---
title: "Dofollow vs nofollow directory links (with the live table)"
source: /blog/dofollow-vs-nofollow-directory-links
description: "Which startup directories pass link equity, which do not, and how to read the follow column without chasing dead sites — backed by our re-checked directory list."
updated: 2026-08-30
---

# Dofollow vs nofollow directory links (with the live table)

Which startup directories pass link equity, which do not, and how to read the follow column without chasing dead sites — backed by our re-checked directory list.

Most directory roundups bury the one column founders actually need: whether the link is **follow** or **no follow**. The rest — domain rating, cost, whether the form still exists — matters too, but only after you know what kind of link you are buying with your time.

This post is the table-backed companion to [where to submit your SaaS](/blog/where-to-submit-your-saas). That guide covers order, expectations, and paid submission services. Here we stay on link type: what follow means in 2026, why most famous directories are nofollow anyway, and how to use the live list below without fooling yourself.

## Follow, nofollow, and sponsored — three different things

A **follow** link (dofollow in older SEO slang) can pass ranking signal to your site. A **nofollow** link does not. A **sponsored** link is also nofollow by policy — it is a paid placement, labelled as such, and it is not a loophole to dofollow.

Directories are not symmetric. Product Hunt, Crunchbase, G2, Capterra, and most launch platforms are nofollow. That is normal. You submit for traffic, category discovery, and brand-name search results — not because the listing will move your domain rating.

Follow links still exist in smaller, niche directories. They are worth knowing about. They are not worth building a strategy around on their own.

## How to read the table

The embed below is the same data as [/directories](/directories): every row shows domain rating (DR), link type, cost, and when we last confirmed the submission page still worked.

- **Link** — Follow, No follow, or Sponsored. Sponsored rows are paid placements on that directory itself, not on List Maro.
- **DR** — A coarse authority signal from third-party tooling. Useful for sorting; not a promise of traffic.
- **Cost** — What the directory charges to list, if anything. Free does not mean fast approval.
- **Last checked** — When our checker last opened the submission URL. **Not yet checked** means we have not verified that row yet — a labelled gap, not a guess. G2 is in that bucket today; we would rather show the gap than invent a date.

Rows we have verified recently show a check date. Rows that fail our checker get warnings or come off the list — we do not leave up directories we know are dead.

## What follow links are actually worth

Honest ranking of why a directory row matters:

1. **Traffic and buyers** — Does anyone use this site to pick software?
2. **Discovery** — Will your ICP find you while comparing options?
3. **Brand search** — Does the listing rank when someone Googles your name?
4. **Link equity** — A distant fourth, and only on follow rows.

If you filter the table to follow links only, the list shortens fast. That is the point. Chasing follow links on sites nobody visits is how founders burn a week and wonder why nothing moved.

Nofollow listings on sites people actually use — Product Hunt after a real launch, a review marketplace once you have customers willing to leave reviews — still belong in your plan. They just solve a different problem than DR.

## A sane way to use the follow column

Do not start with “show me every follow link above DR 50.” Start with relevance:

1. Pick directories that match your category and stage.
2. Note the link type, but do not treat nofollow as a reason to skip a site your buyers use.
3. Use follow rows as a bonus when the directory also passes the traffic test.
4. Skip anything that wants money for a sponsored slot if you are not ready to pay for placement on _that_ site — not because follow is impossible, but because the economics rarely work at seed stage.

When you are ready to work through the list, [build a submission plan on /directories](/directories) or [submit your product to List Maro](/submit) if you want a human-reviewed listing here too.

## What we are not claiming

This table does not promise traffic, rankings, or acceptance. It promises accuracy on link type, cost, and whether the submission URL still responded the last time we checked — including admissions like **not yet checked** where we have not finished the sweep.

For the broader playbook — what to submit first, what paid services sell, how to write descriptions that survive forms — read [where to submit your SaaS](/blog/where-to-submit-your-saas). Use this page when you need the follow column in front of you, live, without copying a stale spreadsheet.


Canonical: /blog/dofollow-vs-nofollow-directory-links