The latest articles on DEV Community by MD.Tanjirul Hasan Sanim (@tanjirulhasansanim). https://dev.to/tanjirulhasansanim https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F4228279%2F88ab1b36-f9e5-4bd5-91a6-1cda7e2950d3.jpg https://dev.to/tanjirulhasansanim en MD.Tanjirul Hasan Sanim Thu, 05 Nov 2026 10:26:40 +0000 https://dev.to/tanjirulhasansanim/5-mistakes-i-made-in-my-first-day-of-submitting-my-saas-to-startup-directories-ii8 https://dev.to/tanjirulhasansanim/5-mistakes-i-made-in-my-first-day-of-submitting-my-saas-to-startup-directories-ii8 <p>I spent today submitting my product to startup and SaaS directories. A few listings went live, one got rejected, and I almost filled in the wrong form twice. Here's what I learned, so you can skip my mistakes.</p> <h2> 1. Check your favicon before you submit anywhere </h2> <p>Two directories pulled my logo automatically from my site's favicon. Both showed the default Next.js "N" icon, because I had never replaced it.</p> <p>Many directories do this, so fix it first:</p> <ul> <li>Replace <code>app/favicon.ico</code> with your real logo</li> <li>Add <code>icon.png</code> (512×512) and <code>apple-icon.png</code> (180×180)</li> </ul> <p>Otherwise every listing you make looks like a template project.</p> <h2> 2. Make your numbers match everywhere </h2> <p>My homepage headline said one number, but my page title and meta tags still said an older one. Directories copy text from different places, so my listings ended up inconsistent.</p> <p>Before submitting, search your site for any number, price or claim and make sure it's the same in the headline, the meta description and the footer.</p> <h2> 3. Read the rules: "software" and "service" are different </h2> <p>One AI tool directory rejected me. Their rule: they only list software that the customer uses to do the work themselves. My product is done-for-you, so it counted as a managed service.</p> <p>The reviewer was right. Rewording the description to look like pure software would be misleading, so I didn't resubmit. Now I check each directory's guidelines first, and pick "Service" when a form asks.</p> <h2> 4. Watch out for buyer forms </h2> <p>On one big review site, I clicked a button and started filling in a form asking for my "current software" and "reason for change". It was a lead form for people <em>buying</em> software, not for vendors listing it.</p> <p>The vendor form is usually behind a link like "Add a Product" or "List your product" in the header.</p> <h2> 5. Double-check what the directory shows </h2> <p>One listing went live marked as "Free" and located in the wrong country. Another tagged my one-time product as a "Subscription". Always open your live listing and check pricing, category and location.</p> <h2> My setup </h2> <p>I keep one Notion page with every field written once: name, tagline (60 characters), short description (~150 characters), medium description (~300 characters), long description, categories, tags and keywords. Then each form is just copy and paste. A tracker table next to it holds the status, listing link and date for each site.</p> <p><em>Disclosure: I'm building <a href="https://submitrocket.com" rel="noopener noreferrer">SubmitRocket</a>, a done-for-you directory submission service. These notes come from submitting it myself.</em></p> <p>What's the most annoying directory form you've filled in?</p> startup saas seo marketing