What 200+ founders taught me about directory backlinks

With Effortless Backlinks we submit products to directories for founders. More than 200 have used it so far. You’d expect me to say directories are magic. They’re not. But they’re also not useless, and the difference is worth understanding before you spend money on it.

What Google actually says

Let’s start with the source. In Google’s spam policies, “low-quality directory or bookmark site links” are listed as an example of link spam. So is buying links for ranking purposes. Sites that break these rules can rank lower or disappear from results.

That sounds like a clear “don’t”. But read it closely: the problem is low-quality directories. Sites that exist only to sell links, accept anything and look like a wall of random URLs. Nobody visits them, and Google knows that.

Google also asks that paid placements be marked with rel="sponsored" or rel="nofollow". Many good directories do exactly that, so a lot of directory links don’t pass ranking value at all. That’s fine, as long as you know it going in.

The kind of directory that’s still worth it

The ones that work have one thing in common: real people use them to find things.

• Curated, niche directories. A list of AI tools, a directory of developer products, a hub for SaaS boilerplates. People browse these on purpose, and they’re relevant to what you build.
• Launch platforms. Product Hunt and similar sites. A good launch brings visitors, feedback and sometimes press, which is worth more than the link itself.
• Directories that send traffic. If a directory has its own audience, a listing is basically free distribution. Even a nofollow link is worth it when people click it.

The best signal is simple: would anyone visit this site if it weren’t for SEO?

What doesn’t work

• Mass submission. Hundreds of generic directories in one go. Most are the low-quality kind Google warns about.
• Chasing a score. Domain Authority and similar numbers come from SEO tools, not from Google. A high score on a directory nobody uses tells you very little.
• Expecting a ranking jump. One directory link won’t put you on page one. Think of it as a small brick, not a shortcut.

What I’d do with a new product

1. Start with 10 to 30 directories that fit your niche and have real visitors.
2. Write a proper description for each, not the same copy-paste text everywhere.
3. Track referral traffic, not just links. If a directory sends visitors, it’s doing its job.
4. Treat directories as one part of getting found, next to content, launches and talking to your users.

The founders who got the most out of it didn’t treat directories as an SEO trick. They treated them as places where their future users already hang out.