Guides

Plain guides for founders on directories, backlinks, Domain Rating and launching, each backed by the data behind the free rank plan.

  1. Free online directories for startups: 18 that cost nothing to list on Eighteen startup directories with no listing fee and no paid tier, ranked by Domain Rating by Ahrefs, with the link type, approval process and what each one wants from you. Updated September 2026
  2. How to get backlinks for a new website: 6 ways, fastest first Six ways to get backlinks to a brand-new domain, fastest first. Directory listings lead: 40 of the 126 startup directories we track give a followed link, 21 of them on a free tier. Updated September 2026
  3. SEO for startups: a 12-step checklist for the first 90 days SEO for startups in 12 steps, in order: a day of technical basics, ten pages, followed links from directories, one launch, and how to measure it. Written for a new domain at DR 0. Updated September 2026
  4. SaaS SEO: the 5 page types and the 22 SaaS directories that move Domain Rating SaaS SEO is search optimisation for a subscription product: category, comparison, alternative, pricing and docs pages, plus SaaS link building. The 22 SaaS directories we track, ranked by Domain Rating. Updated September 2026
  5. How to increase domain authority: 7 things that move it, in order Domain authority and Domain Rating only move on followed links from new domains. Seven ways to get them, fastest first, and what one round of directory listings does to a DR 0 site, from 126 directories checked in 2026. Updated September 2026
  6. Dofollow vs nofollow links: what 126 startup directories actually give you A followed link passes authority and a nofollow link does not. We read the rel attribute on real listings across 126 startup directories: 40 follow the link on a standard listing, 82 are nofollow and 4 are mixed. Updated September 2026
  7. Referring domains vs backlinks: the number Domain Rating runs on A referring domain is a site that links to you. A backlink is one link. 500 backlinks from 3 sites is 3 referring domains, and referring domains are what Domain Rating by Ahrefs counts. How to grow and check yours. Updated September 2026
  8. Product launch checklist: 24 steps in time order, from two weeks out to the week after A product launch checklist for software, in time order: assets two weeks out, directory listings one week out, Product Hunt and 49 alternatives on the day, badges and link checks after. Data from 126 directories. Updated September 2026
  9. Generative engine optimization: getting cited by ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity Generative engine optimization (GEO) is getting your product named by ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and Google AI. Their answers come from directories and review sites: the 10 busiest, and what to fix on your own site. Updated September 2026
  10. llms.txt: what it is, a real example, and how to write one in 20 minutes llms.txt is a proposed markdown file at /llms.txt that tells language models what a site is and which pages matter. What the proposal says, what no crawler has confirmed, our file as the example, and a template. Updated September 2026