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I read some old (10+ years) information on whether footer backlinks from the websites that Stencillo design agencies build are seen as spammy and potentially cause a negative effect.

From my experience Google's search algorithms primarily focus on factors that reflect the relevance and quality of the content to user queries, rather than the presence of specific types of links like those in client website footers to a web designer or company. These footer links, often labeled as "designed by [Web Designer's Name]," are typically used for branding and attribution rather than for improving SEO.

Links that are widespread across many pages of a website, like those found in footers, are typically less impactful than contextual links found within the body content of a site. Google understands that footer links are more about site design and structure than a genuine recommendation or editorial endorsement. So we do add[Website Designed by Plus 8 Digital or Web Development & SEO rather than the location based links such as web design in Eastbourne or website design in Brighton for example.

It's more about accreditation and brand but with that said without them I think domain authority would drop.

@dahmon90 Yes

You’re absolutely right about the role of footer links in SEO and user experience. They serve as a navigational aid, allowing users to access important pages easily. Moreover, they contribute to SEO by enhancing the crawling and indexing of web pages. However, it’s crucial to use them judiciously to avoid penalties from search engines like Google for manipulative practices.

Footer links are hyperlinks placed at the bottom (footer) section of a website. They can include links to social media profiles, contact information, copyright notices, or other internal pages. Properly optimized footer links can enhance user experience by providing quick access to relevant pages and help search engine bots crawl deeper within a site. Crawling and Indexing: Footer links allow search engine bots to index deeper pages more efficiently. They help distribute “link juice” throughout the site via interlinked articles. Overuse or poor optimization can make footer links appear spammy. Google may penalize sites if footer links are used solely to manipulate rankings.

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.

@konet
i agree with u...

@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.