Forem: bo zhang

How I Automated Backlink Submission for My Side Projects (and Why You Should Care About SEO)

bo zhang — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 04:29:08 +0000

Let's be honest — most developers ship a project, tweet about it once, and wonder why nobody shows up.

I've been there. Three side projects, hundreds of hours coding, zero organic traffic. The problem wasn't the product. It was discoverability.

After diving deep into SEO, I realized the missing piece: backlinks. And after manually submitting my site to directories for 50+ hours, I decided to build a tool to fix this.

What Are Backlinks and Why Should Developers Care?

A backlink is simply a link from another website to yours. Search engines like Google use backlinks as a trust signal — the more quality sites that link to you, the higher you rank.

For indie developers, backlinks are often the difference between page 1 and page 10 of Google results.

# The SEO equation for side projects:
Great Product + Zero Backlinks = Invisible
Decent Product + Quality Backlinks = Discoverable

The Manual Way (Pain)

Here's what manual backlink submission looks like:

Research directories that accept submissions (2 hours)
Filter out low-quality/spam directories (1 hour)
Write unique descriptions for each directory (10 hours)
Fill out submission forms one by one (20 hours)
Track which ones accepted your listing (ongoing)

Total: 50+ hours for maybe 30-40 actual backlinks — most from low-authority sites that barely move the needle.

The Automated Way (What I Built)

I built Submitora to solve this exact problem. Here's the architecture:

System Design

User Input (URL, keywords, description)
        ↓
   AI Content Engine (OpenAI API)
        ↓
   Generates unique content per platform
        ↓
   Human Review Queue
        ↓
   Manual Submission to 105+ directories
        ↓
   Real-time Dashboard Updates

Tech Stack Breakdown

Layer	Technology	Why
Frontend	Next.js + DaisyUI	SSR for SEO, component library for speed
Auth	NextAuth.js	Google OAuth + credentials provider
Database	Supabase (PostgreSQL)	Row Level Security, real-time subscriptions
Payments	Stripe	One-time payments, no subscription fatigue
Storage	Cloudflare R2	S3-compatible, zero egress fees
AI	OpenAI API	Content generation per platform
Hosting	Vercel	Auto-deploy from Git, edge functions

Why AI + Human?

Pure automation produces garbage content that directories reject. Pure manual work doesn't scale. The hybrid approach works:

AI generates platform-specific content (articles, descriptions, profiles)
Humans review for quality, relevance, and accuracy
Humans submit manually (many directories have CAPTCHAs, custom forms)

5 SEO Lessons Every Developer Should Know

1. Domain Rating (DR) > Quantity

Not all backlinks are created equal.

❌  100 backlinks from DR 5 sites  = almost zero SEO impact
✅  10 backlinks from DR 30+ sites = significant ranking boost

We only submit to directories with DR ≥ 30 on Ahrefs — a curated list that actually moves the needle.

2. Unique Content Per Submission

Google penalizes duplicate content. If you submit the same description to 100 directories, you might actually hurt your SEO.

Every submission through Submitora gets unique, keyword-optimized content generated specifically for that platform.

3. Natural Link Velocity Matters

Getting 100 backlinks overnight looks suspicious to Google. Directory submissions naturally stagger over weeks (review times vary), which creates an organic-looking backlink profile.

4. SEO Compounds Over Time

Month 1: Submit to directories
Month 2: Directories approve listings  
Month 3: Google indexes new backlinks
Month 4: Rankings start improving
Month 6: Organic traffic grows consistently

It's not instant, but it's permanent and compounding.

5. Distribution > Development

The controversial take: spend 20% of your time building and 80% distributing. Most developers do the exact opposite.

Your code doesn't matter if nobody can find it.

Quick Start: DIY Checklist

If you want to do this yourself, here's a starting checklist of high-value directories:

[ ] Product Hunt (DR 90)
[ ] GitHub (DR 97)
[ ] Dev.to (DR 82) ← you're here!
[ ] Hacker News (DR 91)
[ ] IndieHackers (DR 68)
[ ] Medium (DR 95)
[ ] LinkedIn Articles (DR 98)
[ ] Hashnode (DR 76)
[ ] Reddit (DR 97)
[ ] Quora (DR 93)

These are the top 10. But there are 100+ more quality directories most developers never find.

Final Thoughts

SEO isn't glamorous. It's not as fun as writing code. But it's the difference between a side project that collects dust and one that gets users.

Start building your backlink profile from day one. Whether you do it manually, write scripts, or use a service like Submitora — just start.

Your future traffic graph will thank you.

What's your experience with SEO for side projects? Drop a comment — I'd love to hear what's worked (or hasn't) for you.

【Software self-recommendation】A Clean Utility to Download Xiaohongshu Video Without Any Paywalls

bo zhang — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 11:39:25 +0000

As developers and content curators, we often find ourselves needing high-quality assets from various social platforms for research or mood boards. Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) is a goldmine for visual inspiration, but its native app often restricts saving content without heavy watermarking.

I recently stumbled upon a streamlined tool to Download Xiaohongshu Video that actually respects the user experience. Unlike most modern web utilities that force you through endless redirects or subscription prompts, this downloader is built on a "three-zero" philosophy: zero login, zero fees, and zero subscriptions.

The technical performance is quite impressive. It utilizes multiple download lines and high-speed nodes to ensure that when you Download Xiaohongshu Video, the process is nearly instantaneous regardless of file size. It supports multiple resolutions and HD quality, making it a reliable choice for professional use.

Check out the tool here:
🔗 XiaohongshuVideoDownloader

Why I Built a No-Nonsense Video Downloader for Creators and Devs

bo zhang — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:20:34 +0000

As developers, we often find ourselves needing raw video assets for testing, UI placeholders, or local machine learning datasets. However, the current landscape of video downloaders is... frustrating.

Most sites are cluttered with intrusive ads, forced registrations, or "Premium" speed throttles. I got tired of the friction, so I decided to build a cleaner solution: Easydown.

The Problem: Friction in Content Sourcing

Most people looking for a tiktok video download with link usually end up on sites that:

Force you to create an account.
Add their own watermarks on top of the original video.
Provide low-bitrate files unless you pay.

I wanted to fix this by adhering to one core principle: Making Downloads Simple.

Introducing Easydown

Easydown is a utility designed to get you the media you need without the "middleman" headache. Whether you are doing a tiktok video download with link or grabbing an HD clip from X (Twitter), the process is instantaneous.

What makes it different?

Zero Commitment: No login, no subscriptions, and no hidden fees. It’s a pure utility tool.
Cluster-Based Speed: We use cluster deployment and multi-node acceleration. This ensures that your tiktok video download with link doesn't crawl at 100kb/s—it utilizes your full bandwidth.
High Fidelity: Support for multiple resolutions and, most importantly, no-watermark downloads for TikTok and Douyin.
Platform Versatility: * TikTok/Douyin: Clean HD videos.
- Twitter (X): Multiple bitrate options.
- YouTube: High-quality MP3 extraction.

The Technical Edge

Under the hood, Easydown isn't just a simple wrapper. We’ve implemented a robust backend to handle high-concurrency requests. By using multiple lines and cluster nodes, we ensure that if one node is congested, the system automatically routes your request to the fastest available path.

How to use it?

It’s as simple as it gets:

Copy your source URL.
Paste it into Easydown.org.
Select your preferred quality and hit download.

I built this because I believe the web should be more about utility and less about "logins." If you’re a creator or dev who frequently needs a clean tiktok video download with link, I hope this tool saves you as much time as it has saved me.

Check it out here: Easydown - Let's make downloads simple.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or any feature requests in the comments below!

Why I Built a No-Nonsense Video Downloader for Creators and Devs

bo zhang — Wed, 21 Jan 2026 11:07:33 +0000

Most sites are cluttered with intrusive ads, forced registrations, or "Premium" speed throttles. I got tired of the friction, so I decided to build a cleaner solution: Easydown.

The Problem: Friction in Content Sourcing

Most people looking for a tiktok video download with link usually end up on sites that:

Force you to create an account.
Add their own watermarks on top of the original video.
Provide low-bitrate files unless you pay.

I wanted to fix this by adhering to one core principle: Making Downloads Simple.

Introducing Easydown

What makes it different?

Zero Commitment: No login, no subscriptions, and no hidden fees. It’s a pure utility tool.
Cluster-Based Speed: We use cluster deployment and multi-node acceleration. This ensures that your tiktok video download with link doesn't crawl at 100kb/s—it utilizes your full bandwidth.
High Fidelity: Support for multiple resolutions and, most importantly, no-watermark downloads for TikTok and Douyin.
Platform Versatility: * TikTok/Douyin: Clean HD videos.
- Twitter (X): Multiple bitrate options.
- YouTube: High-quality MP3 extraction.

The Technical Edge

How to use it?

It’s as simple as it gets:

Copy your source URL.
Paste it into Easydown.org.
Select your preferred quality and hit download.

Check it out here: Easydown - Let's make downloads simple.

I'd love to hear your thoughts or any feature requests in the comments below!

I developed a website using cursor.

bo zhang — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:09:12 +0000

I’m a full-stack developer, and AI is completely transforming my life. It’s making my development pace faster than ever. Honestly, it’s at a point where it can fully replace me—and even do a better job. Recently, I used Cursor to build a project just by describing my requirements. When I checked the code, I realized it had even handled edge cases I hadn't thought of.

I built an online 'download tikTok videos hd' tool, and AI handled everything from design to development in one go. It’s truly amazing. My only gripes are the cost and the usage limits—and the fact that it still needs a human in the loop. In the future, we might not need to write code at all; we’ll just need to communicate our requirements clearly to realize any idea.

Check out my project below to see what AI can do with this “download tikTok videos hd”

click here

Easydown: Making Downloads Simple

bo zhang — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 07:45:20 +0000

Easydown: Making Downloads Simple

Click Here

Easydown is a premium free video download online service that supports multiple platforms with high-speed performance.

🚀 Key Features

TikTok & Douyin: Download HD videos without watermarks. Multi-line and multi-resolution support.
Twitter (X): High-speed downloads via multiple nodes with various quality options.
YouTube: Effortless conversion and download of MP3 audio files.

💎 Why Choose Easydown?

No Login Required: Start downloading immediately without an account.
100% Free: No hidden fees or paid features.
No Subscriptions: Enjoy unlimited access without any recurring costs.
High Speed: Multi-node infrastructure ensures the fastest download experience.

[Software recommendations] Y2bTools

bo zhang — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 08:45:05 +0000

Y2bTools

Description:
A decision made by a select few. YouTube storage toolbox.

Welcome everyone to experience.

[Software recommendations] SunAiFree

bo zhang — Sun, 19 Jan 2025 07:46:35 +0000

SunAiFree
Description:
Suno AI Music Generator
The Best Suno Ai Alternative

This is my first software.
Welcome everyone to experience.