What is a startup directory?

Also called: product directory, SaaS directory, tool directory

A startup directory is a website that lists products by category so people can browse or search for a tool. Unlike a launch platform, it has no launch day: a listing is meant to be found months later.

Directories range from general ones that take any product to narrow ones for a single kind, such as AI tools or open-source software. Narrow directories send fewer visitors, but those visitors are looking for exactly what is listed.

Most directories let you submit for free and charge to skip the review queue or to be featured. The listing usually includes a link to your site, which may be dofollow or nofollow.

Why it matters for a launch

Directory listings are the easiest backlinks a new site can get, and a steady source of visitors who are already shopping for a tool. Submitting to a dozen relevant ones is a few hours of work that keeps paying.

Launch platformA launch platform is a website where makers announce new products to an audience that comes looking for them. Each product gets a page, a place in a feed or leaderboard, and usually a link back to its own site.
BacklinkA backlink is a link on another website that points to yours. Search engines read backlinks as a sign that other sites find your pages worth sending people to.
Dofollow linkA dofollow link is an ordinary link with no rel="nofollow", rel="sponsored" or rel="ugc" attribute. Search engines follow it and count it as a recommendation of the page it points to.
Directory submissionDirectory submission is the work of listing a product on startup and software directories: filling in its name, tagline, description, category and link on each one.

Why it matters for a launch

Related terms