Launch window
LaunchThe fixed period during which a listing is live and competing for attention and votes, after which it becomes a permanent listing that no longer moves in the feed.
Directory
Upvote
A single positive vote on a listing during its launch window, used by most directories as the primary ranking input and frequently as a gate on other benefits.
Also called vote, upvotes
An upvote is one visitor signaling approval of a listing. Almost every launch directory uses upvotes as the headline ranking number during a launch window, and several attach consequences beyond ranking. On Uneed, twenty or more upvotes earns a dofollow link, ten to nineteen keeps it nofollow, and under ten removes the listing from the homepage and bars it from rejoining the free queue.
Upvotes are also the most gameable thing on a directory, which is why the serious platforms surround them with rules and weighting. Product Hunt’s promotion rules allow asking people to visit, try and comment, and prohibit asking for, rewarding or buying upvotes. Peerlist prohibits vote solicitation and cold messages about a launch, weights votes from verified profiles more heavily, and blends upvotes with substantive comments, views and link visits rather than ranking on votes alone.
Randomizing feed order for the first day or two is the other common defense, because it prevents an early lead from compounding purely through placement.
Treat an upvote count as a weak signal about a product and a strong signal about a maker’s network. The two are not the same thing, and directories that blend other inputs into ranking are trying to correct exactly that.
Last reviewed .
See also
Launch directory
DirectoryA site where makers submit new products for review and publication, usually combining a dated feed of recent launches with permanent, browsable listing pages.
Link attributes that tell search engines whether to pass ranking signals to the destination. Dofollow is the default; nofollow asks engines not to count the link as an endorsement.
Editor's pick
DirectoryA listing selected by a directory’s editorial team rather than by community voting, usually carrying placement, a badge, and any benefits that votes would otherwise unlock.