WRL Blog

Does your website have a yardsign on its frontlawn distracting visitors from your message and your products? If your site has a link on it that reads something like "Website Design and Hosting Provided by Company X" or "Powered by Company Y," then you have the equivalent of one.

Just like blinking text and ticker messages that scrolled across your browser, this was a popular thing to do in the early days of web design. But the web landscape has changed, and this habit has fallen out of favor by most of the professional web design firms that are still around.

But why do some web firms still sign their name on the site you contracted them to create, and sometimes without even asking permission? The obvious reason is it is "free?" advertising for their business. The less obvious reason is that all of those inbound links help their search engine ranking.

Even though WRL is a full service advertising agency, and it is temping to give into the dark, self-serving side, we have never advertised ourselves on our clients' sites.

You will see WRL sponsor non-profit organization websites like the Canton Balltet, because we realize how important many of these organizations are to the community. But we donate a portion of our development time to them for that sponsorship.

Your web development team should care about your brand, and always have your best interest at heart. But if you are going to explicitly allow them to put their ad on your site, recognize that you are providing them a service. And if you don't see this as a distraction from your message, you should at least make sure you are compensated for their ad.