## GitHub Repositories

GitHub hosts public code repositories, documentation, and project metadata on github.com. A legitimate public repository can expose your project's website in the repository sidebar and README, making it useful for software, templates, documentation, open-source tools, and technical resources.

- URL: https://github.com/
- Guide: https://backlinkbadger.com/provider/github-repositories/
- Link type: nofollow
- Free option: yes
- Backlink value: 10/100
- Spam score: 2/100
- Difficulty: 45/100
- Estimated time: 30 minutes
- Requirements: GitHub account, Public repository, Real software, documentation, template, or technical resource, README or repository website URL

Use GitHub repositories when the backlink belongs with a real project. This is different from [GitHub Pages](https://pages.github.com/): repository links live on `github.com` and should be treated as nofollow user-generated links, while GitHub Pages publishes a separate static site on `github.io` or a custom domain.

## Method: add your site to a public repository

1. Create or sign in to a [GitHub account](https://github.com/signup).
2. Open [New repository](https://github.com/new) and create a public repository for a real project, package, template, documentation set, or technical resource.
3. Add a useful `README.md` that explains what the project does. GitHub's README docs describe this file as the main place to introduce and document a repository.
4. Add your canonical URL in one or both high-signal places:
   - the repository **About** panel's website field, if the link is the project's homepage, docs, demo, or company page;
   - a relevant README section such as **Documentation**, **Demo**, **Homepage**, **Sponsor**, or **Related resources**.
5. Keep the repository public and avoid making the README a thin link page. Add enough code, docs, examples, screenshots, or release notes that the link has context.
6. Open the public repository page and confirm the website or README link is visible.

Example: the public [Next.js repository](https://github.com/vercel/next.js) shows `nextjs.org` as the repository website link in the sidebar, and its README contains additional external documentation and sponsor links.

[Image: GitHub repository sidebar showing a visible project website link]

## Link quality notes

The inspected Next.js repository page rendered the sidebar `nextjs.org` link with `rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow"`, and README links to external sites used `rel="nofollow"`. That makes GitHub repositories a weaker direct SEO play than a dofollow directory listing, but still useful when the repository is real: developers, journalists, package users, and searchers often use the repository page as a trust and discovery surface.

Do not create a throwaway repository just for a backlink. The durable version of this method is a repository people would still find useful if search engines ignored the link entirely.