NEW-SITE BACKLINK CHECKLIST
Choose your first backlink tasks for a new site
Start with a page another publisher has a reason to mention. For a new developer tool, that might be a working integration guide. For a small utility, it might be the tool itself. Choose the destination before choosing where to ask for a link.
Use the worksheet to pick a task you can complete and verify. A useful placement can help readers find your project; no number of submissions guarantees indexing, rankings or traffic.
Prepare the page you want someone to link to
- Open the destination without signing in. Name the reader and the task the page helps them do. Replace a vague signup pitch with a working example, instructions or a usable tool when that better answers the task.
- Use a stable URL and descriptive title. Check that the page explains its purpose on a phone and that the next step works.
- Run the noindex and canonical checker. Review HTTP status, robots meta tags, headers and the declared canonical. Ask your coding agent to fix accidental controls after you review the change.
- Check Google's stored indexing information separately in Search Console. A successful HTTP response and no observed noindex are only technical observations.
Google requires a working page, crawl access and indexable content for Search eligibility; meeting those requirements does not guarantee indexing. Its technical requirements explain the distinction. A backlink cannot repair an empty product explanation.
Choose a channel that fits what you have
| Channel | Choose it when | Task and reason to decline |
|---|---|---|
| Relevant launch listing | The directory's audience might use your product, and its rules permit your submission. | Prepare an accurate description, screenshot or demo and the right destination. Skip a listing aimed at unrelated users or an offer promising rankings. |
| Integration, tutorial or free tool | You can publish something another developer or publisher needs to reference. | Make the resource work, then ask a relevant publisher to consider it. Skip a partner pitch when you have no actual integration or useful contribution. |
| Contextual nofollow network | You use a coding agent and have content where other relevant sites can be linked. | Review LinkBunny's exchange requirements. Wait if you have nowhere suitable to publish, or need guaranteed followed links. |
| Editorial outreach | You have a specific contribution for a named publisher and can handle pitches and replies. | Explain the contribution and why it serves that audience. Skip mass pitches that only request a link. The DIY agent workflow covers the work. |
For launch listings, read the current submission rules before spending time on assets or fees. The launch-directories article records the maker's experience. Check each directory's audience and rules before preparing a submission. If email outreach is work you want to avoid, read the no-cold-outreach option.
Illustrative founder tasks
An API product with a working integration
Destination: /guides/deploy-with-example-host, with a runnable setup and the expected response. Intended reader: a developer deploying their first API on that host. Choose a relevant integration tutorial or partner resource because another article can point to the setup instead of repeating it.
Complete the example before asking a publisher to consider it. Skip a directory whose audience does not use APIs, and wait on an exchange if you have no appropriate content for outgoing links. Do not imply a partnership that has not been agreed.
Verify: run the setup, then check that any published link points to the guide, describes it accurately and uses qualifiers matching the relationship. Check the published page's response. Keep a note of the completed contribution and useful reader feedback.
An independent utility with a free tool
Destination: /tools/timezone-overlap, where someone can compare working hours without creating an account. Intended reader: a remote team choosing a meeting time. Choose a tutorial that needs that calculation or a launch listing read by remote teams. Prepare a short demonstration and an accurate product description.
Skip offers that sell links by DR alone. A network request only fits if your own content can also place a relevant nofollow link. Let the publisher decide whether the tool helps its readers; a request is not an accepted placement.
Verify: open the published link on a phone, complete the calculation, and check the surrounding explanation and rel markup. Record the completed listing or tutorial mention; inspect referral visits when your existing analytics provides them.
A product with only a landing page
Destination: the landing page, if it already explains the product and has a working demo or next step. Choose a relevant launch listing whose rules accept the product. If a publisher needs a tutorial or comparison you cannot yet provide, create that resource before making the pitch.
Wait on an exchange when the site has no suitable article or content area for outgoing links. Adding a page full of unrelated partners just to qualify creates little value for readers. You can finish a listing or improve the product explanation first.
Verify: confirm the listing's destination and description, inspect its qualifiers, and make sure the demo or signup step works. Judge this task by whether it was completed, using the destination and markup checks above. Indexing dates and DR milestones are not promised outcomes.
Copy a worksheet for your next task
Fill this in in your own notes or give it to your coding agent. Keep outreach, submissions and site changes as decisions you approve.
Backlink task for a new site
Destination URL:
Intended reader and task:
Why another publisher would mention this page:
Channel and reason it fits:
Channels skipped and why:
Relationship and expected rel qualifier:
Submission, outreach or publication to approve:
Published source page and expected destination:
Verification: destination, context, rel markup, page response
Next observation: completed task, relevant visits or reader feedback
Google index status (separate Search Console check):Verify the published placement
Open the source page and read the sentence around the link. Check the destination and whether the anchor describes it. Use the placement checker for one expected link, and the rel checker to inspect the page's external links and qualifiers.
Google prefers sponsored for paid placements and recommends ugc for user contributions. LinkBunny requires nofollow on marketplace links. Qualifiers describe the relationship; they do not promise ranking credit. See Google's qualifier guidance.
Avoid excessive swaps and content made mainly to place links. Read Google's link spam policy and the nofollow guide for the search-policy details. Keep Google index status as a separate check in Search Console.
Have relevant pages and use a coding agent? Review LinkBunny's nofollow exchange workflow. Otherwise, keep the worksheet and complete the channel task you chose.