Startup Launch Platforms With Dofollow Links: How to Check
Startup launch platforms with dofollow links are usually the ones where the link is earned or traded, not bought: a free listing in exchange for a badge on your site, a curated pick, or a top finish in a vote. On platforms that follow Google’s rules, paid listings carry rel=“sponsored” instead. Link policies differ by plan and change over time, so verify before you submit. Open a live listing, inspect the link to the product’s site and read its rel attribute. No “nofollow”, “sponsored” or “ugc” means dofollow. Then check that the page can be indexed.
We run LaunchGP, a weekly launch race where dofollow links are earned, so read our section with that in mind.
Why do so many launch listings turn out to be nofollow?
You submit to twenty directories, wait for the links to count, and a month later your backlink report shows a handful. That’s common, and there are three ordinary reasons:
- Paid listings must be marked. Google asks that paid links carry rel=“sponsored” or rel=“nofollow” (Google Search Central). A platform that follows that rule marks every paid listing.
- User-submitted links get rel=“ugc” or nofollow. Many platforms mark anything a user can post themselves, to keep spam out.
- Listings move or disappear. A link on the front page during launch week may sit on a page nobody crawls a month later, or on a page marked noindex.
None of this is a scam. It’s how a site protects itself from link spam. It does mean “dofollow” in a platform’s marketing is a claim you should verify. Our guide to rel sponsored vs nofollow vs dofollow explains each attribute.
How do you check if a launch platform gives dofollow links?
Pick a product listed on the platform today, ideally one on the same plan you’d use (free or paid), and:
- Find the outbound link. Right-click the link to the product’s website and choose Inspect.
- Read the rel attribute.
rel="nofollow",rel="sponsored"orrel="ugc"means the link asks search engines not to pass ranking credit. No rel, or a rel with only other values like “noopener”, means dofollow. - Check the page can be indexed. View the page source and search for
noindex. A dofollow link on a noindex page helps little. - Check the link is in the HTML. If it only appears after a script runs, view source and search for the domain. Links in the served HTML are the safest bet.
- Check again after launch week. Look at a listing that launched a month ago. Some links change or move to a page that’s no longer linked from anywhere.
Do this for each platform on your list before you spend time on it. The backlinks guide for a new website covers the other places a new site’s first honest links come from.
What does a launch that builds real links look like?
A month after launch, your backlink tool shows a few followed links from relevant pages that are still live, still indexed and still linked from the platform. Some visitors from those pages became users, because the pages put you in front of people who build or buy products like yours. You didn’t buy a single followed link, so there’s nothing to worry about in a future update.
A few honest links from relevant pages beat a long list of directories nobody visits. Our post on whether a paid directory listing is worth it shows how to decide where money fits.
How do LaunchGP’s links work?
LaunchGP runs one Grand Prix every week, with 32 cars. The link you get depends on how you entered and how you finished. Paying never buys a dofollow link:
| How you raced | Link during race week | Link after race week |
|---|---|---|
| Free seat (badge on your site) | Dofollow | Dofollow if you finish in the top three |
| Season Pass or Month Pass seat | Dofollow once the badge on your site is verified, rel=“ugc” until then | Dofollow if you finish in the top three |
| Front slot, P1 to P6 ($9 to $59) | rel=“sponsored” | Dofollow if you finish in the top three |
| Any car that finishes | Joins LaunchGP Endurance, where the top 10 of each class get a dofollow link while they hold the spot |
- Dofollow is earned. The top three of every Grand Prix keep a permanent dofollow link, whatever they paid to start, as long as the product stays on the same domain. Votes alone set the order.
- Paid links are marked. A front slot is a paid placement, so its race-week link is rel=“sponsored”, as Google asks.
- The badge is the trade. Free seats need the LaunchGP badge on your site. Our post on reciprocal links and badges explains why that’s fine.
You can run the same five checks on any LaunchGP car page before you enter.
What’s the next step?
If you want a followed link you earn instead of buy, enter the next Grand Prix:
- Pick your seat on the pricing page: free with the badge, a pass for reserved seats, or a front slot from $9 if you need a specific week.
- Add your product and race the week. Ask your users to vote; how to get upvotes without cheating shows how.
- Finish on the podium to keep the dofollow link for good.
FAQ
Which startup directories give dofollow links?
It varies by platform, by plan and over time, so check a live listing with the steps above instead of trusting a list. On LaunchGP, free and pass cars with a verified badge get a dofollow link during race week, and the top three keep one permanently.
Are dofollow links from launch platforms worth it?
One followed link from a relevant, indexed page helps a new site a little. The visitors that page sends are often worth more. Treat the link as a bonus, not the reason to launch.
Is it safe to pay for a dofollow link?
No. Google’s spam policies list buying links that pass ranking credit as link spam. Paid placements should be marked rel=“sponsored”, which is what LaunchGP does with its front slots.
Do nofollow launch links help at all?
Yes, through the people who click them. A nofollow listing on a page your users browse can bring signups, which is the point of a launch.
How long does a LaunchGP dofollow link last?
For free and pass cars with a verified badge, during race week. The top three of each Grand Prix keep theirs permanently, as long as the product stays on the same domain.