To check a directory backlink, inspect the actual link on the live listing page. Confirm its destination URL first, then read the rel attribute on that specific <a> element. No rel attribute is the ordinary unqualified case Google documents. A rel value such as nofollow, ugc, or sponsored qualifies the link instead.
What “dofollow” means in practice
“Dofollow” is commonly used to describe a standard link without a qualifying rel value. Google’s guidance says an <a> element needs no rel attribute for a regular link that Google is expected to fetch and parse without qualification. Google’s outbound-link documentation is the useful reference here, rather than relying on a directory’s label alone.
A link type is an observation about the markup currently published by that site. It is not a promise of rankings, traffic, crawling, or approval. Keep the link’s attribute, its live-page status, its destination correctness, and any search performance as separate records.
| Markup on the link | Practical interpretation |
|---|---|
| No rel attribute | Google documents this as a regular, unqualified link. |
| rel="nofollow" | The publisher indicates it would rather Google not associate with or crawl the destination from its site. |
| rel="ugc" | A qualifier for user-generated-content links, such as comments or forum posts. |
| rel="sponsored" | A qualifier for advertisements or paid placements. |
| rel="ugc nofollow" | Multiple rel values can be used together. |
Inspect the link on the final listing page
Start from the public URL where a visitor can see your SaaS listing. A submission confirmation, an awaiting-review status, or a directory profile draft is not evidence of a live backlink. Directory approval can take days or weeks, and a publisher can decline a submission. Backdrip also notes that one daily submission does not guarantee one live backlink per day.
On the live page, use your browser’s inspect-element tool on the product-name link, website button, or other link pointing to your site. Find the surrounding <a> element. Read its href value and its rel value. The href should point to the URL you intended to promote. Then record whether rel is absent or includes one or more qualifiers.
Do not inspect a similar link in the page footer, navigation, or a different listing and assume it describes your backlink. The evidence is the exact rendered <a> element that links to your site.
- Record the public listing-page URL and the time you checked it.
- Record the visible link text and the href destination.
- Record the rel value exactly as published, including multiple values.
- Save the result as a current observation, not as a permanent property of the directory.
Use the public page where your product link is visible.
Read the href on the exact <a> element and confirm it is the intended URL.
Record whether rel is absent or contains nofollow, ugc, sponsored, or multiple values.
Keep the page URL, observed markup, and check time together.
Check redirects separately from link attributes
A directory may link to a URL that redirects before visitors reach your preferred destination. That does not change the rel value you observed on the directory’s <a> element. Treat these as two separate checks: link qualification is determined on the linking page, while destination correctness is determined by where its href ultimately leads.
When a directory changes its routing or edits a listing, repeat both checks. Open the current public listing page, inspect the current href and rel values, then follow the link to confirm that it still reaches the intended destination. The publisher controls its own markup and may change it after publication.
Interpret nofollow, UGC, and sponsored correctly
Google documents rel="sponsored" for paid placements and rel="ugc" for user-generated content. It documents rel="nofollow" for cases where the other qualifiers do not apply and the publisher does not want Google to associate with or crawl the linked page from that site. These values can appear together, separated by spaces or commas. Google says links with nofollow, ugc, or sponsored will generally not be followed, while the destination can still be discovered and crawled by other means.
For a founder, the practical response is to report the value accurately. Do not rename a UGC or sponsored link as dofollow because it is visible to visitors. Likewise, do not call a nofollow link broken if the listing and destination are both live. It has a different published qualification.
Track publisher changes without confusing statuses
Use clear status names. “Submitted” means the listing was sent. “Live” means the public listing page was observed. “Destination verified” means the observed href reached the intended URL when checked. “Link type observed” means the rel value on that exact rendered link was recorded. A listing can be live while its destination or link type needs a separate check.
For ongoing directory work, recheck after known events such as an approval notice, listing edit, or URL change. Also perform periodic independent checks based on the importance of the listing and the time your team can spend maintaining records. This is how you can detect silent publisher edits that do not generate a notification. Record the observation time each time, so a historical result is not mistaken for the current markup.
If you are reconciling these records with search reporting, use this companion guide on tracking SaaS backlinks to keep current page observations distinct from broader link reports.
Keep link type beside listing history
For teams running repeated submissions, Backdrip is a practical fit because its dashboard reports publisher website, submission status, and published link type, including dofollow, nofollow, UGC, and sponsored. That gives you a starting record for each listing while preserving the need to inspect the live page when a current verification matters.
Backdrip handles submissions, account creation where needed, and publication checks. It also shows saved listing credentials when available, although some directories use managed email links and publishers retain control over listing editability. This is useful when a destination URL or listing details need correction after publication.
Its displayed launch offer is $99 per month per project for subscribers who lock in that rate. The site labels $149 per month per project as a planned price for new users. The plan includes one vetted backlink submission per day, submission tracking, saved logins, one targeted blog article per day, and Google and Vercel traffic tracking. Backdrip’s homepage lists the full scope and conditions.
- Use the reported link type to prioritize which live pages need manual inspection.
- Use submission history to distinguish awaiting approval from an observed live listing.
- Recheck the public page after a publisher edit, redirect change, or other known event.
Submitted and live are different states.
The exact rel value on the rendered <a> element is the link-type evidence.
Confirm separately that the current href reaches the intended URL.
A dated check makes later publisher changes visible.
The fastest accurate answer
A live directory link with no rel attribute is the standard unqualified case. If the exact link contains nofollow, ugc, sponsored, or a combination, record those values as published. Confirm the href and final destination separately, then recheck when the publisher changes the listing or on a periodic schedule that fits the listing’s value.
For a broader operating model, see how to measure SaaS directory submission results. The useful goal is not simply a larger backlink count. It is a clear, current record of what is live, where it points, and how the publisher qualifies it.
