The fabrication of back-side illuminated dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) incorporating anodized TiO2 nanotubes is described in this paper. Here, we consider two features of the DSSC under back-side illumination, namely, the transparency and formation of a hierarchical structure, both of which can improve performance. In this research, investigation of the electrocatalytic and optical features showed that transparency had a greater influence on the performance of the DSSCs than the catalytic performance of the electrolytes and Pt counter electrodes did. All photovoltaic parameters, namely, short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor and efficiency, were improved greatly by enhanced transmittance and possible enhancement in the light intensity reaching the dye molecules. To further enhance the performance of the DSSCs, hierarchical structures were formed with TiO2 quantum dots (QDs) in a facile manner. When a single treatment by TiO2 QDs was combined with the improved transparency, the DSSCs exhibited a 30% increase in photocurrent density and their efficiency was 5.72% under AM 1.5 illumination because of the increased dye loading and possible advantages in the electronic band structure. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.