Link building
Footer links: when are they useful for SEO?
What a link in a site's footer brings, why the anchor must be your brand and how to combine it with articles.
A footer link is a link placed in the footer of a website. It therefore appears on every page, or only on the homepage depending on the offer. The format has a bad reputation when it is misused, but it has its place in a well-designed strategy.
What a footer link is
The footer is the area at the bottom of every page: legal notice, contact, useful links. A footer link adds a simple text link to your site there. When it appears on every page, it is also called a "sitewide" link.
A footer link is not a banner or an ad: it is a discreet text link, like those leading to a site's partners.
What it brings
- Visibility for your brand: your name appears across a whole site in your field.
- A lasting trust signal: the link stays in place for the entire rental period.
- Fast discovery: present on many pages, the link is quickly seen by search engine crawlers.
What it does not bring: a footer link alone does not replace links inside articles. Google generally gives more weight to links placed in a page's main content, surrounded by related text.
The golden rule: a brand anchor
An exact keyword repeated on hundreds of pages of the same site is an artificial pattern that Google spots easily. The anchor of a footer link should therefore be:
- the name of your site or company;
- or your domain name, for example "mysite.com".
That is exactly what a site would do when mentioning a partner. For the rest of your anchors, read how to vary your anchor text safely.
When a footer link makes sense
- You want to establish your brand on a site close to your industry over a long period.
- You already have links inside articles and want to complete your profile with brand links.
- The site is genuinely related to your topic. A footer link on an unrelated site makes no sense.
When to avoid it
- When it is your only source of links.
- When the site already shows many unrelated partner links in its footer.
- When you are offered an exact-match keyword anchor.
Footer link or sponsored article?
They complement each other. A sponsored article brings a contextual link to a specific page, with the anchor of your choice. A footer link establishes your brand across a whole site over time. A balanced strategy relies mostly on links inside articles plus a few brand links.
On RankoPress, footer links are rented for one year, as a text link, with your site name or your domain as the anchor.
Frequently asked questions
Can a footer link get my site penalised?
Not when it uses a brand anchor, sits on a site in your field and complements other links. The risk comes from keyword anchors repeated everywhere.
Why not use a keyword as the anchor?
Because an exact keyword repeated on every page of a site looks artificial. Your site name or your domain is the only natural anchor for this format.
How long does a footer link last?
At RankoPress, it is rented for one year and can be renewed.
Keep reading
Link building: a guide to getting started What link building is, why links still weigh in rankings and how to build a clean strategy, step by step. Sponsored articles: how to buy them the right way What a sponsored article is, what it should contain, how to choose the publishing site and what to check after publication. How to choose a site for a backlink: 8 criteria Topic, traffic, keywords, Trust Flow, authority, referring domains, outbound links, indexing - what to check before buying a link.