Footer backlink for/to Web Design Agency
-
I read some old (10+ years) information on whether footer backlinks from the websites that design agencies build are seen as spammy and potentially cause a negative effect.
We have over 150 websites that we have built over the last few years, all with sitewide footer backlinks back to our homepage (designed and managed by COMPANY NAME).
Semrush flags some of the links as potential spammy links.
What are the current thoughts on this type of footer backlink?
Are we better to have 1 dofollow backlink and the rest of the website nofollow from each domain?
-
We also add Web Design in Hull in the footer of all our websites and I'm convinced it helps more than it hurts. I've read in a lot of places that Google advise against it, but I really don't think we'd be ranking as high as we are for local searches if we didn't do this.
-
A footer backlink for a web design agency is a strategic and valuable element placed at the bottom of a webpage, serving the dual purpose of enhancing search engine optimization (SEO) and providing users with a direct link to the web design agency's website. In the ever-evolving digital landscape, where online visibility and user experience play pivotal roles, footer backlinks have emerged as a crucial tool for web design agencies to showcase their expertise, build credibility, and drive traffic.
At its core, a footer backlink is a hyperlink strategically embedded in the footer section of a website, typically under the heading "Web Design by [Marketing Agency]" or a similar attribution. This discreet yet impactful placement ensures that the backlink is present on every page of the website, creating a consistent and pervasive digital footprint. This not only aids in SEO efforts by contributing to the website's link profile but also establishes a clear connection between the website and the web design agency responsible for its creation.
-
we also build many web design in milton keynes. But i am not aware of this fact because we also added footer link with develop by our agency name so that we can get more business and grow individually.
-
We would like to post at the footer of some websites:
developed by Marketing Raccoon Eyes
So the question is: should we have this backlink, as dofollow or nofollow? -
@MultiAdE said in Footer backlink for/to Web Design Agency:
I read some old (10+ years) information on whether footer backlinks from the websites that design agencies build are seen as spammy and potentially cause a negative effect.
We have over 150 websites that we have built over the last few years, all with sitewide footer backlinks back to our homepage (designed and managed by COMPANY NAME).
Semrush flags some of the links as potential spammy links.
What are the current thoughts on this type of footer backlink?
Are we better to have 1 dofollow backlink and the rest of the website nofollow from each domain?In the past, sitewide footer backlinks were commonly used by Digital Agencies as a way to showcase their work and generate traffic to their own websites. However, search engines have become more sophisticated in their evaluation of links, and there has been a shift towards emphasizing the quality and relevance of backlinks rather than quantity.
Having a large number of sitewide footer backlinks with exact match anchor text from multiple domains can indeed raise flags in SEO tools like Semrush, as they might be seen as potentially spammy or manipulative. Search engines may interpret such links as an attempt to artificially boost rankings rather than a natural endorsement of your services.
To maintain a healthy backlink profile, it's advisable to diversify your link sources and focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from relevant and authoritative websites. While having a single dofollow backlink in the footer and making the rest of the website's links nofollow could be one approach, it's important to note that search engines can still recognize patterns and evaluate the overall link profile.
-
-
@MultiAdE Sitewide footer backlinks to your homepage hold value, but maintaining balance is crucial. If Semrush flags potential spam, assess quality and relevance. One solution is to have one dofollow backlink while making the others nofollow. This helps mitigate negative effects while still maintaining a reasonable link presence. Remember to prioritize high-quality, relevant backlinks that enhance user value. Stay updated, avoid spam signals, and craft an effective strategy for long-term success.
-
@MultiAdE I personally don't believe removing them is a good idea unless you experience a great deal of negative difference in SERPs.
-
@MultiAdE Truth be told, it is better to avoid such references so that there are no negative consequences. At the moment everything is fine, but if there are a lot of them, and Google suddenly adds an innovation, it will be unpleasant.
-
The latest insights are that Google will discard most sidewide links. The time of Google delivering penalties for this kind of behavior is behind us.
So unless you have terrible rankings and or warnings in Search console let it be.
Best practice for the future is to limit the amount of sidewide links to the necessary ones. Also it looks a bit spammy for the clients. "design by Company" is enough, if at all.
-
In our case we saw it happening both on Moz and Semrush.
Of course this must be a false positive. I haven't read in any official google page/post that we shouldn't do that.
Just imagine what will happen to your Domain Authority Score if you remove 200 unique backlinks...
So we just ignore it and move on.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Unsolved Why is Moz so bad at finding lost backlinks?
0 -
To hyphenate or not to hyphenate?
Quick question: does Google differentiate between terms that correctly include a hyphen (such as "royalty-free") and those that are incorrect ("royalty free")? I ask because the correct term "royalty-free"(with a hyphen) receives far less monthly traffic for the same term without the hyphen (according to Moz): Term | Estimated traffic
On-Page Optimization | | JCN-SBWD
"royalty free music" | 11.5-30.3K
"royalty-free music" | 501-850 If Moz views the terms separately then I'd guess that Google does too, in which case the best thing to do for SEO (and increased site traffic) would be to wrongly use "royalty free" without the hyphen. Is that correct?0 -
Rankings preferring English URL
We've recently had a redesign of our website and we have both a Dutch and an English version. However, in MOZ for both NL and BE-NL it seems to favor the English URLs. This never used to be the case and I'm wondering why it's happening and whether it could actually be hurting our SEO, as search engines would favor local languages for search queries.
Local SEO | | Billywig0 -
Need Help with Link Building Outreach Program
Hello Follks, We are a B2B company, and we are planning for a link building outreach program with Tier-2 and Tier-3 tech publication sites. Are there any SEO agencies who can help us only with the Link Building service? Please let me know. I can provide more details once we catch up. Thanks!
Link Building | | Rajesh.Nair0 -
The Race for Backlinks
I see that this question hasn't been addressed in 2013 and while reviewing my SEOMoz stats, my competition continues to beat me up in the backlink department. I'm wondering if anyone has advice as to how to build those backlinks without Penguin penalty. I want to do it right and I think that's why I can't win this race against my competitors who I see have backlinks on all sorts of sites that are not related to our business. Thanks in advance for the advice!
Link Building | | Debe0 -
Article Backlinks To Product Pages
I am writing a number of 500 word articles and have read that Top 10 lists are becoming more and more popular on the web. So my thoughts are to write an article about the the 'Top 10 Mens Grooming Products 2013' for example. My questions is - do I post this article on my own website with the 10 links to the product pages using the product name as 'anchor text', or post the article to somewhere like Squidoo containing the links to my product pages. Which strategy has more SEO value?
Link Building | | Ubique0 -
Www. compared to http://
Hey guys! I'm pretty new to the community, and I had a quick question regarding URLs for my website. What would be the difference between using "http://" and "http://www." in my URL. I have done a little searching, but so far I haven't got a definite answer. Any input would be amazing, thanks again.
Link Building | | JasonRae0 -
Does the complete url count as backlink?
Hi there, does the http://mysite.com count as a backlink if posted on a site? I post a press releae and the site only allows me to put urls like this. they get something or must be in anchor the url? Thanks
Link Building | | nyanainc0