Getting your startup off the ground isn’t just about building the product, it’s about being seen. And that usually means one thing: backlinks. The kind that drives traffic, improves your domain authority, and helps you show up in search results before your competitors do. But here’s the catch most good backlinks aren’t free. You either pay for them, beg for them, or waste hours pitching people who never reply.
LaunchingNext.com is a rare exception. It’s one of those few places online where you can earn a legitimate do-follow backlink for free no strings, no cold emails, no SEO tools required. You just submit your startup, fill out a simple form, and once approved, your listing goes live. That means your website gets linked from a domain with a Domain Rating (DR) of 48, which can give your SEO a solid push, especially if you’re starting from zero.
Launching Next is also a discovery platform. People visit it to find new tools, apps, and ideas. So getting listed here means you’re not just improving your rankings you’re also putting your product in front of an audience that actually cares about new startups.
Whether you’re an indie hacker shipping an MVP, a solo founder bootstrapping a SaaS, or a creator working on your first digital project, this is a fast, free win worth taking. You don’t need a huge team or a marketing budget. Just a working website and 10 minutes to fill out the form.
Here’s exactly how to do it and why it matters.
Why is LaunchingNext.com’s Backlink Worth Earning?
Getting listed on LaunchingNext gives you two wins in one move: visibility and SEO juice.
First, your startup gets featured among a curated list of other early-stage projects. That puts you in front of an audience that’s already browsing for new ideas and tools.
Second, you get a do-follow backlink, which passes link equity to your site. While a DR 48 isn’t massive, it’s still a valuable mid-tier link especially if your site is brand new or has a low authority score. Google crawls LaunchingNext often, so the link helps with indexing and early ranking potential.
Who It’s For?
If you’re in the early days of building something and need traction, LaunchingNext is for you. It’s ideal for:
- Solo founders who need a few solid backlinks to start with
- Bootstrapped SaaS products that can’t afford PR
- Indie hackers building in public
- Side project creators testing out MVPs
What’s the Platform’s Niche?
LaunchingNext is focused exclusively on digital startups. It’s not for local businesses, physical products, or general ecommerce. You’ll find listings for:
- Mobile apps
- SaaS tools
- AI products
- Developer tools
- Edtech, fintech, and productivity software
- Anything that fits the “new and digital” mold
Audience and Traffic
According to SimilarWeb, LaunchingNext pulls in roughly 30,000 visits per month. That’s a solid chunk of organic traffic for a startup directory and what makes it better is that the traffic is niche-specific.
The majority of its audience comes from the United States, followed by India, Canada, and Germany. Most of the people browsing are startup enthusiasts, solo makers, developers, and marketers looking for tools, inspiration, or new products to try out.
So even though it’s not the biggest site out there, its audience is targeted and relevant and that’s exactly what you want when you’re building something new.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Get Your Free Backlink from LaunchingNext.com
Step 1: Visit the Submission Page
Go to LaunchingNext. You’ll land on a page titled “Submit Your Project.”
Under the About the Startup section, enter the basics:
- Startup Name: Your product or brand name
- Startup URL: Use full URL
- Headline: Write a catchy 5–8 word summary of what your startup does
Step 2: Add Full Description & Tags
Now comes the big block: your startup description. Tell them what your product does, who it’s for, and what makes it unique.
Step 3: Choose Project Type
You’ll be asked to select one: Pick what fits best. This info just helps categorize your listing. Also, you’ll be asked whether you’re seeking board members. Feel free to say yes or no.
Step 4: Enter Your Personal Details
Scroll to the About You section. Enter:
This info won’t be published. It’s just so they can notify you if/when your project gets published.
Step 5: Submit and Wait (or Skip the Line)
Once everything looks good, hit the Submit Startup button.
If you’re in a rush, they offer a 1-business-day fast-track for $99 (totally optional)
Pro Tip: Maximize Your Chances of Approval
- Link to your main landing page, not your homepage, if the offer is more focused.
- Use short, punchy tags that match what people actually search (e.g., “productivity,” “AI,” “remote work”).
- Preview your listing before submitting, formatting errors can cost visibility.
- Promote your listing on X (Twitter) or LinkedIn the day it goes live, and tag LaunchingNext.com, they sometimes reshare well-performing ones.
- Request indexing via Google Search Console as soon as your listing is live.
Want More Free, High-Quality Backlinks?
This article is part of our ongoing series, Get High-Quality Backlinks for Free, where we spotlight trusted directory and discovery platforms like LaunchingNext.com that help startups build powerful backlink portfolios at no cost.
Looking for more actionable backlink ideas? Explore these step-by-step guides:
- How to Get a Free Backlink from Cipinet (DR 44)
- Secure a High-Quality DR 42 Backlink from StartupTracker.io
- Earn Free, High-Authority Backlinks from DevHunt (DR 57)
If you want to level up your organic growth faster, Abun is built to help founders, marketers, and SEO pros at every stage. Use Abun to discover ranking opportunities with AI Keyword Research, tap into Longtail Keyword suggestions, and analyze trends with GSC Keyword Insights. The Guest Post Finder and Programmatic SEO make your outreach easier, and every article created includes automatic internal and external linking, images, and optimized meta tags ready to auto-publish to your favorite CMS, including WordPress, Shopify, and Webflow. Abun’s workflow is designed to be friendly, effective, and tailored for real marketing needs.
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