Building backlinks is still an important part of SEO, but the approach has changed. Simply submitting your website to hundreds of random directories is unlikely to produce meaningful results.
A better strategy is to focus on high-authority, relevant and trustworthy websites where your business or content genuinely belongs.
In this guide, we’ll look at some free platforms you can use to build foundational backlinks and improve your website’s online presence.
What Is High DA Link Building?
DA, or Domain Authority, is a third-party metric used to estimate the strength of a website’s backlink profile. It is not a Google ranking factor.
So, don’t choose a website just because it has a high DA.
A website with a lower DA but strong relevance to your industry can be more useful than a high-DA website that has nothing to do with your business.
Google also warns against creating links primarily to manipulate search rankings.
Free High DA Websites for Link Building
Here are some platforms worth considering. Availability, link attributes and submission rules can change, so always check the current terms before creating a profile.
| Website | Best For | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Google Business Profile | Local businesses | Google Business Profile |
| Personal & company profiles | ||
| Medium | Blog/content publishing | Medium |
| Communities & discussions | ||
| Quora | Q&A & expertise | Quora |
| GitHub | Developers & projects | GitHub |
| Behance | Designers & portfolios | Behance |
| Crunchbase | Companies & startups | Crunchbase |
| G2 | Software & SaaS companies | G2 |
| Product Hunt | Products & startups | Product Hunt |
| Yelp | Local businesses | Yelp |
| Foursquare | Local businesses | Foursquare |
| Bing Places | Local businesses | Bing Places |
| Apple Business Connect | Local businesses | Apple Business Connect |
| Trustpilot | Business reputation | Trustpilot |
| Visual content & brands | ||
| YouTube | Video/content marketing | YouTube |
| Tumblr | Blogging & content | Tumblr |
| Dribbble | Designers & creatives | Dribbble |
| Flickr | Photography & visual content | Flickr |
| Vimeo | Video creators & businesses | Vimeo |
| SlideShare | Presentations & business content | SlideShare |
| Issuu | Digital publications | Issuu |
| About.me | Personal profiles | About.me |
| Wellfound | Startups & companies | Wellfound |
| DEV Community | Developers & tech content | DEV Community |
| HackerNoon | Technology content | HackerNoon |
| Hashnode | Developers & technical blogs | Hashnode |
| AlternativeTo | Software & apps | AlternativeTo |
| Capterra | Software companies | Capterra |
Important: Don’t assume every link from these platforms will be dofollow or pass ranking value. Many major platforms use nofollow, ugc, or other link attributes. The value can also come from referral traffic, brand visibility, discovery and citations.
Ahrefs describes social profiles, business directories and review sites as useful foundational links, particularly for newer websites, while noting that these links generally have limited direct ranking power.
1. Google Business Profile
If you operate a local business, this should be one of your first priorities.
Create and verify your profile, then add:
- Business name
- Website
- Phone number
- Address
- Business category
- Opening hours
- Photos
- Services
Don’t create multiple fake profiles just to get links. Keep your business information accurate and consistent.
2. LinkedIn
LinkedIn is useful for both personal branding and company promotion.
Create a complete company page and personal profile. You can also publish useful articles and share original content.
For B2B companies, LinkedIn can be particularly valuable because the platform can generate both visibility and referral traffic.
3. Medium
Medium allows you to publish useful articles and tutorials.
Instead of copying an article from your website, create a shorter version or a different angle and link to the original resource when it genuinely helps the reader.
The goal should be content distribution, not publishing hundreds of spun articles.
4. Reddit
Reddit can be useful for generating targeted traffic and building brand awareness.
But Reddit is not a place to drop promotional links everywhere.
Find communities related to your industry, participate in discussions and answer questions first. Share your website only when it actually adds value.
5. Quora
Quora works in a similar way.
Search for questions related to your expertise and provide useful, original answers.
For example, if you run an SEO website, you could answer questions about technical SEO, keyword research, Google Search Console or link building.
A relevant link to a detailed guide can be included when it helps explain the answer.
6. Crunchbase
Crunchbase can be useful for companies, startups and organizations that have a legitimate business presence.
Complete the company profile with accurate information and your official website.
Don’t create a listing for a business that doesn’t actually exist simply for a backlink.
7. G2
If you operate a software or technology business, G2 can be worth considering.
A complete company or product profile can improve brand visibility while potentially generating referral traffic.
8. Product Hunt
Product Hunt is especially useful for:
- SaaS products
- AI tools
- Apps
- Online services
- Technology products
Launching a genuine product can generate exposure, users and potentially secondary backlinks from people who discover and discuss your product.
9. Local Business Directories
Local directories can still be useful when they are legitimate and relevant.
Examples include:
- Yelp
- Foursquare
- Bing Places
- Apple Business Connect
- Better Business Bureau
- Chamber of Commerce directories
- Industry-specific directories
The important point is quality over quantity.
Ahrefs recommends finding relevant directories where competitors are already listed rather than submitting a website to every directory you can find.
How to Find More High-Quality Link Opportunities
One of my favorite methods is competitor backlink research.
Take 3–5 competitors and check where their backlinks are coming from.
Look for:
- Industry directories
- Local citations
- Resource pages
- Guest articles
- Business associations
- Partner websites
- Industry publications
- Podcast websites
- Relevant communities
If a website links to several of your competitors, there is a reasonable chance that it may also be relevant to your business.
Don’t Focus Only on DA
This is where many beginners make a mistake.
A backlink from a DA 80 website isn’t automatically better than a backlink from a DA 40 website.
Before building a link, ask:
Is this website relevant?
Does it have real users or traffic?
Is the website maintained?
Does it have useful content?
Would I want my potential customer to see my business listed there?
If the answer is yes, the opportunity is probably worth investigating.
What to Avoid
Stay away from services promising:
- 1,000 backlinks for $10
- Instant 500 backlinks
- Guaranteed Google ranking
- Automated directory submissions
- Private blog networks
- Thousands of forum profile links
- Keyword-stuffed anchor text
- Paid links designed to manipulate rankings
Google specifically identifies automated link creation, excessive link exchanges and links created primarily to manipulate rankings as examples of link spam.
A Simple Link Building Plan
You don’t need to build 100 backlinks every week.
Try this instead:
Week 1:
Create and optimize your major business and social profiles.
Week 2:
Submit your business to 5–10 relevant local or industry directories.
Week 3:
Publish useful content on platforms where your audience already exists.
Week 4:
Research competitor backlinks and contact relevant websites for genuine opportunities.
Then repeat the process.
Final Thoughts
Free link building can work, but free doesn’t mean low quality and high DA doesn’t automatically mean valuable.
The best backlinks usually come from websites that are relevant, trusted and useful to your audience.
Think about link building as building your website’s reputation, not simply collecting URLs.
A handful of relevant links from genuine websites can be much more useful than hundreds of random directory submissions.
Build fewer links. Build better links.
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