What the backlink checker shows
The backlink checker returns five things for any domain: total backlinks, referring domains, how many of those domains give at least one followed link, the ten strongest domains linking in, and which of the 126 startup directories we track already link to it. The last one is ours alone. No other free backlink checker knows which directories a founder can still submit to.
| Number | What it counts | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Referring domains | Distinct sites with a live link to the domain | The best single measure of link strength |
| With a followed link | Referring domains where at least one link passes authority | Only these move Domain Rating and rankings |
| Backlinks | Every live link from every page | Context only; one footer link can add thousands |
| Strongest domains | The ten linking sites with the highest authority | Shows where the profile's weight comes from |
| Startup directories | Which of our 126 directories link to the domain | Shows the listings done and the ones still open |
How to read the numbers
Read referring domains first and backlinks last. A backlink is one link from one page; a referring domain is a site that links at least once. Search engines treat the second, third and hundredth link from the same site as worth very little, so a profile with 4,000 backlinks from 12 domains is weaker than one with 80 backlinks from 60.
Then look at the followed count. A nofollow, ugc or sponsored link sends visitors and no authority. If a site shows 40 referring domains and 6 with a followed link, its effective profile is 6. The full difference is in dofollow vs nofollow links, and the two counts are compared in referring domains vs backlinks.
- Backlinks far above referring domains: sitewide links, usually a footer or a blogroll. Harmless, not impressive.
- Few followed domains: the profile is mostly social, forum and launch-platform links. Traffic, not authority.
- Strong domains all nofollow: common after a Product Hunt launch. The next ten links should be followed ones.
What a good backlink profile looks like
A good backlink profile for a new product is 20 to 50 referring domains, at least half of them followed, from sites about software, startups or your category. Size comes later. What matters in the first year is that the links are from distinct, real, relevant sites and that the followed share is high.
| Referring domains | Where a product usually is | Typical DR |
|---|---|---|
| 0–10 | Just launched, social profiles and one or two listings | 0–5 |
| 10–50 | Directory round done, a launch, a few mentions | 5–20 |
| 50–200 | A year in, some press, integrations and guest posts | 20–35 |
| 200+ | Established product, links arrive without asking | 35+ |
Put the score next to the count with the Domain Rating checker. Referring domains say how many sites vouch for you; Domain Rating by Ahrefs says how much those sites are worth.
Check a competitor's backlinks
Any public domain works, so check the two or three sites that outrank you before you check your own. Write down three things for each: referring domains, the followed count, and the startup directories that list them. The gap between their followed count and yours is the work. The directories they are on and you are not are where it starts, because those sites have already shown they list products like yours.
Ignore their total backlinks. A competitor with 30,000 backlinks and 90 referring domains has 90 sites to match, not 30,000 links.
The directory check
The checker matches a domain's live links against all 126 directories in our dataset and lists each one that links to it, with its DR and whether the link is followed. Of the 126, 40 give a followed link on a standard listing, 15 of those are DR 60 or above, and 21 are free or freemium. A new product usually shows none, which is the point: every one is still open.
The strongest followed-link directories, by Domain Rating:
| Directory | DR | Cost | Approval |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fazier | 83 | Freemium | Up to 30 days free · instant paid |
| Findly.tools | 81 | Freemium | Reviewed; time not stated (Premium goes live within 24 hours) |
| ToolPilot AI | 78 | Freemium | Not stated; the badge link is said to help prioritize your submission |
| BetaList | 77 | Paid | Editorial review; timing depends on the plan you pay for and is shown at checkout |
| There's An AI For That | 77 | Paid | 1-2 days after manual review; automatic refund if not published |
| PeerPush | 75 | Freemium | Free submissions queue behind paid ones with no stated wait; paid launches go live in about 60 seconds |
| Submit AI Tools | 75 | Unknown | Not stated |
| Acid Tools | 68 | Unknown | Reviewed before listing; time not stated |
The full set is on dofollow directories, and the ones that ask for no badge in return are on no badge required.
Where the first backlinks come from
The first ten followed links for a new product come from directories, because they are the only strong sites that link to a product nobody has heard of. Press wants a story, bloggers want a relationship, and integrations want users. A directory wants a form filled in. After that the order is usually: a launch, partner and integration pages, a piece of original data other writers cite, then guest posts.
The step-by-step version is in how to get backlinks for a new website.
Spammy links, and whether to worry
Almost never. Every site that has been online for a year collects links from scrapers, coupon pages and auto-generated lists, and Google ignores them. You do not need to disavow links you did not build. The links that cause trouble are ones you paid for in bulk: link farms, private blog networks and "500 backlinks for $20" packages. They show up here as dozens of unrelated domains appearing in the same week. Do not buy them, and if a previous owner of your domain did, that is the one case for a disavow file.
What to do next
- Check your domain and write down referring domains and the followed count with today's date.
- Check the two sites that outrank you and note which directories list them.
- Get the free rank plan for your site. It reads your product and puts the directories that fit it in order, skipping the ones you are already on.
- Check again in a month. New listings take one to three weeks to show in any link index.
Questions founders ask
Is this backlink checker free?
Yes. No account and no email. Each person gets five fresh lookups a day because the link index behind it is paid per call; results are cached for a day, so checking the same domain again costs nothing.
Where does the backlink data come from?
From a commercial backlink index, a crawl of the web that records which pages link to which. The DR beside each linking site is Domain Rating by Ahrefs. Every link index is a sample of the web, so the counts will differ a little from Ahrefs, Semrush or Moz. Compare sites inside one tool, not across tools.
What is the difference between backlinks and referring domains?
A backlink is one link from one page. A referring domain is a site that links to you at least once. Fifty links from one blog are fifty backlinks and one referring domain. Referring domains with a followed link are the number that moves rankings.
How many backlinks does a new site need?
Count referring domains, not backlinks. Ten followed links from distinct domains at DR 60 or above is enough to take a new site from Domain Rating 0 into double digits, usually within two months of the links going live.
Can I check a competitor's backlinks?
Yes, any public domain works. Check the two or three sites that outrank you, note their referring domains and which startup directories list them, and treat the directories they are on and you are not as your first list.
Why does the checker show no directory listings when I know I'm listed?
The index has not crawled that listing page yet, or the listing links through a redirect or a nofollow tracking URL the crawler did not attribute to you. New listings take one to three weeks to appear. Check again after a month.