included. Queue: 2–4 months. Nofollow link.
Great for launching. Community voting and traffic. Adds a dofollow link.
Dofollow link. Not much traffic (~9,000/month) but high trust. Queue: 1–2 months.
Trusted site. Needs work email. Adds a dofollow backlink.
Suggest your app after signing up. Approved within 24 hours. Backlink with traffic.
Tech stack community. Add your tool. Nofollow backlink.
Quick to submit. Approval required. Adds a backlink to your profile.
Submit your startup for a free mention and backlink.
Free listing = nofollow links. Paid = dofollow. Good for cross-posting blog articles. You need to verify ownership via DNS and add your RSS feed.
RSS feed aggregator. Can bring backlinks and help with indexing. ~42K monthly visits.
Good for local or offline businesses. Adds trusted backlink.
Local business directory. Backlink + brand visibility.
Local business directory. Helps with map search + local SEO.
Add your business profile and get a dofollow backlink.
Add a public repo with a description and link. Nofollow, but good visibility.
Republish your blog post and set a canonical URL. Get traffic + SEO power.
Answer questions with value. Add contextual backlink (nofollow but strong).
Business software reviews. Add your SaaS and get a backlink.
Like G2. Submit your tool and get reviews + backlink.
Add your business and let users review you. Helps SEO.
SaaS directory. List your project and get relevant traffic + backlink.
Submit your product for visibility and backlink if listed.
Post updates, share stories. Links allowed with value.
Startup and dev community. Submit your project for visibility + backlink.
Answer questions. Drop backlinks where useful. Needs care.
Share content in relevant subreddits. Backlink only if helpful and accepted.
Add links in your bio, posts, and company profile.
Add your business with a site link. Especially useful for travel and service brands.
Startup and investor platform. List your startup for visibility.
Startup learnings and features. Submit your startup story.
Add your business or press release. Trusted site with good SEO.
Create a page and add your website. Social proof and backlink.
Local SEO and link from your profile.
How to Get a Backlink from Big Websites?
The more authority websites link to you the better your site ranks.
It also helps with visibility and trust.
But how can you get a backlink from big names like Forbes, Wikipedia, NYTimes, or BBC?
You can't just submit your site to them and get a free backlink.
Usually, it’s hard:
You need to hire a journalist or PR agency
Pay for content writing and publication
Wait weeks (or months) for approval and publishing
Spend a lot of money and time
It’s expensive and slow. Not good if you’re building solo or just starting.
Here’s an easier way. Use Backlinks Finder — a tool that helps you find backlinks for free in minutes.
Just enter your website.
The tool checks your niche and finds expired domains that already have backlinks from big sites.
You get a list of domains with links from:
Forbes
Wikipedia
BBC
And 200+ other trusted sites
Then just buy the domain and redirect it to your site.
That’s it.
You instantly get a quality, relevant backlink from a trusted source — without spending weeks or thousands.
Try it here 👉 Backlinks Finder
