But did you ever do a site for an auto manufacturer, movie studio, computer manufacturer, clothing line, or something like that? Did you ever do a site to support a massive advertising campaign? those are the big jobs…
And they pay more to do they not?
Being allowed to stick your logo on the end product has a value for any company. If someone wants to allow a customer a discount if they let the site be branded that’s hardly amateur or unusual in my opinion.
What is appropriate to small outfit is not appropriate to a large one. Companies that don’t understand this fail when they try to transition up all the time.
I don’t understand your comment. Sure, those huge jobs for high traffic sites pay more. And yes, having your logo on a product has value for any company.
But, did you ever do any sites like that and did you put on a site credit?
At that scale no. Logo-less for me was a $200 charge, same as vbulletin. Once you’re into the 5 figure budget though you can comp that sort of thing and it goes without saying.
I never stated that my only method of promotion is my client’s websites, but good (and effective) marketing is putting your name out there where potential clients will see you. You say that when you are looking for a web designer you look for a web designer … if you’re a business that has never had a website and don’t know where to look to find such a designer, where would they look? Everyone is different. Some may look in the Yellow Pages, some may do a Google search, others may just randomly look online at other sites in their industry and try to find a specialist that knows how to create the market they are in.
A link on a client’s website is definitely not a priority marketing tool, as you said, word-of-mouth is the best and thus why I always work that angle too, but if it costs me $0 and I I receive even 1 client from it, I’d say it was a successful marketing campaign.
Of course I keep a relationship with my existing clients. I perhaps mis-typed out the term “competitors” … I don’t take on clients that are direct competitors of my current clients, but there are plenty out there that provide similar services that aren’t competing with each other. Chalk it up to picking the right clients that aren’t paranoid about my intentions or lack trust. If the fact that I’ve worked with a business that does something similar in the same industry causes them mistrust instead of comfort that I’m knowledgable in what they would like to achieve … I guess I would pass on that client anyway, so works out well for me. 
If you are offering tiered pricing system that your potential clients are made fully aware of before they commit to buying, then at least they can see that you basically charge higher fees for the privilege of not advertising your business on their new web site.
I wonder though, how many developers are so upfront about this, and how many say nothing, then when pressed about the link (that they just automatically put on their client’s site), simply turn around and say ‘Well, I can remove it, but it will cost you $$$ extra.’?
I also feel there is a big difference between buying an off-the-shelf package like vBulletin compared to a client paying good money for a bespoke web site, so the analogy doesn’t really work IMO.
Anyway, it seems the only benefit to the client that people can think of is the possibility of a reduced fee should they accept the link? I wonder how many clients really see this as a ‘benefit’, and how many just go to your competitors and ask[I]
‘This other guy is a bit cheaper than you, but I have to let him advertise for free on my site for the rest of eternity, or I have to pay extra to have the ad removed - can you match his price, but without the crummy link?’[/I]
Well, let’s go back to the premise that on-page credits and links are downmarket and more amateurish.
Let’s say you work for (major motion picture) and you need a promotional website for (huge blockbuster movie) with a budget of 100k. So, you call up your trusty (huge design agency) that you send lots of work to and they take the job. A couple of months later the site is complete and an invoice is sent.
consider what would happen if:
a) the agency put a credit/link on the website (the client would go crazy… what amateurs)
b) the agency sent an invoice with an extra fee to NOT put the link (client would go crazy… what amateurs)
It’s just NOT DONE for large engagements. As you move up in the design world, you get closer and closer to the marketing and advertising worlds - in those worlds, there are NO CREDITS on TV commercials, print ads, magazine layouts, logos, nothing.
It’s very questionable to do that on the footer… then again, you see people wearing brand logo T-Shirts… These people would actually pay good money to advertise their brand!! So w/ the same thought… I’m betting that one day, web design logo would be popular enough to be on the footer… Even to the point that the client insist to put your company logo. However, as doing it as “individual” web designer… I don’t know… I’m sure I wouldn’t mind a logo like “Powered by Google Designer” 
Wearing a brand logo is totally different. If you wear a shirt with a Nike logo, you are demonstrating your appreciation for the NIKE logo NOT THE DESIGNER WHO CREATED IT.
I had a quick rummage through the portfolios of some well known world class design agencies. It’s about 50/50 with regards to whether sites they have created have been credited/badged/linked.
I also had a similar rummage through sites done by more general commercial web design houses from a search for ‘web design london’ most of the top ones here credit themselves on sites.
Make of that what you will, but probably fair to say it’s not as black and white as some here would dictate.
Personally, I do not put my credit link on my clients’ site. Also if another person did the design, and I did only the coding, then I won’t be able to put my credit even if I wanted to.
We’re in the same situation, and it does give us new business, and helps put our company out there. However, if we’re not ‘proud’ of the website, we don’t put our name on the bottom of it.
I also don’t like the act of asking clients about putting my credits. They may not really want to put “credit link” but may feel obligated, or have a hard time turning me down, etc. It’s just a bit awkward.
When I bought my (second-hand) car recently, the garage had put new number plates on with their name on. That’s the same level of branding that we’re talking about.
(Given the appalling service I had from them, I’m quite tempted to pay to get some new ones made up, just so that I’m not advertising them any more … but if I had had good service, I’d be quite happy to have that dealership name unobtrusively there below the registration number)
I agree. But I don’t think that we have that many online clients nowadays who still want that to happen to their sites.
This is an interesting topic.
I am certain if we had the same discussion eight years ago, the majority would lean towards having links in the footer. However since that time, the business of web development has matured.
For the last few years I have not even considered putting a link into a paying clients website. If we had asked/demanded a link in the footer, it would seriously have damaged our reputation with that client, as its not something they would accept or even expect us to ask about.
On the other side, if your main target is mom&paps shops then I believe you will have no problems with getting away with having a link in the footer.
Sometimes when we have a slow period with little work, we take a look on our local community and see if there is any of the local non profits organizations that need help with their web presence, in those cases we do normally request that in addition to come on their list over sponsors, to also have a link in the websites footer.
In the end I believe you would get more business by having a healthy and good relationship with your clients. There is no better advertising medium than word of mouth.
I would find forums that are similar to yours and just use that format for the footer. You can’t sway too far from the traditional footers IMO. Don’t load it up with too many external links tho.
I couldn’t agree more. When your client is satisfied with the job that you do for him then you just can’t stop him from telling people about your service. That is why putting link on the footer becomes a little insignificant now.
I see a lot of peoople have some strong opinion about putting an link to the web developer site. Personally it will depends on the client. Now I do something I want to be notice for my work. That’s how I will get more business now if the client don’t want it on their website that fine, they just pay more for my service.
Are you saying when your clients don’t put your name on the footer of their site you just ask them to pay you more???