What a dofollow link is honestly worth, from a site that offers one
By Justinas Rolando, maker of MacPip
One link from a new site is worth a little today. Dofollow only means the link carries no tag asking search engines to ignore it. What it passes depends on the page and site it sits on. MacPip offers one for free and is new, so treat ours as a small bonus and not as a plan.
MacPip gives every approved app a free dofollow link. I built it that way, so I have a reason to make it sound great. Here is the honest version instead.
What "dofollow" means
There is no dofollow tag. A link is called dofollow when it has none of the three tags that tell search engines to treat it differently. Google documents these:
| Tag | Meant for |
|---|---|
nofollow | Links you don't want associated with your site |
ugc | Comments, forum posts and other user content |
sponsored | Ads and paid placements |
A plain link has none of these. You can check any link yourself: open the page source and read the rel part. Our guide to the MacPip link shows exactly what ours looks like.
What Google says links do
Two things are stated in Google's own starter guide. Links are how it finds most new pages. And PageRank, which uses links, is one of its fundamental algorithms, but only one of many ranking signals.
So a link can help a search engine find you and can count for something. How much it counts isn't published, and anyone who gives you a precise figure is guessing.
Why ours is worth little today
A link passes on some of what the linking site has earned, and MacPip is new. We haven't earned much yet. I won't quote an authority score, because it wouldn't tell you what Google thinks, and it could look like a promise. Our traffic is public, so you can judge for yourself.
The link helps more if MacPip grows. It may not. I can't promise any ranking from it, and nobody honest can.
The awkward part about directories
Google's spam policies list low-quality directory links as an example of link spam. That covers places that exist only to hand out links. So a directory is only worth your time if a person could get something from it.
Here is what I'd ask of any directory, this one included:
- Does a real person use it to find things, or is it only a list of links?
- Does it check what it lists, or take anything?
- Is there a real page about your app, or just your name in a long list?
- Are the conditions stated? Some directories follow a link only if you add their badge. Google's policies also name excessive link exchanges, like "link to me and I'll link to you".
We ask for nothing back here. The badge is optional and changes nothing about your link. Where to launch a Mac app lists the link conditions we could confirm on other sites.
Don't buy links
The same policies list buying links for ranking as spam. Paying is fine when the link is marked sponsored or nofollow, because then it doesn't pass ranking credit. That is what we do: paid Featured spots on MacPip are marked sponsored, and they don't change the order, the check or the tick.
What I'd do with an hour instead
These are my opinions:
- Fix your page first. A link can't help a page that doesn't say what the app does. Start with the landing page grader and a clear one-line description.
- Put the app where people replacing a known app look. AlternativeTo came up more than any other site in the top results of 44 searches we ran in October. Where to launch a Mac app has the other options.
- Make something people link to by choice, like a useful changelog or a free small tool.
- Count visitors, not links. Listing links here carry
ref=macpip, so your analytics will show what we sent you, even if it's very little.
Then, if it costs you five minutes, take the free link. Just don't plan around it.
Real listings to look at
You can check our claim on these real listings. Open the page source and look at the Visit website link.
GlisioA Mac screen recorder with auto-zoom, AI voiceover and captions.Screen Recording, checked October 30, 2026
SnugSnug tiles every window the moment it opensProductivity, checked October 31, 2026
Sources
- Google: Qualify your outbound links
- Google: Spam policies, link spam
- Google: SEO starter guide
- MacPip guide: A free dofollow backlink for your Mac app
Keep reading
- How to launch a Mac app: a checklist that fits on one pageWhat to do before, on and after launch day for a Mac app: signing, your page, directories, Product Hunt, Show HN and what to measure.
- How to write a one-line description that says what your Mac app doesA plain way to write the one line under your Mac app's name: name the job, cut the hype, and test it on someone who has never seen the app.
- Signing and notarization, in plain words, for people making their first Mac appWhat code signing, notarization and stapling each do, in what order, what your users see without them, and how to check your own build.