Web Designer link in footer of client's site

A car is an off the shelf product, it is what it is, take it or leave it. Most web sites are bespoke commissions, and the client has say in every aspect from the get go.

There’s also no contractual agreement to leave the manufacturer’s logo or dealer sticker on your car, while many web developers are making footer links part of the project contract.

Apples and oranges :slight_smile:

You chose an example that suited you. :stuck_out_tongue: What about commissioned works like a work or art, or a fence, or a house, or who serviced your car? It’s not uncommon for the service provider to leave an indication of who did the work—be it a commissioned work or off the shelf product. Anyhow, I’m not arguing about whether any of this is right or not, but just pointing out that logos, brands, signatures and the like are everywhere. Even as I sit here typing, I see them all around me—from the signature on the commissioned artwork on the wall, to every item of clothing, to the computer in front of me and every other device on the desk … I don’t see why websites need to be singled out as somehow different.

This is why I think that this issue breaks down into two pieces:

  1. Is it acceptable, legitimate, or reasonable to have a site credit displayed? The answer is that it certainly can be, some people are fine with this, and there are many scenarios where it’s common and others where it’s not. There is no yes or no answer to this questions.

  2. Is it acceptable, legitimate, or reasonable to have a site credit displayed on site X? On any particular site, it’s easier to determine whether it’s a reasonable thing to do, sure. In some circumstances, can demonstrate appreciation of a great design company or just a business partnership between companies. On lower end sites, it’s usually just a benefit to the designer, and lower end designers more frequently put this in their contract. But, each circumstance is different.

But the idea of determining whether it’s ‘ok’ or not seems like a rabbit hole. Personally, I have never had a site credit on a website in 12 years, but 90% of my business is white-label so that’s normal for me. One of my biggest clients is a web design company and they put a site credit on every site. Over the years it’s driven a lot of business to them!