How to choose which directories to submit to

1. Start with relevance, not volume

A link from a directory in your niche is worth far more than ten generic listings. Prioritise directories that match your category — SaaS directories for SaaS, AI tool directories for AI products, app stores and app directories for mobile.

Relevant directories also send better referral traffic: the people browsing them are closer to your ideal customer.

2. Check domain rating (DR)

Domain rating is a proxy for how much authority a site can pass. Higher-DR directories tend to move your own authority more, but don't ignore mid-DR niche directories — relevance plus a decent DR beats a high-DR site that has nothing to do with you.

Our directory database lets you filter and sort by DR so you can build a shortlist quickly.

3. Prefer dofollow, but don't skip nofollow

Dofollow links pass link value directly, so they're the priority. Nofollow links still matter: they drive traffic, diversify your link profile, and many AI and search systems still treat them as legitimate mentions.

A healthy profile mixes both — chasing only dofollow looks unnatural.

4. Confirm the directory is actually indexed

A link only counts if the page it lives on is in Google's index. Abandoned or thin directories often aren't crawled, so their links do nothing. Stick to directories that are maintained and whose listing pages get indexed.

5. Note which ones are paid

Some high-value directories charge a listing fee. Decide case by case — a paid listing on a relevant, high-DR directory can be worth it, while paying for a generic one usually isn't. We flag paid directories so there are no surprises.