Why website "design by" credit is industry standard

& how it helps a small business grow

Here is a list of why the "design by" site credit is so important within the design industry (not just for the designer):

  • ATTRACTS POTENTIAL CLIENTS
Potential leads would find the name of the company in site footers when they are researching the best option for them. It is one of the best, organic lead generators that ensures designers don't need to focus too much on other sources of marketing. It is especially beneficial when designers are working with clients in the same industry such as photographers, coaches, etc. Potential leads would be looking at site credits to find the designers that specialise in a particular industry.

  • CREDIBILITY
It's one thing to send potential leads a list of websites you've designed, but when they can see your site credit for themselves, it builds a sense of trust and legitimacy. 

  • SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
Site credits are mostly there to help a designers business grow. However, the plus side to having a site credit is that it helps with both clients and designer's SEO. Ever heard of "backlinks"? These are incoming links from one website to another website. When you generate these types of links on your website, it helps Google understand that you are a legitimate, credible business and will ultimately bring your rankings up higher. Read more about backlinks here.
WHAT IF YOU WANT YOUR SITE CREDIT REMOVED?

While it is industry standard to have site accreditation, designers will usually charge a fee to have this removed (usually 10% of the total project cost). This fee compensates for the revenue they would otherwise be missing out on from other leads. The terms of site credits will be outlined in the contract you have with your designer.


WHAT ABOUT GIVING CREDIT TO OTHER CREATIVES INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT?

When you work with independent designers, they will sometimes bring on sub-contractors such as copywriters, photographers, and other creatives to achieve the best result for your website. Your designer might create an additional page on your website that gives credit to these sub-contractors, usually called "Site Credit".


At Starline Creative, one of our most important values is support. We love being able to support our existing clients, book new projects to help future clients and also support other creatives grow in their businesses. That is why we follow industry standards in adding the website credit, so we can continue to generate organic leads and grow our small business.

Site credits are such an important way for small design businesses to be able to organically grow and continue booking projects.

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