Sitewide links in footer 'Site Designed By..."

[DaveAngel]

As a web designer I have 70+ websites with my "Website designed by MY COMPANY NAME" (with MY COMPANY NAME being the anchor). Having now seen SEO reporting software treat these 1000's of links as toxic backlinks coming from the same IP (my web server), I read from multiple sources that I should add a rel="nofollow" at the end of the link to stop this.

Whilst I now fully understand this, I started to look at the top SEO/design companies websites that they have designed and I have yet to see anybody add a nofollow to their credit link in the footer.

I have now lost 1000's of backlinks, so have I done the correct thing?

 

[archanaluthra]

you have to do disavow backlinks in google search console for unknow and spam backlink finished.

 

[DaveAngel]

Thanks, I have managed to go through nearly ALL my websites and add a nofollow, but have as you suggested removed other dodgy backlinks via a disavow file. So far, rankings have increased, but it's early days.

 

[Community]

Thanks, I have managed to go through nearly ALL my websites and add a nofollow, but have as you suggested removed other dodgy backlinks via a disavow file. So far, rankings have increased, but it's early days.

Can you corrolate those increases to the removal of sitewide links as apose to the reduction of anchor text usage/saturation (although unlikely due to anchor text being branded) and/or the latest algorithm update this week ? Lots of variables in play here, would be interesting to monitor over a long period of time, especially the potential authority or referring domain reduction effects.

 

[DaveAngel]

Agreed, as always, it could have been any of those things! Things are still level though, I can't see it's been a massive boost as such.