How to Get a Free DR 90 Dofollow Backlink from the Freshworks Marketplace

App marketplaces from big SaaS vendors are a good source of free, relevant backlinks. This guide covers the Freshworks Marketplace, which a recent post on X describes as a free way to get a dofollow link from a DR 90 domain. The route the post recommends is the "External App" type, which suits a SaaS that already has its own product page.

What is the Freshworks Marketplace?

Freshworks makes customer and employee experience software, including Freshdesk. Its Marketplace is where customers find apps that extend those products. Freshworks' developer docs list several app types. An External App uses Freshdesk functionality to integrate with a third-party product. It is listed in the Freshworks Marketplace but installed from your own URL.

DR and link attributes

• Domain Rating: DR 90, as reported by the source post (the attached screenshot shows an Ahrefs overview with DR 90).
• Link type: the post says your app page links to your site with a dofollow link. I couldn't verify the rel attribute on a live listing, so check yours after publishing.
• Cost: free according to the post. I didn't see any listing fee in the submission docs I read.

Step-by-step: how to get listed

Step 1: Sign up for the developer platform

Go to the Freshworks developer sign-up page. It asks for your organization URL "if you have any", so you can start without one.

Step 2: Build an integration with Freshdesk

Create an integration that connects Freshdesk with your product. The source post names Freshdesk as the product to integrate with.

Step 3: Create the External App

According to Freshworks' External Apps guide:

1. Log in to your Freshworks developer account and open the Public App tab.
2. Click + Create New App and pick External App.
3. Enter the URL of your app page, a name of two or three words, and the product the app is for.
4. Click Save and Continue, then fill in App Information, Media and Installation, Support Details, and the Privacy and Security questions.
5. Click Save and Publish to submit the app for approval.

Once approved, the status changes to Published and the app appears in the Marketplace.

Caveats and common pitfalls

• Your external URL matters. The docs say it must lead to a page where the app can be installed or downloaded. It can also include a demo or free trial. The content guidelines say to avoid URLs that lead only to promotional pages or demo-only sites. Point it at an install or sign-up page for your integration.
• Review is required. Only Freshworks apps and External Apps go through review. Thin or placeholder submissions are unlikely to pass.
• The privacy section is mandatory. You must answer all the questions about how your app handles end-user data.
• I couldn't find a stated review time in the docs I read, so plan for some waiting.
• Verify the link yourself. The dofollow claim comes from the post. Inspect the live page for rel="nofollow", ugc or sponsored.
• The DR figure comes from the post. Check it in your own SEO tool.

Which sites is this good for?

• SaaS products that support customer support, helpdesk or CRM workflows and can pass data to or from Freshdesk.
• Tools that already have an install or onboarding page where Freshdesk customers can connect your product.
• A poor fit for content sites, games and consumer tools with no support workflow.

Source

This guide is based on this post by @rapid_indexer on X, part of a series on getting backlinks from SaaS app marketplaces. Submission details were checked against Freshworks' developer documentation.