Before Submitting, How to Know Whether This Directory's Link Is Dofollow or Nofollow
You spent 20 minutes submitting a directory, eagerly waiting for it to be indexed. Two weeks later you check — the link is nofollow. You’re not saying nofollow is useless, but you originally thought it was dofollow. If you could know the link type before submitting, you wouldn’t have wasted those 20 minutes.
📅 October 8, 2026 · ⏱️ Approx. 5‑minute read · 📂 Backlink · Practical Tips · Time‑Saving
One of the mistakes I most often make when submitting to directories is not checking the link type beforehand.
I once spent 2 hours submitting 15 directories. Later I discovered that 11 of them were nofollow. I’m not saying nofollow is completely useless — but if I’d known they were nofollow, I probably would have prioritized other dofollow directories.
Since then, I spend 30 seconds checking the link type before submitting each directory. Those 30 seconds have saved me a lot of time.
3 Ways to Check
Method 1: Look at Existing Listings’ Links (Fastest)
Most directories already have listings for other products. You can check the link type without submitting your own.
Steps:
- Open the directory website
- Find an existing product listing (any product will do)
- Right‑click the product link
- Select “Inspect” or “Inspect Element”
- Look at the
<a>tag in the HTML code
If the code looks like:
<a href="https://product.com">Product Name</a>
→ dofollow (no rel attribute = default passes link equity)
If the code looks like:
<a href="https://product.com" rel="nofollow">Product Name</a>
→ nofollow
If the code looks like:
<a href="https://product.com" rel="ugc">Product Name</a>
→ ugc (user‑generated content, Google treats it as a hint)
If the code looks like:
<a href="https://product.com" rel="sponsored">Product Name</a>
→ sponsored (paid link, almost no equity transfer)
Time: 30 seconds. No tools required.
Method 2: Use a Browser Extension (Most Convenient)
If you frequently need to check link types, installing a browser extension can save a lot of time.
Recommended extensions:
| Extension | Browser | Function |
|---|---|---|
| NoFollow | Chrome / Firefox | Automatically highlights nofollow links on the page |
| MozBar | Chrome | Shows attributes of all links on the page |
| SEO Minion | Chrome | Highlights dofollow and nofollow links |
Result after installation: When you open a directory page, nofollow links are automatically given a red dashed border (or a style you define). You can instantly see which links are dofollow and which are nofollow.
Time: 0 seconds (automatic detection).
Method 3: Use Ahrefs for Bulk Checking (Most Comprehensive)
If you need to check the link types for all products in a directory — Ahrefs is the most convenient.
Steps:
- Enter the directory’s domain in Ahrefs Site Explorer
- View Outgoing Links → Linked Domains
- You can see which sites the directory links to and the link types
Use case: When you’re unsure of a directory’s overall linking strategy. Some directories give dofollow to paid users and nofollow to free users. Ahrefs lets you see this pattern clearly.
Common Directories’ Link Types (Reference)
Below are the link types of common directories I’ve checked (data from September 2026):
| Directory | Link Type | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Crunchbase | nofollow | DR 91, but the link is nofollow |
| G2 | nofollow | DR 88, user review pages are nofollow |
| Product Hunt | nofollow | DR 82, listing links are nofollow |
| SaaSHub | dofollow | DR 52, product links are dofollow |
| AlternativeTo | dofollow | DR 72, product links are dofollow |
| Capterra | nofollow | DR 85, listing links are nofollow |
| BetaList | dofollow | DR 62, product links are dofollow |
| Indie Hackers | nofollow | DR 74, product links are nofollow |
| Peerlist | dofollow | DR 48, product links are dofollow |
| GitHub | nofollow | DR 95, external links are nofollow |
Note: This data can change at any time. Directories may modify their linking strategy at any moment. Checking yourself before submitting is the most reliable.
A Quick Decision Framework
After you know the link type, how do you decide whether to submit?
| Scenario | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| dofollow + DR 30+ | ✅ Prioritize submission |
| dofollow + DR < 30 | ⚠️ Do if you have spare capacity |
| nofollow + DR 50+ | ✅ Worth doing (brand signal + referral traffic + AI search visibility) |
| nofollow + DR 30‑49 | ⚠️ Consider relevance. If highly relevant, worth it |
| nofollow + DR < 30 | ❌ Likely not worth the time |
| sponsored | ❌ Almost no SEO value |
Core principle: prioritize dofollow, but nofollow on high‑DR platforms still has value. Low‑DR nofollow links aren’t worth the effort.
A Time‑Saving Tip
If you need to check multiple directories’ link types in bulk — you don’t have to open each one.
Tip: Search Google for the directory name + “dofollow” or “nofollow”.
For example:
"Crunchbase" "dofollow" OR "nofollow" listing
Many SEO blogs and forums have already shared the link types of common directories. You can reference their data directly without checking each one yourself.
But note: this data may be outdated. If a 2023 article says a directory is dofollow, it might have changed by 2026. For key directories, still check yourself.
Bottom Line
Spend 30 seconds checking the link type before submitting. Those 30 seconds help you avoid wasting time on nofollow directories and focus your effort on the most valuable dofollow ones.
You don’t need to check every single one — only the ones you’re unsure about. Everyone knows that big platforms like Crunchbase and G2 are nofollow. But for smaller directories, it’s worth spending 30 seconds to confirm before submitting.
Knowing the link type = smarter decisions = higher time ROI.
BackLinkSubmit Team — When we match directories with AI, we automatically label each directory’s link type. You know the result before submitting. Learn more →
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