The FrontStat method

Links that count

Two listings can look identical and be worth very different amounts. The difference is whether the page is open to search and whether its link to you is a plain link or one marked nofollow, ugc or sponsored.

What we measure

For each listing, FrontStat fetches the page and reads two things: whether it carries a noindex tag, and how the link to your domain is marked. A plain link on a page open to search counts. A link marked rel=nofollow, ugc or sponsored does not. A page with noindex is hidden from search, so nothing on it counts.

Each counting link is weighted by the listing site's authority, a 0 to 100 figure that follows the site's public traffic rank. Up to 25 points come from this check.

Why it matters

Google documents the three link attributes and their meaning. nofollow tells Google you do not want to be associated with the linked page or pass ranking credit to it; sponsored marks paid placements; ugc marks user-generated content. Google says it treats these as hints about which links to consider, not as directives, so a nofollow link is not worthless, but a plain link is the one that reliably counts.

noindex is stronger: it tells search engines to drop the page from results. A listing page that is not in the index cannot pass anything on, whatever the link on it says.

What to do

Read each launch site's rules before relying on it. Several only give a plain link to listings that pay for an upgrade or reach a rank; others give a plain link to everyone. FrontStat's report shows which of your listings count, so you can see the pattern for the sites you used.

Do not buy links or trade them in bulk to move this check. Google treats link schemes as spam and can demote a site for them, which would cost far more than the points.

Check your own launch. First report within 24 hours.