FAQ

Questions about verified backlinks.

Quick answers about link balance, badge verification, SEO-safe placements, and how Indie Chains helps indie sites grow backlinks over time.

Link balance

What is an available link?

An available link is a backlink slot your site can receive from another Indie Chains member. Sites with available links can be linked from the home page, directory, and their public site page.

How do I earn available links?

You earn 1 available link when you place another site's Indie Chains badge on your own site and the backlink is verified. That makes the exchange reciprocal over time: you help another site, then your site becomes available for others to link.

Why does the home page only show some sites?

The home page focuses on immediate link opportunities, so it only shows sites with available link balance. The directory can still be used to browse the broader set of published sites.

Verification

How does Indie Chains verify a backlink?

When you choose 'Link site', Indie Chains generates a badge snippet tied to the target site and your selected host site. You paste the exact URL where the badge was placed, and verification checks that page for the widget or badge URL.

What if verification says the badge was not found?

Make sure the snippet is published on the submitted page URL, then try again. The URL must be on the same domain as the selected host site.

Can I link one of my own sites to itself?

A site cannot earn link balance by linking to itself. If you own multiple sites, those different sites can link each other as long as the target site and host site are not the same site.

SEO placement

Where should I place a badge?

Good placements are pages where the recommendation makes sense: a blog post, comparison page, review, resource page, or a sparse footer/sidebar placement that is relevant to your audience.

What should I avoid?

Avoid stacking many unrelated badges, hiding links, creating badge farms, or repeating badge blocks across pages without useful context. Low-quality placement can hurt you as the host site owner.

Is the badge meant to replace real content?

No. The badge is the verified link object, but the surrounding page should still be useful. A contextual recommendation is much healthier than a random badge dump.

Link credit packs

Can I buy link credits?

Not yet. The first production version is focused on testing the free badge-for-backlink loop with a small group of makers.

What packs are planned?

The planned packs are Starter Credits Pack with 5 links for $7, Growth Credits Pack with 10 links for $10, and Boost Credits Pack with 20 links for $20.

Do planned credits expire?

The planned model is that credits stay available until completed, but the paid flow is not enabled during this private test.

What happens if I remove a verified backlink?

The earned available link is removed. Your available link balance can go negative, and repeated removals or manipulative behavior can lead to manual review or account ban.

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