DoFollow vs NoFollow on BuiltByMe: What Your Listing Plan Actually Gets You
One link passes SEO authority to your site. The other does not. Here is exactly what each BuiltByMe plan includes and why it matters.
When you list your product on BuiltByMe, the type of backlink you get depends on which plan you choose. This is not a minor detail. A DoFollow link from an indexed directory passes real SEO authority to your site. A NoFollow link does not. Understanding the difference helps you decide whether the Launch plan is worth it for your specific situation.
What DoFollow and NoFollow actually mean
Every link on the web has a relationship attribute that tells search engines how to treat it. A DoFollow link (technically, the absence of a rel="nofollow" attribute) tells Google: "I endorse this page, and my authority should flow to it." A NoFollow link tells Google: "I am linking to this page but not vouching for it."
In practical SEO terms, DoFollow links from relevant, indexed websites increase your domain authority and improve your ability to rank for competitive keywords. They are one of the clearest positive signals Google uses to evaluate a page. NoFollow links do not pass this authority directly, though they still contribute to a natural-looking link profile and can drive referral traffic.
This is why link building is so valuable: every DoFollow link from a credible source is a vote of confidence that Google counts. And this is why the type of link you get from a directory listing matters, not just the fact that you are listed.
What each BuiltByMe plan includes
Free plan
The free plan lists your product in the directory with full visibility. Your product appears in category pages, the weekly leaderboard, and search results on the site. The backlink to your product website uses rel="nofollow". You can select a launch date, but free plan dates are subject to the weekly slot cap (five free products per week). During high-demand periods, the next available free slot may be weeks out.
Launch plan ($19 one-time)
The Launch plan changes two things that matter for SEO and distribution. First, the link to your product website becomes DoFollow, meaning it passes authority from BuiltByMe's domain to yours. Second, your launch date is not subject to the weekly slot cap. You can schedule for any week, including weeks that are fully booked for free plan users. You enter the weekly competition on your launch week and are eligible for the newsletter and X promotion if your product wins.
Is the DoFollow backlink worth $19?
This depends on where you are in your SEO journey. Here is a framework for thinking about it:
If your domain is new (under 6 months old): Early DoFollow backlinks from relevant, indexed sites have an outsized impact on your domain authority. A $19 DoFollow backlink from a directory in your category is one of the most cost-effective early SEO investments available. Guest posts on relevant blogs cost $50 to $200 per placement when you factor in your time. Directory DoFollow links at $19 are cheap by comparison.
If your domain is established (over 1 year old, DA 20+): The marginal impact of a single backlink is smaller but still positive. The more relevant consideration at this stage is whether the referral traffic and community exposure from the weekly competition add value beyond the link itself.
If you have no SEO strategy at all: The DoFollow link matters less if your site has no other foundational SEO work done. Address your meta tags, submit your sitemap to Google Search Console, and get a few directory listings before worrying about the DoFollow versus NoFollow distinction.
The weekly competition value
The DoFollow backlink is the SEO argument for the Launch plan. But the weekly competition is the distribution argument. Every week, the product with the most community upvotes wins a feature in the BuiltByMe newsletter and an X post to the full audience. Free plan products that launch during weeks with open slots are eligible for this. Launch plan products skip the queue entirely, meaning you can time your launch to a week where you are ready to promote rather than waiting for an available free slot.
For a product launching with no existing audience, the combination of a DoFollow backlink and a timed entry into the weekly competition during a week you are ready to drive traffic is worth more than either element alone.
How to decide
If your product is live and you are actively working on distribution, the Launch plan is worth it. The DoFollow backlink is a permanent asset, the queue skip saves you potentially months of waiting during high-demand periods, and the weekly competition gives you a structured reason to coordinate your launch efforts around a specific week.
If you are still in early development or just want to claim your listing before you are ready to launch, the free plan is the right choice. Get listed, get the NoFollow backlink, and upgrade when you are ready to actively promote.
Either way, being listed is better than not being listed. The referral traffic, the indexed directory page for your product, and the community exposure all have value regardless of which plan you choose.