Yes, but not the way they used to. A listing on a reviewed directory, launch platform or review site that people in your category actually browse still brings visitors, gives Google another path to your site, can add an early followed link and can show up when people search your product's name. Mass submission to general web directories doesn't work, and Google's spam policies name "low-quality directory or bookmark site links" as link spam.
- Still works: curated directories in your category, launch platforms and review sites for their audience, and a followed link from a relevant, indexed listing as a bonus.
- Doesn't: "1,000 directories" packages, sites that accept anything and that nobody visits, paying mainly for a followed link, and expecting listings alone to rank you for competitive keywords.
Disclosure: DirPilot sells directory submissions, so we have an interest in the answer being yes. That's why we quote Google's documentation and the strongest argument against directories below, and why every DR, link type and price comes from our directory pages, which show what we checked and when (October 2026).
What changed: directory submission then and now
Directory submission is listing your website or product on sites that catalogue products or businesses by category (full definition). The term covers two very different practices.
The old one was sending any website to general web directories, as many as possible, for the links. Is directory submission dead? That version mostly is. Barry Schwartz of Search Engine Roundtable wrote in 2021 that directory, article and bookmarking submissions "were link building strategies maybe 15 or more years ago, but post Penguin, I have not seen this strategy used much," and our glossary calls general web directories "mostly a relic of the early web."
Directory submission in 2026 is narrower: listing a product where its audience already looks, such as startup directories (F6S), launch platforms (Product Hunt, BetaList), AI tool and SaaS directories, and review and alternatives sites (G2, AlternativeTo). Our best startup directories, SaaS directories and Product Hunt alternatives posts compare individual sites. This one asks the question before that: are directory submissions worth it at all?
What directory submissions still do for a startup
Visitors from people browsing a category
People browse directories to find tools, in a burst on a launch platform's big day or over time on review and alternatives sites. Our Product Hunt page sums up the trade: its links are nofollow, "so the value is referral traffic and discovery rather than link equity." Keep expectations per site small: "Don't expect any one listing to bring many customers," as our startup directories page puts it.
Discovery: more paths for Google to find you
Google's SEO Starter Guide says "Google primarily finds pages through links from other pages it already crawled," and that promoting your site "will lead to faster discovery by those who are interested in the same subject, and also by search engines." A listing that links to you is one more path in, though not the only one (a sitemap helps too), and Google says links marked nofollow, ugc or sponsored "will generally not be followed" (qualifying outbound links).
Early links
Of the 197 directories where DirPilot checked the link on a live listing in October 2026, 137 (70%) gave a dofollow link. New sites need first links from somewhere: in Ahrefs' search traffic study, only 2,997 of about 20 million pages with no referring domains got more than 1,000 search visits a month, though Ahrefs stresses that correlation doesn't imply causation.
Be realistic about one listing. As our high-DR directories list notes, it's a new page "often several clicks from the homepage, with almost no links of its own." A directory's Domain Rating describes the whole site, not your page, and it's an Ahrefs metric Google doesn't use. Nobody outside Google can confirm that a link counts; you can only confirm it's followed, indexable and found.
Results for your name, and a place where buyers compare
When people search your product's name, listings on well-known directories often show up next to your site; a complete profile on a big software platform can rank for "[your product] reviews" too. On review sites, buyers come for the reviews, so a profile without them tells buyers very little. On SaaSHub and AlternativeTo, you can appear in competing tools' alternatives lists, where people go once they've decided to switch.
What doesn't work, and what can hurt
What Google's spam policies say
Google's spam policies define link spam as "creating links to or from a site primarily for the purpose of manipulating search rankings." Three of its examples apply directly: "Low-quality directory or bookmark site links", "Using automated programs or services to create links to your site" and "Exchanging money for links, or posts that contain links". The consequence: "Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all."
The strongest argument against directories
In September 2021, Search Engine Roundtable reported that Google's John Mueller said on Twitter that directory submissions, article submissions and bookmarking links are generally against Google's guidelines. In Barry Schwartz's summary:
He said they are generally seen by Google as artificial links and thus you should likely avoid a link building strategy using those.
We think that's right about directory submission as a link-building strategy: submitting everywhere so the links move rankings. We're not claiming Google endorses directories. But its policy targets links made primarily to manipulate rankings, and it names low-quality directories, not every site that lists products.
On a reviewed launch platform or marketplace with real visitors, you list to be seen, and often no ranking credit is on offer anyway. On our launch platforms page, 6 of the 13 give a dofollow link; Product Hunt marks its links ugc. Of the 5 review sites we track, 2 are dofollow. A useful test: if a listing would still be worth having with a nofollow link, you're submitting for the right reasons.
Practices to avoid
- Bulk and automated submission. "1,000 directories" packages can only reach those numbers through the sites the policy names. One directory in our data, Site Promotion Directory, showed 7,193 active links and more than 205,000 pending when we checked.
- Directories with no review and no visitors. Warning signs: a footer stuffed with gambling links, a form with no field for your website, or a backlog bigger than the directory.
- Paying for the link. Google accepts paid links "for advertising and sponsorship purposes" when they're marked nofollow or sponsored. If a paid tier adds nothing but a followed link, skip it.
- The same copy everywhere. One pasted paragraph reads as a bulk job to reviewers. Write each description for its site, and use your product name as the link text, not keywords.
Directory submissions that work vs ones that don't
| Signal | Worth it | Skip it |
|---|---|---|
| Review | A person checks submissions and turns some down | Anything goes live instantly |
| Audience | Recent listings, votes, comments or a newsletter | The newest listing is months old |
| Fit | Lists products like yours | Lists any website under broad topics |
| Listing page | Indexed, with a working link to you | Not indexed, or no link at all |
| What you pay for | Speed, placement or an audience | Mainly a followed link |
| Scale and copy | A shortlist, a description per site | One package, one pasted paragraph |
The value isn't only the link: 8 real examples
Here's how some well-known names compare, when DirPilot last checked, October 2026. DR is Ahrefs' Domain Rating; "unchecked" means we haven't confirmed the link type.
| Directory | Type | DR | Link type | Price | What you're there for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Product Hunt | Launch platform | 91 | Nofollow (ugc) | Free | Launch-day audience |
| G2 | Review site | 91 | Unchecked | Free, paid from $299 | B2B buyers and reviews |
| Fazier | Launch platform | 84 | Dofollow | Free, paid from $29 | Daily rankings |
| F6S | Startup directory | 83 | Dofollow | Free | Startup network and programs |
| AlternativeTo | Alternatives site | 81 | Dofollow | Free, paid from $5 | People replacing a tool |
| SaaSHub | SaaS directory | 80 | Nofollow | Free, paid from $99 | Competitors' alternatives lists |
| BetaList | Launch platform | 77 | Dofollow | Paid | Early adopters |
| Dev Hunt | Developer tool launches | 66 | Nofollow | Free, paid from $19 | Developer feedback |
Half of the eight are nofollow or unchecked, including the two highest DRs. If the link were the whole point, you'd skip Product Hunt, G2 and SaaSHub, a mistake for most software products. The dofollow ones have conditions: Fazier's free launch needs a link back to Fazier and is listed within 30 days, AlternativeTo declines many submissions, and BetaList's link goes through a 301 redirect. Our dofollow vs nofollow study explains why authority and link type are separate questions.
Free vs paid, and the time it takes
Most directories don't charge to list. Of the 208 directories whose pricing we know, 75 are free, 104 have a free option with paid upgrades, and 29 are paid only. Paid options usually buy:
- Speed. Of the 79 directories that state a wait, the median is seven days, but 23 take more than a month. AlternativeTo's $5 priority submissions are "usually reviewed within 1-2 business days"; its free queue gives no date.
- Placement. A featured spot, a newsletter mention or a launch date you choose.
- A better link. Six directories in our data only give a dofollow link on a paid plan. Dev Hunt's free listings are nofollow, and its $19 launch makes the link dofollow while adding a chosen week and a newsletter spot: judge it on those.
The other cost is your time: copy, images, forms, follow-up emails and checks. Our guide on how to submit your startup to directories shows how to prepare once, and the free directory shortlist ranks directories for your product by price, link type and approval time.
How to tell if your submissions worked
You can't see how Google weighs a link, but you can see most of the rest:
- The listing is live and links to the right page. Directories sometimes approve, edit or quietly drop listings.
- The link is followed and nothing cancels it. Our free dofollow link checker reads the rel attribute and checks for noindex, robots.txt, canonicals and redirects; our guide to checking dofollow backlinks covers the manual methods.
- The listing is indexed. Search for its address. A followed link on a page Google never indexes passes nothing.
- Google has found it. The Search Console Links report shows your top linking sites, linked pages and link text. It's "a sample" rather than every link, and it "doesn't specify if a link is marked as nofollow."
- People came, and found you by name. Check referral visits in your analytics (BetaList adds UTM parameters, so you can filter by the source betalist), and search your product name to see which listings appear.
For any SEO change, Google says "you likely want to wait a few weeks to assess whether your work had beneficial effects in Google Search results." Then drop the directories that never got indexed or sent anyone.
When directory submissions aren't worth it
- No live product yet. Most directories turn down waitlists, templates and sites that don't load. BetaList is built for pre-launch startups; the rest can wait.
- Local customers. These directories list startups and software; a local service business needs different listings.
- Expecting rankings for competitive keywords from listings alone. Ahrefs writes that most SEO professionals consider it "almost impossible to rank on the first page for competitive keywords without backlinks," and a few listing pages won't carry that alone. Our first backlinks playbook covers the links you earn next.
- A poor fit. AlternativeTo declines simple online converters and thin AI wrappers; Dev Hunt only takes developer tools.
FAQ
Do directory submissions still work in 2026?
Yes, if you pick reviewed directories, launch platforms and review sites in your category and judge them on visitors first, links second. Bulk submission to general web directories doesn't work.
Are directory backlinks bad for SEO?
Not as a category. Google's spam policies name low-quality directory links, and links bought or automated to manipulate rankings. A listing on a curated site with real visitors is a different case, though Google doesn't endorse those either.
How many directories should a startup submit to?
There's no magic number, and Google doesn't publish one. Cover the places your buyers actually look: ten relevant directories beat a hundred random ones. DirPilot's plans come in 30+, 60+ and 100+ sizes, and you see the list before we start and can swap any directory out.
Are nofollow directory listings worth it?
Often. Don't count on ranking credit, but a nofollow listing still sends visitors and can still appear when people search your name. Product Hunt's links are ugc, and its launch-day audience is the reason to be there.
What is directory submission in SEO?
Listing your website or product on sites that catalogue products by category, for discovery, early backlinks and pages that rank for your name. Our directory submission glossary entry has the full definition.
How long until directory submissions show results?
Approval comes first: of the 79 directories in our data that state a wait, the median is seven days, and 23 take more than a month. Visitors arrive once a listing is live. Any effect on search takes longer and can't be predicted.
Rather hand it over?
If you'd rather not fill in the forms yourself, DirPilot does it for you. We pick the directories that fit your product, send you the list before we start, write a different description for each, submit by hand and report which listings are live, which links are dofollow and which pages Google has indexed at day 30.
- Economy, $99: 30+ free, medium-DR directories.
- Business, $149: 60+ high-DR free and paid directories, listing fees included.
- First, $199: 100+ directories, plus help on launch day.
Each plan is a one-time payment, and work starts within one business day. If a directory rejects you, we replace it with one of similar authority at no extra cost; no one can promise every approval, since each directory has its own moderators. Compare the plans, or browse every directory we track and do it yourself.