Why Backlinks Matter (Even If You Just Built Your First Product)

You built something. A website, a tool, a small product. You deploy it, open Google… and no one shows up. No visitors. No traffic. This is where most builders get stuck.

This is where distribution becomes important. A big part of distribution is showing up in search engines like Google. You do that by getting backlinks. Backlinks help Google find your site, trust it, and show it to others.

What is a backlink

A backlink is simply a link from another website to your website. That’s it. If someone writes about your product and links to it, that is a backlink. If you submit your site to a directory and it links back to you, that is also a backlink.

Backlinks can occur in many different ways, like a news article referencing you as a source or a blog writing about your product, or a directory that lists your website.

Why backlinks matter

Google uses backlinks to decide which websites are important.

Think of it like this:

1. Every backlink is a small vote.
2. More votes means more trust.
3. More trust means a higher chance your website shows up in search results.

No backlinks often means:

• Google does not find your site
• Google does not trust your site
• Your site does not rank

So even if your product is great, people will not find it.

A simple way to see how your website is doing in Google is a metric called DR, or Domain Rating. DR is a score that shows how strong your website is based on backlinks. If strong websites link to you, your DR goes up. If you have few or weak links, your DR stays low. A higher DR usually means a better chance to rank in Google.

To find out your DR you can use free tools like the Ahrefs Authority Checker. Are you in single digits or Ahref can’t even give a DR / find your tool? Then this blog is for you.

Why this is hard for new builders

When you are just starting:

• No one knows your product
• No one links / references to you
• You have no traffic

So you stay invisible. This is the hardest phase. Not building the product. Getting people to see it, in other words; distribution.

The simple way to start

You do not need complicated SEO. You just need to get your first backlinks. This can be as simple as:

1. Submitting your product to directories
2. Posting on platforms where builders hang out
3. Getting listed on websites that showcase new tools
4. Asking for feedback and sharing your link

Each one gives you a small push. And these small pushes add up. However, not all backlinks are equal. Some links pass value to your website. Others do not.

This is where “nofollow” comes in. A nofollow link tells Google: “Do not pass trust to this link.”

This is often the case for social media platforms where users can post their own links. Platforms such as Instagram, X, Reddit etc., all automatically register community posted links as a “nofollow” link. Simply put, these links won’t add any value to Google’s perception of your tool and thus your ranking.

Therefore it is important to actively get backlinks from the right places, so your Google ranking actually improves.

Where LaunchPanda comes in

This is exactly why we built Launch Panda. When you launch a product, you want to start in the right places without spending hours figuring it out. You want the right backlinks from day one. When you launch a product, you want two things:

1. Visibility
2. Feedback

LaunchPanda helps you do both. You fill in your product info once. Then you get matched with platforms where you can:

1. Submit your product
2. Get guaranteed backlinks
3. Get early users
4. Receive real feedback

No more searching endlessly where to post. No more guessing what to do next. No uncertainty whether this site actually provides you a backlink, or finding out after 30 minutes of listing your product that you have to pay to get a link, or that a site won’t accept your listing in general.

With Launch Panda we launch so you can build and grow.

Why this matters early

The earlier you get backlinks, the better. Because Google starts noticing your site faster. Your pages get indexed sooner. And you start building momentum from day one. At the same time, you get feedback from real users. This helps you improve your product while you grow your audience.

Is your product still rough or in beta? No problem. Launch it anyway. Start getting feedback. Get indexed by Google early. Let people discover what you are building. Do not wait for perfect. Growth starts with distribution. Build and share at the same time.