By Ayat Ullah, founder of OffLift · November 2026
When you start a software studio, nobody knows you exist. Not clients, not Google, and not the AI assistants that now answer "who builds MVPs in New Mexico?" before anyone clicks a link.
OffLift is a small studio registered in Albuquerque, New Mexico. We build mobile apps, custom web apps, business dashboards and AI chatbots. In November 2026 we spent four days putting OffLift on the directories buyers actually check. This is the honest log: what we set up, what it cost (mostly nothing), what turned out to be a dead end, and what we'd tell any small agency doing the same.
Why directories still matter in 2026
Two reasons.
- Buyers use them. People hiring a development partner still compare agencies on Clutch, GoodFirms and similar sites, and they read the reviews.
- AI search reads them. When we checked the search results for "AI chatbot development company" and "MVP development services", many of the top results and sources for Google's AI Overviews were "top companies" list pages from directories. If you aren't on those lists, AI answers are much less likely to mention you.
A directory profile won't make you rank overnight. Most of these links are nofollow. What they do is give search engines and AI tools a consistent, checkable picture of who you are, what you do and where you're based.
The directories we set up (and what each one was like)
1. Clutch: free profile, reviews are everything
Clutch is the directory buyers trust most for software agencies. A basic profile is free. Clutch ranks agencies largely by verified client reviews, so a profile without reviews sits at the bottom. Clutch also offers a paid "Verified" tier (about $499 a year at the time of writing), which is needed to add social links. We skipped it for now.
Our profile: OffLift on Clutch
2. GoodFirms: free, approved after review
GoodFirms is similar to Clutch, with service-focus percentages and portfolio items. The profile went through an admin approval step before going live.
Our profile: OffLift on GoodFirms
3. DesignRush: free profile plus a partnership offer
DesignRush reviewed our profile, including three portfolio projects, before activating it. As a newly approved DesignRush Verified Agency, we were offered a 60-day featured spot in their software development category in exchange for a link like that one. We've marked it as a sponsored link, which is how Google asks sites to label links given in exchange for a benefit.
4. Techreviewer: free, with real case studies
Techreviewer asks for a detailed description, service and industry focus, and case studies with a challenge, solution and results. Its analysts review profiles within a few business days. Within days, OffLift appeared on several of their "Top 100" list pages, for example software development companies in the USA and React.js development companies.
Our profile: OffLift on Techreviewer
5. TechBehemoths: free basic listing
TechBehemoths has city and service categories and asks for a unique, original description (they rank profiles with copied text lower). There's a paid "Improve Ranking" option, which we didn't use.
Our profile: OffLift on TechBehemoths
6. Sortlist: free, quick to go live
Sortlist was one of the fastest profiles to publish and is stronger in Europe and the UK.
Our profile: OffLift on Sortlist
7. Built In: free employer profile
Built In is a tech-company and hiring directory. Its city pages only list companies with an office in that city, so we listed OffLift as fully remote rather than claim an office we don't have.
Our profile: OffLift on Built In
8. Crunchbase: free, used by journalists and AI tools
Crunchbase is a basic company record that many tools and AI systems use to confirm a company exists.
Our profile: OffLift on Crunchbase
9 and 10. LinkedIn and GitHub: the basics
These are the company page and the engineering profile. Not directories exactly, but they're the first places a buyer checks.
OffLift on LinkedIn · OffLift on GitHub
11. ChatGPT Business Hub: new in late 2026
OpenAI's Business Hub lets you claim and verify your business so ChatGPT shows accurate information about you. We verified OffLift and filled in the profile. In the first week, the dashboard reported 15 ChatGPT mentions of OffLift. Product feeds there are designed for businesses selling individual products, so as a service studio we left that part out.
Dead ends and paid traps
- AppFutura: the "list my business" button now leads to Clutch. It's been folded into Clutch, so there's nothing separate to set up.
- A local chamber of commerce: membership started at about $435 a year plus a setup fee. That can be worth it for networking, but not for a single directory link.
- Expertise.com: their "best in [city]" lists are chosen by their own researchers, based on reviews, credentials and local presence. You can't apply your way onto a list. Revisit once you have reviews.
- Paid "rank higher" upgrades: almost every directory offers one. Get reviews first; a paid boost on an empty profile does little.
What we learned
- Use one set of facts everywhere. The same company name, description, services, location and website on every profile. Inconsistent details confuse buyers, search engines and AI.
- Don't claim an office you don't have. Several directories rank you by city and may ask for proof of address. Be accurate, even if it costs you a city list.
- Write a unique description for each site. Some directories, TechBehemoths for example, rank original descriptions above copied ones.
- Read each platform's rules before posting. Community sites and Q&A platforms are strict about self-promotion. We learned this the hard way when one of our new community accounts was restricted for linking to our own site too early.
- Reviews beat listings. A listing gets you onto the page. Reviews get you up the page and into "top companies" lists, and from there into AI answers.
- Track everything. We keep one spreadsheet with every profile, its status, login location (never passwords) and a "check again on" date.
Checklist for small agencies
- Write one master company description and service list
- Create profiles: Clutch, GoodFirms, DesignRush, Techreviewer, TechBehemoths, Sortlist
- Claim Crunchbase, LinkedIn and GitHub
- Claim your business in ChatGPT Business Hub
- Add 3 real case studies everywhere
- Ask 3 happy clients for a Clutch review
- Mark any link given in exchange for a benefit as
rel="sponsored" - Skip paid upgrades until you have reviews
- Recheck every profile once a quarter
Find OffLift on
Clutch · GoodFirms · Techreviewer · Sortlist · Built In · Crunchbase · LinkedIn · GitHub
Are agency directories free?
Most offer a free basic profile. Clutch, GoodFirms, DesignRush, Techreviewer, TechBehemoths and Sortlist all had free tiers when we listed OffLift; each sells paid visibility upgrades.
Do directory links help SEO?
Most directory links are nofollow, so they pass little ranking power directly. Their value is consistent business information, referral visitors and appearing on "top companies" lists that search engines and AI tools read.
What matters most on Clutch?
Verified client reviews. Profiles without reviews rank low in Clutch's category lists.
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