What Conditional link means
A conditional link is a directory's link type that changes depending on your plan — for example, a nofollow link on the free tier and a dofollow link only on a paid tier.
A founder comparing directory pricing pages might see 'dofollow backlink' listed as a paid perk, then discover on the actual live listing page that the link is still marked nofollow because the paid tier they picked does not include it.
A conditional link is not a guarantee that paying gets you the better link type. Pricing pages can be outdated or optimistic, so the only proof is the rel attribute on the published page.
Before paying for a tier specifically for the link, view the source of an existing paid listing on that directory and check the rel attribute yourself.
Why this matters for builders
Pricing pages often oversell link treatment; the published listing is the source of truth.
Mistake builders make often
Builders sometimes pay for a directory's premium tier expecting a dofollow link based on the pricing page copy, without confirming the link type on an actual live listing first.
What to do now
Check Conditional link directories, then use the Dofollow/Nofollow Checker on a real paid listing before you upgrade.