Startup Launch Directories Criticized as Paid Backlink Schemes With Almost No Traffic
The author paid $39 to list a side project on BetaList and then received solicitations from five other launch directories within hours. These sites pitched paid listings or offered free ones in exchange for backlinks, often using the founder's inbound listing as their lead. The author's analysis in Ahrefs found that the sites had high Domain Ratings from backlinks but little or no organic traffic, with one clone copying a rival directory's homepage. The piece argues that these directories, many built cheaply with AI, mainly sell to founders rather than serve real audiences.
This is an AI-generated summary. ShortSingh links to the original source for the complete article.


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