How to Get Backlinks for a New Startup

A backlink is a link from another website to one of your pages. Search engines use links as one signal about how useful and trustworthy a page is, which is why new startups often ask how to get them. The honest answer is that links follow useful assets and relevant relationships. There is no legitimate shortcut that reliably replaces either.

This guide covers what makes a link worth pursuing, the assets that attract links naturally, a repeatable outreach process, and the tactics that create more risk than value.

TL;DR

• Publish one asset that a writer could cite: original data, a calculator, a definitive guide, an open-source tool or a comparison that adds real evidence.
• Find pages that already link to similar resources. Those pages are the best prospects because the editor has already decided the topic matters.
• Send a short pitch that names the page, explains the gap and shows why your asset fits. Do not send the same message to hundreds of addresses.
• Use directories, integrations and communities to create legitimate listings and relationships, not as a numbers game.
• Measure referrals and assisted conversations, not just the count of links.

Disclosure: ZeroRaised publishes this guide and is a launch and discovery site for bootstrapped products. It appears near the end as one possible listing, not as a promised source of links or traffic.

What is a backlink, and why does it matter?#

A backlink is an editable hyperlink from another site to your site. If a blog post, directory, documentation page or community thread links to your product page, that is a backlink.

Search engines treat links as one of many signals. A link from a relevant, trusted page can help a search engine discover your page and understand what it is about. A link from an irrelevant or low-quality page may do little, and a link that is bought or manipulated can create a penalty risk.

Not all links are equal. The useful questions are:

• Relevance: Is the linking page about the same problem, audience or category?
• Placement: Is the link in the body of a useful page, or buried in a footer or a list of sponsors?
• Editorial intent: Did a person choose to link because the page is useful, or was the link paid or automated?
• Trust: Does the site have a real audience and a track record, or does it exist mainly to sell links?
• Traffic: Could the link send a relevant visitor, even if search engines treat it differently?

Google's Search Essentials explains that organic search has no placement fee but does not guarantee visibility. Its spam policies describe link spam, including buying or selling links that pass PageRank and participating in large-scale link exchanges. Read those pages before deciding that a paid link package is a shortcut.

Start with an asset worth citing#

Most link-building advice starts with tactics. Start with the reason someone would link. A writer, editor or community member links when the destination helps their reader. That usually means one of five things.

1. Original data or a useful dataset#

If your product collects or processes data, you may be able to publish an aggregated, anonymised view that answers a question in your market. The dataset must be real, the method must be explained and the privacy of customers must be protected.

2. A free tool or calculator#

A calculator that solves one problem can attract links because it is useful without a sales conversation. Examples include a fee calculator, a break-even calculator or a checklist that gives a result. The tool should work without an account and should explain its assumptions.

ZeroRaised's own payment fee calculator and ramen profitability calculator are examples of this shape. They are useful on their own, and they connect naturally to the product.

3. A definitive guide or reference page#

A guide can earn links when it is the most complete, accurate and current explanation of a topic. That means covering the questions a reader actually has, citing primary sources and updating the page when the rules change.

4. An open-source project or integration#

Open-source code is naturally linkable because other developers can use it, inspect it and reference it. A well-documented repository, a reusable component or an integration with an established platform can produce links from documentation, tutorials and community posts.

The open-source marketing guide covers how to present a project so people can find it and understand it.

5. A genuinely useful comparison#

Comparison pages attract links when they help a buyer choose, not when they exist only to rank for a competitor's name. Include selection criteria, real limitations, pricing context and a clear recommendation for different situations.

Find pages that already link to similar resources#

Once you have an asset, build a prospect list from pages that already cover the topic. These are better prospects than a cold list of journalists or bloggers because the editor has already shown interest in the subject.

Look for:

• Roundups and resource pages that list tools, templates or guides in your category.
• Comparisons that mention alternatives but miss your approach.
• Tutorials that explain the problem your product solves and link to related resources.
• Documentation for platforms you integrate with.
• Community threads where someone asks for a recommendation.
• Podcasts and newsletters that cover your niche and link to show notes.

For each prospect, record the URL, the relevant section, the person responsible if it is visible and why your asset fits. Do not add a page just because it has a high domain rating. Add it because a reader of that page would benefit from your link.

The free startup directories guide is a separate route. A directory listing is a citation and sometimes a link, but it is not the same as an editorial mention. Use the directory submission workflow when you are ready to work through listings systematically.

Write outreach that respects the editor's time#

A good outreach message is short, specific and easy to verify. It does not flatter, flatter and then ask for a favour. It assumes the editor is busy and gives them a reason to care.

Use this structure:

1. Subject line: Name the page or topic, not a generic "collaboration opportunity".
2. First line: Say why you are writing to this person, specifically.
3. The gap: Point to the section or resource that is missing or out of date.
4. The asset: Link to your page and explain in one sentence what it adds.
5. The ask: Ask whether they would consider adding it, not whether they will.
6. Sign-off: Your name, role and a direct link.

Example skeleton:

Hi [name], I read your guide to [topic] and noticed the section on [specific step] does not mention [specific approach]. I built [asset] because [reason]. It covers [one concrete thing] and includes [method or source]. If it is useful, would you consider adding it to that section? Either way, thanks for keeping the guide current.

This is a template, not a script. Personalise the first line and the gap. If you cannot name a specific gap, do not send the email.

Use directories, integrations and communities carefully#

Not every link needs a pitch. Some come from being present in the places where your product belongs.

Directories. Submit to directories that accept your product type and stage, using an accurate description, the canonical URL and the right category. Do not submit to hundreds of irrelevant lists.

Integrations and open source. A working integration listing, a maintained open-source project or a partner page can produce links from documentation and community posts. The contribution must be real.

Communities and partnerships. Answer questions where you can be useful, mention the product only when relevant, and co-create content only when both sides have something useful to say. Avoid mass-produced guest posts whose only purpose is a backlink.

What to avoid#

Link building has a long list of tactics that look efficient and create risk. Avoid these:

• Buying links or paying for dofollow placements. Google's spam policies describe buying or selling links that pass PageRank as link spam. Paid links should be qualified with the appropriate attribute.
• Private blog networks and automated link farms. These exist to manipulate rankings, not to help readers.
• Mass guest posting on unrelated sites. A link from a site nobody in your market reads is unlikely to help and may look manipulative.
• Exact-match anchor text at scale. A natural link profile includes brand names, URLs and descriptive phrases. Over-optimising anchors is a warning sign.
• Link exchanges at scale. Reciprocal links can be legitimate when they are genuinely useful, but a systematic exchange scheme is a link scheme.
• Fake directories and paid "awards". If the only qualification is payment, the link is probably not worth having.
• Hiding links or cloaking. These tactics violate search engine guidelines and can damage trust.

Measure what the links actually do#

A link count is a vanity metric unless it changes something. Track:

• Referring domains rather than total links, because one link per site is the useful unit.
• Relevance of the linking page to your product and audience.
• Referral visits from each link, using campaign parameters where appropriate.
• Qualified actions from those visits: signups, trial starts, demo requests or purchases.
• Assisted conversations where a prospect mentions finding you through a directory or article.

Use analytics to separate referrals from different sources. A link that sends ten relevant visitors who understand the product may be more valuable than a link that sends a thousand unqualified visitors.

Do not promise rankings or traffic from a link. Search engines decide what to index and how to rank. A link is one input, not a lever you control.

A simple 30-day backlink plan#

This is a sequence, not a guarantee.

Week 1: choose one asset. Pick the format you can produce well: a guide, a calculator, a dataset or an integration. Write down the specific reader and the question it answers.

Week 2: publish and make it linkable. Put the asset on a stable URL, add a clear title and summary, cite your sources and make it easy to share. Add a short section explaining the method if the asset includes data.

Week 3: build a prospect list. Find twenty pages that already link to similar resources. Record the page, the section and the reason your asset fits. Quality matters more than quantity.

Week 4: send ten specific pitches. Personalise each one. Follow up once. Record the response and the result.

Where ZeroRaised fits#

ZeroRaised is a launch and discovery site for bootstrapped products. A submission creates a product page that other people can inspect, link to and share. The launch sites directory lists places where a product can be discovered, and the pricing page explains the current options.

A launch page is not a backlink strategy on its own. It is a stable destination that makes outreach easier: when you ask someone to mention the product, you can send them a page that explains what it is, who made it and how to try it.

If you are building a linkable asset, start with the free marketing channels guide and the directory submission workflow. If you have an open-source project, the open-source marketing guide covers the community side.

Sources and further reading#

• Google Search Essentials
• Google spam policies
• ZeroRaised: free startup directories
• ZeroRaised: how to submit your startup to directories
• ZeroRaised: free marketing channels