Free Backlinks: 55 High-Authority Sites List to Build Links for Free in 2026

Free dofollow link sites: 35

Free nofollow link site: 20

Is it really possible to get free backlinks that help improve rankings and visibility?

Yes, you can earn backlinks from trusted resources without spending anything.

Free backlinks from high-authority websites can boost your search rankings without spending money. This comprehensive article provides 55 verified platforms where you can build quality backlinks in 2026, complete with Domain Authority scores, monthly traffic data, and instructions.

We have manually verified each site listed here to make sure it allows you to build free, high-quality backlinks without risking penalties.

Methodology: All 55 sites were manually tested between November-December 2025. We verified link placement capabilities, checked indexation rates, and confirmed current DA via Moz and DR and traffic per month via Ahrefs.

Free Backlinks Are Possible: You can earn backlinks without paying, using trusted platforms.

Best Sources for Free Backlinks:

•  Guest post sites;
• Web 2.0 platforms;
• Business directories;
• Forums;
• Social bookmarking sites;
• Image, video, and document sharing platforms;
• Review sites.

Brand Benefits: Backlinks boost authority, increase traffic, and enhance brand visibility, even for large established brands.

Best Practices: Use a mix of different backlink types for a natural, balanced backlink profile.

Let’s start with clarifying what free backlinks are. Free backlinks are incoming links from other websites to your site that you can acquire without direct payment. 

It is possible to get links for free from:

• Free guest posting websites;
• Web 2.0 sites;
• Business directories;
• Forums;
• Other platforms that allow you to create profiles or publish content for free. 

High-quality free backlinks can help improve visibility, increase authority, and diversify your backlink profile.

We have gathered the best free website to get either dofollow or nofollow backlinks along with their key SEO metrics such as DA/DR and traffic per month.

Where to Get Free Dofollow Backlinks: Best Free Backlink Sites by Category

1. Top Free Dofollow Guest Post Sites

Guest posting remains one of the most effective link-building strategies, as it not only helps you earn valuable backlinks but also showcases your authority within your niche.

By contributing well-written, relevant articles, you can reach new audiences, build credibility, and strengthen relationships in your industry. Below is the list of websites where you can publish your articles for free.

2. Top Free Dofollow Web 2.0 Sites

Web 2.0 platforms are a great place to create mini-sites, publish articles, or share branded content, helping you earn authority-driven backlinks. These sites are interactive and flexible — you can set up your own pages, post links and images, leave comments, and engage with other users. 

Common examples include blogs, social networks, and video-sharing platforms. They’re perfect for long-form articles, product updates, or storytelling content that highlights your brand while boosting your ranking.

A frequent question is whether using Web 2.0 sites for links is considered gray-hat SEO. Using platforms like WordPress.com or Blogger primarily for link building is generally seen as gray-hat SEO. Focus on creating valuable content for users rather than trying to manipulate search rankings.

So, how can you make the most of Web 2.0 sites for backlinks? Treat your Web 2.0 pages like your own mini-website. Choose a relevant domain and theme, apply proper SEO, post quality content regularly, include images and media, and link to other helpful resources.

The key is to create useful, natural pages rather than just piling up backlinks. Avoid spamming, copying content, or flooding your pages with low-quality posts — consistency and authenticity are what really work over time.

3. Top Free Dofollow Business Directory Sites

High-authority business directories let you create detailed listings for your business, complete with backlinks to your website. You can add descriptions, images, social links, and other details to make your listing more engaging. Dofollow links from business directory websites are trusted by search engines. 

But the benefits go beyond SEO — directory listings can also bring in visitors who are actively searching for your services.

Plus, these listings often show up in brand-related searches, boosting your visibility and helping your business stand out online.

4. Top Free Dofollow Social Bookmarking Sites

Social bookmarking sites help your content get discovered and can drive traffic when it’s relevant and engaging. While some sites offer dofollow backlinks, many use nofollow, so the SEO boost varies. 

The real advantage is increased visibility — people can share your content, visit your website, and even link to it naturally elsewhere. By submitting high-quality, useful resources, you give your content a better chance to spread organically and reach a larger audience.

5. Top Free Dofollow Image Sharing Sites

Image-driven platforms allow you to include backlinks in your profile pages, image captions, and descriptions. They are especially useful for e-commerce, design, photography, and other businesses that rely heavily on visuals.

Aside from getting high-DA dofollow backlinks for free, you can showcase your products or services to a wider audience, drive targeted traffic, and increase leads and revenue.

6. Top Free Dofollow Forum Sites

Niche forums give advertisers a chance to participate in discussions and drop contextual backlinks. When done with genuine input, these links carry value and referral traffic.

7. Top Free Dofollow Article Submission Sites

Article directories let you publish original content that includes backlinks to your website. These platforms can be useful for thought leadership pieces, product explainers, or industry insights. Surely, it’s important to choose reputable websites, since low-quality directories won’t add much value and could even hurt your SEO.

8. Top Free Dofollow Video Submission Sites

Video-sharing platforms give you an opportunity to earn backlinks by adding them to your channel profile, video descriptions, or even within the video content itself. They’re especially effective for businesses that create tutorials, product demos, or brand storytelling videos, as these formats attract viewers and encourage engagement.

9.  Top Free Dofollow Review Sites

Online review platforms are great for building trust and visibility, especially since they often rank well in branded search results. By creating or claiming your profile, you not only showcase credibility but may also earn a dofollow backlink to your site. 

10.  Top Free Dofollow Document Sharing Sites

Document-sharing platforms let you upload content like whitepapers, case studies, presentations, or reports — and include backlinks within the files or your profile. That not only helps you earn backlinks but also showcases your expertise and positions your brand as a trusted resource.

Where to Get Free Nofollow Backlinks

While dofollow backlinks pass link juice, nofollow backlinks are still valuable for bringing in traffic, building your brand, and maintaining a natural link profile. We have gathered the best platforms where you can get free nofollow backlinks in a table.

The following table features:

• The best platforms on which you can add nofollow links safely, including social media and publishing platforms, expert directories, and content sharing sites;
• The traffic and domain strength of each platform;
• Instructions on exactly how to insert your link.

A dofollow backlink passes SEO authority (link juice) to your site and helps with rankings, while a nofollow backlink has a rel="nofollow" attribute that tells search engines not to pass authority, though it can still drive traffic.

The short answer: every website can benefit from building free backlinks. New websites need them to start establishing authority and gaining visibility in search engines, while older sites use them to maintain a diverse and natural backlink profile. 

Let’s take a look at the backlinks of well-known and established brands. First, we’ll review the backlink profile of amazon.com.

As you can see, there are dofollow links from Pinterest. The same is true for the backlink profile of nike.com.

Both companies have been in the market for many years, are renowned worldwide, and certainly have huge advertising budgets, yet they still have backlinks from free dofollow link sites. So why should others neglect such an opportunity?

What does that mean? Simply put, backlinks are the key to higher rankings, better online visibility, and more traffic. Sounds great, right? But here’s the catch: not every link is a good one. Some can do more harm than good, which is why it’s important to understand the difference between a good backlink and a bad one.

Good Backlinks:

• Come from trustworthy, high-authority websites.
• Are relevant to your site’s topic or niche.
• Use natural, context-appropriate anchor text.
• Help boost your search rankings and attract targeted visitors.
• Appear naturally within quality content, not in spammy sections.

Bad Backlinks:

• Come from low-quality or spammy websites.
• Are irrelevant to your site’s topic or niche.
• Use unnatural or over-optimized anchor text.
• Can hurt your SEO and even trigger penalties from search engines.
• Often show up in link farms, paid directories, or automatically generated content.

To choose the right website for a backlink from the list of free link sites, consider the factors we’ve outlined for a quality backlink. Another important aspect is website traffic: the higher it is, the more authority the link can pass.

Tip: Using a mix of different free backlink sites, from blogs and forums to social bookmarking and review platforms, helps create a natural, balanced backlink profile. Relying too heavily on a single type can appear unnatural and may risk SEO penalties.

Certainly, these links alone won’t push your website straight to the top overnight. They should be supported with links from other online resources, such as blogs of other companies, media outlets, and relevant sites, depending on your niche.

This is where Collaborator, a PR distribution marketplace, comes in. When using it, you won’t have to spend time on manual outreach for guest posting and press release distribution. Collaborator makes these tasks straightforward, easy, and backed by guarantees against deletion and non-indexation.

Backlinks are still one of the best ways to strengthen your website’s SEO, but not all links are created equal. Focusing on high-quality, relevant sites and building a mix of free backlinks from Web 2.0 platforms, business directories, forums, and more helps create a natural, balanced backlink profile.

Even free links can be valuable if they come from trusted sources and provide real context. Remember, backlinks work best when combined with great content on authoritative blogs, media outlets, and other reputable sites.