Struggling to find backlinks for your startup’s website? Don’t fret. We’re here to assist. 

Link building is of paramount importance when it comes to search engine optimisation (SEO). The SEO strategy is aimed at increasing the quantity and quality of inbound links to a website.

In simple terms, it involves acquiring hyperlinks from other sites to your own. 

These links serve as "votes of confidence" from other sites, indicating to search engines like Google and Bing that your site is credible, authoritative, and worthy of ranking higher in search results.

As a startup, building up your reputation, credibility and brand authority through the power of SEO is key. 

Link building plays a pivotal role in the growth trajectory of startups, helping brands all over the world establish credibility, expand online visibility, and enhance search engine rankings.

In the fiercely competitive digital landscape, startups often struggle to carve out their niche amidst established competitors.

But fear not, by strategically acquiring high-quality backlinks from trusted websites, your startup can not only bolster its online presence but also attract organic website traffic, foster brand recognition, and ultimately, pave the way for sustainable success in your respective industry.

Let's dive into the world of finding free backlinks for startups.

High-Quality Backlinks for Startups

Formulating and executing a link-building strategy can be overwhelming at first, but effective backlink-building isn't as difficult as you may think, you just need to know where to look.

Remember, high-quality backlinks tend to significantly improve domain authority and organic traffic.

1. Find Us Here.com

Find-us-here.com is the world's largest business directory. The platform provides listings for various categories such as restaurants, hotels, plumbers, lawyers, and more - making it a valuable resource for link building.

Users can search for businesses by location, category, or specific keywords. The website often includes business descriptions, contact information, and sometimes reviews from customers.

Using Find-Us-Here.com for backlinking can be beneficial for improving your website's search engine optimisation (SEO) and online visibility - helping to take you to the top of search engine results pages.

All you have to do is create a business profile, include your website URL, optimise your profile, regularly update your profile, engage with the community, and explore additional features such as advertising options.

On the profile page, fill out the information, including the 2500-character description field (the more the better) and click "update" on all the additions you make.

You can use Find-Us-Here.com to identify sites with similar target audiences whom you may partner with and link back to your website via your business profile. 

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2. SoMuch.com

SoMuch.com is a free web directory where you can find the best human-edited links sorted by topic and category.

The website serves as a portal or directory for various categories of websites. SoMuch.com offers links to a wide range of topics including business, entertainment, health, news, and more.

It's designed to help users discover websites related to their interests or needs.

Founded over 20 years ago, the business and website link directory lets you submit as many links as you want for free but there is no guarantee when your submitted link will be listed, sometimes it may only be weeks later.

All you have to do is submit your URL with the desired anchor text and a description of the URL. You can then decide if you want to speed up the link-building process via the paid service.

Next, make sure you click the confirmation email to verify your link, and you can start building up some authority.

Links are updated daily, and anyone is free to submit a link - giving you plenty of options on your link-building journey. While the DR is not as high as others, it's high enough for you to benefit from any free backlinks.

3. NicePage

NicePage is a website design tool that allows users to create professional-looking websites without needing to know how to code.

The platform offers a variety of templates and features to help users design responsive and visually appealing websites.

Additionally, it provides SEO tools for e-commerce integration, page optimisation, and collaboration among team members. Overall, it's aimed at simplifying the website design process for users of all skill levels.

You can leverage the power of NicePage to build backlinks via high-quality content creation that resonates with your audience, opening up guest blogging opportunities, effortless integration of social sharing, directory submissions, team collaboration features, and the creation of linkable assets.

While NicePage can support your link-building efforts indirectly, the most effective link-building strategies involve creating valuable, relevant content that earns backlinks from other authoritative websites in your industry.

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4. Business2Community

Business2Community is a popular online publication and community platform that covers a wide range of topics related to business, marketing, technology, social media, and more.

The community-based platform features articles, insights, and opinions from industry experts and thought leaders, aiming to provide valuable information and resources for professionals in various fields.

Business2Community often covers trending topics, best practices, and emerging trends in the business and marketing world, making it a highly valuable resource for entrepreneurs, marketers, and business professionals seeking to stay informed and ahead of the curve.

You can utilise Business2Community to find guest blogging opportunities, become a regular contributor with links to your website, and press release submissions, read through resource lists and roundup articles, and collaborate with influencers to find and distribute links.

Remember to focus your energy on providing valuable, educational and relevant content to the Business2Community audience.

As always, high-quality content is more likely to be accepted and shared, leading to better results for your link-building efforts. 

5. Lasso

Lasso is a social media platform that was launched by Facebook in 2018. The platform is primarily focused on short-form, user-generated videos similar to the format popularised by TikTok and Instagram Reels.

Lasso allows users to create and share short videos, add music, and utilize various creative marketing tools and effects.

The platform was designed to compete with TikTok, which had been gaining significant popularity among younger demographics.

However, despite Facebook's efforts to promote Lasso, it failed to gain traction and struggled to attract a large user base compared to TikTok.

The social bookmarking site can be operated like a Web 2.0 blogging platform. You can leverage Lasso to build a lot of do-follow backlinks. All you have to do is sign up for an account, fill out profile information and set your website as your main profile.

You then create subsequent "Items" to add articles with additional links. Lastly, you can submit your external backlinks for indexing via tools like Omega or Rankmath Indexer.

While Lasso itself may not directly support link-building in the traditional sense, it can still be a valuable tool for driving traffic, increasing brand visibility, and engaging with your audience, all of which can indirectly contribute to your SEO and link-building efforts.

6. ProvenExpert

ProvenExpert is a robust directory listing free backlinks available to everyone. You'll get one do-follow backlink using the anchor text of your choice for a keyword-rich link from a 90+ Domain Rating directory.

ProvenExpert's comprehensive platform drives more business your way, boosts revenue, and improves your online visibility.

For startups, the UGC-focused site is useful for finding free backlinks and improving your link-building strategy in general.

Just sign up, fill in your personal and business details, and submit your profile URL for indexing. You can create free do-follow links on ProvenExpert on the left side, and you can incorporate your keywords for better results.

The links on the right side will be no-follow, so they're suitable for Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, Pinterest and others. However, social media platforms won't necessarily always help you with good backlinks.

7. Evernote

Evernote is a popular versatile note-taking application that allows users to capture, organise, and share notes and ideas across multiple platforms.

The tool is designed to help users remember and organise their thoughts, whether they're in the form of text, images, audio recordings, or web clippings.

Evernote syncs across devices, making it easy for users to access their notes from anywhere with an internet connection.

Features include notebooks, tags, search capabilities, and the ability to annotate and collaborate on notes. It's popular among students, professionals, and anyone who wants to keep their thoughts and information organised.

Evernote can land you unlimited do-follow backlinks inside notes that are available publically via the "share" function.

Just sign up for the free tier, create notes with links to your main site, hit "Share this Note" and toggle on the public sharing, it will then give you a URL to copy, share and submit for indexing.

Evernote can be used to gather and organise information for content creation. Additionally, if you're engaged in backlink outreach campaigns, you can use Evernote to track your progress. You can also draft and store guest blogging ideas, and monitor backlink opportunities.

8. FinderMaster

FinderMaster is a classified advertising platform where users can post and browse listings for various products and services.

It's similar to other classified websites like Craigslist or Gumtree, allowing users to search for items such as cars, apartments, jobs, and more within their local area. Users can also post their own ads to sell items or advertise services.

FinderMaster is useful for backlinking as it allows you to create listings or ads that have links back to your website.

Just create relevant listings, optimise said listings for keywords, use descriptive anchor texts, choose suitable categories, and actively engage with the community.

As you take charge of your link-building strategy, FinderMaster is a perfect platform for generating backlinks through high-quality and relevant listings.

Of course, you'll need to monitor the performance of your listings on FinderMaster, including the traffic they generate and any backlinks received.

Regular tracking can help you assess the effectiveness of your backlinking strategy and make adjustments as needed.

9. ArticleBiz

ArticleBiz is a website where users can publish articles on various topics. It served as a platform for content creators to share their expertise and knowledge with a wider audience.

You can gain more exposure and drive traffic to your website via ArticleBiz, and the article submissions can be utilised for backlinking purposes and building domain authority.

Within your article, you'll need to strategically place relevant anchor text links pointing back to your own website. Avoid over-optimisation and spammy practices, as it will ultimately work against you.

The links should be contextually relevant to the content and add value to the reader's experience - a key part of a link-building strategy. 

10. Techdirt

Techdirt is a news and opinion website that focuses on technology and internet-related topics. It covers a wide range of issues including internet policy, copyright law, privacy concerns, and the impact of technology on society and culture.

Techdirt is known for its critical analysis of legal and policy issues surrounding technology, often taking a pro-free speech and pro-internet freedom stance.

The site publishes articles, blog posts, and analysis pieces written by its staff as well as guest contributors.

Techdirt also hosts a lively community of commenters who engage in discussions on its articles. Overall, it's a popular platform for those interested in the intersection of technology, law, and society.

Since the blog and article submission site accepts guest posts, it provides you with a perfect opportunity to backlink to your website. Remember, high-quality backlinks do wonders for your domain authority.

11. newsiLike

newsiLike started its journey in 2011 to feature content from the most popular niches and trends. The popular blog and infographic submission site is open to accepting guest posts in categories like Lifestyle, Education, Entertainment, Sports, Travel, Finance & Insurance.

As such, newsiLike is perfect for link building, and boosting your domain authority and search engine rankings. All you need to do is submit a high-quality guest post with relevant links going back to your site.

Link building isn't always the easiest task, so sites like newsiLike are a perfect opportunity for start-ups to capitalise and start building domain authority. By submitting guest posts, you can boost your website traffic with high-quality links.

You can send guest posts via email and they'll get back to you as soon as possible, and you can begin building backlinks and jumping up search engines. 

12. Viesearch

Viesearch is a web directory and search engine that provides users with a platform to search for websites, articles, and other online content.

The directory aims to organise web content efficiently and make it easier for users to find relevant information on various topics.

Viesearch allows website owners to submit their sites for inclusion in the directory, helping them to potentially increase their online visibility and reach.

Your link-building strategies should incorporate posting guest posts and blog articles. Using a directory can maximise your reach and lead to a big boost in domain authority.

Of course, it's important to diversify your link profile by incorporating other link-building tactics such as guest blogging, outreach to relevant websites, and creating shareable content.

13. Infographics Zone

Infographics Zone is a website dedicated to infographics, aka, visual representations of information, data, or knowledge intended to present complex information quickly and clearly.

Infographics Zone often features collections of infographics on various topics, allowing you to explore and learn from them.

If you're looking for information or resources on infographics, such a platform could be a good place to start.

In the world of search engine optimisation, utilising infographic submission sites is a smart way to generate free backlinks going back to your website.

When your infographic gets published on these submission sites, the backlinks going back to your website can help improve your website's authority and visibility in search engines' results.

Beyond that, Infographics Zone can serve as a hub for networking and collaboration. Engaging with other creators, website owners or professionals in your niche can lead to guest posting opportunities, collaboration on future projects, and additional backlink opportunities.

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14. Carrd

Carrd is a powerful and popular platform that allows users to create simple, one-page websites or landing pages without needing to know how to code.

Carrd is often used for personal portfolios, online resumes, event pages, and small business websites. The web design company provides various templates and customisation options to help users quickly build a compelling website in line with your brand.

Carrd can be used for backlinking by creating simple one-page websites that contain links back to your main website or specific pages you want to promote.

The process is simple, and anyone in the midst of acquiring free backlinks can use Carrd to their advantage.

All you have to do is build Carrd sites with unique and appealing content related to your main website - perhaps each page is focused on a specific product, service, or topic. You can then include anchor text links that point back to your main website.

Carrd also allows you to customise metadata such as page titles and descriptions - a huge factor in boosting your ranking in search engines.

Link building between your Carrd sites strategically is a great way to distribute link equity across your other websites and improve SEO performance.

Remember, above all, create valuable content on your Carrd pages to attract visitors and encourage them to click through to your main website to help improve your website's ranking.

15. Bitly

Bitly is a URL-shortening service that allows users to shorten, customise, and share links. It's commonly used to make long URLs more manageable and easier to share, especially on platforms like Twitter where the character count is limited.

Bitly also provides analytics for the links, allowing users to track clicks and other engagement metrics.

Bitly is among the most powerful backlink profiles on the internet with over 2.6 Billion referring domains. Getting a link is free and easy, but getting it indexed may be tricky - as you'll have to drive a lot of organic traffic through these to get them indexed.

All you have to do is sign up and create a free URL-shortener backlink to your website inside the Bitly admin panel.

You should then start sharing the link across social media platforms and other websites to drive as much traffic as possible, helping to speed up the process of getting indexed.

By using Bitly for backlinking, you can effectively promote your content, drive traffic to your website, and improve your search engine rankings over time.

What is the difference between internal linking and backlinking?

Internal linking and backlinking are both important strategies in SEO, but they serve different purposes and involve linking to different types of web pages.

Internal Linking

Internal linking refers to linking from one page on a website to another page within the same website.

The purpose of internal linking is to establish a hierarchical structure within your website, helping users to navigate between different pages and distributing link equity throughout the site.

Internal links are typically used to connect related content, guide users to important pages, and improve website usability and SEO. With good internal linking, it should be easy for your target audience and potential customers to navigate the website.

Examples of internal links include navigation menus, sidebar links, footer links, and contextual links within the content of a webpage.

Broken link building can lead to orphaned pages (with no internal links directed towards them), so always ensure every relevant page has website links that take you there.

Backlinking (also known as external linking or inbound linking)

Backlinking refers to links from other websites pointing to your website. The purpose of link building via backlinking is to improve your website's authority, credibility, and search engine rankings.

Backlinks are considered votes of confidence from other websites, indicating to search engines that your content is valuable and worthy of being linked to.

Quality link building from authoritative websites can significantly impact your website's visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive organic traffic.

Backlinking strategies often involve outreach, content creation, and relationship building with other website owners or webmasters to earn natural and relevant links to your site.

You can also get good backlinks by preparing a guest post for a site with high domain authority.

The Benefits of Link Building for Startups

Improved Search Engine Rankings

Link building is a hugely important factor in search engine algorithms and getting your name out there.

Securing high-quality backlinks from authoritative and relevant websites can improve your startup's visibility in search results (SERPs), leading to increased organic traffic and potential customers finding their website more easily.

Higher Website Authority and Credibility

When you get backlinks from authoritative sites, they basically serve as endorsements for your own site.

These endorsements signal to search engines and users that your startup's content is valuable and trustworthy, thereby enhancing its authority and credibility in its industry or niche.

Increased Referral Traffic

Backlinks not only contribute to higher search engine rankings but also drive referral traffic directly from other relevant websites. 

When users click on backlinks from external sites, they are directed to your startup’s website, potentially increasing the number of visitors and prospects.

Networking and Relationship Building

Acquiring backlinks often involves reaching out to other websites and site owners, digital marketing professionals, other blog posts, social media influencers, and industry experts.

The process fosters networking and relationship-building opportunities for your startup, allowing you to connect with key players in your industry, gain exposure and quality links, and establish mutually beneficial partnerships in the realm of digital marketing.

Brand Awareness and Exposure

Backlinks from a reputable website or social media platform can expose your startup to new audiences and potential customers who may have yet to discover your brand.

As more websites link to a startup's content, whether through a guest post or partnership, its brand awareness and visibility can increase, helping it to gain traction and recognition in the marketplace. 

Validation and Trust

When your startup is featured or mentioned on authoritative websites within its industry, it adds a level of validation and trustworthiness to its brand. 

Users are more likely to trust and engage with a startup endorsed by reputable sources, leading to higher conversion rates and customer acquisition.

For example, if you have a guest post on a popular site like Forbes or HubSpot, your credibility immediately improves. 

What should I consider before building backlinks? 

Relevance

Always aim to acquire backlinks from other websites that are relevant to your industry or niche. Relevance boosts the credibility of your website in the eyes of search engines.

Domain Authority

Focus on obtaining backlinks from high-authority websites. Links from authoritative sites carry more weight and can significantly increase your website's search engine ranking.

Quality over Quantity

Prioritise securing quality backlinks over a large number of low-quality ones from shoddy websites. Just a few backlinks from trusted sources can be far more beneficial than several links from low-quality sites.

Do Follow or No Follow

Consider the difference between do-follow and no-follow backlinks. 

When a search engine discovers a do-follow backlink, it considers it as a vote of confidence for the linked page, potentially improving its search engine ranking.

While search engines don't pass link equity through no-follow links, they may still use them for discovery and indexing purposes. But keep in mind that they are not considered direct ranking factors.

Natural Link Building

Strive to build backlinks organically by creating valuable, shareable content that naturally attracts links. Avoid engaging in manipulative tactics like buying links, as they may result in penalties from search engines - the last thing you need as a startup.

Diversity

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. Seek backlinks from a diverse range of sources, including blogs, news sites, industry directories, and social media platforms.

Diversifying your backlink profile makes it appear more natural and can improve your website's domain authority and draw more traffic.  

Anchor Text Optimisation

Use relevant keywords in your anchor text when possible, but you should avoid over-optimisation. Some variation in your anchor texts helps maintain a natural link profile and prevents potential penalties from search engines. 

Relationship Building

Don’t underestimate the power of networking. Building relationships with other website owners, bloggers, and influencers in your industry can lead to opportunities for guest blogging, collaborations, and natural backlink acquisition.

Monitor and Disavow

As always, regularly monitor your backlink profile using tools like Google Search Console or third-party SEO software. Quickly identify and disavow toxic or spammy backlinks that could harm your website's reputation.

Local SEO

If your startup serves a local area, focus on acquiring backlinks from local directories, businesses, and community organisations. Local backlinks can improve your visibility in local search results and draw the attention of your target audience. 

Consistency and Persistence

As with everything SEO-related, building a strong backlink profile takes time and effort. Be consistent in your efforts and persistently seek opportunities to acquire quality backlinks over time. The work never stops. 

Final Word

As a startup, establishing a strong backlink profile is vital for your brand's growth and visibility in the ever-competitive digital landscape.

Leveraging free, high-quality backlinks and fixing broken link-building not only enhances search engine rankings but also amplifies brand recognition and credibility.

By utilising the above websites and social media backlinks, you can harness the power of backlinks to drive targeted traffic, foster valuable partnerships, and ultimately propel your businesses towards sustainable success. All by finding the right collaborator and adding a link to your website.

As a site owner and startup owner, these best practices not only position your brand for immediate gains but also lay the foundation for long-term growth and authority in your respective industry.

At SEO Rocket, we help startups master their SEO strategy, acquire more backlinks, write guest posts, and more. Let us lead the charge of your SEO strategy. Reach out today for more information on how we can assist. 

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