Comments on: A “website designed by…” link is like a Louis Vuitton monogram

By: Krys

Krys — Fri, 08 May 2009 08:09:24 +0000

Bit of an old post however I wanted to throw my two cents in since it seems my thought go against the grain.

When I’m surfing the net and a site catches my eye (for whatever reason: it was well designed, looks appealing etc) the first thing I do is look for the link or ’signature’ to the designer because the designer has impressed me and I want to learn more about them. Many times I don’t just look for but EXPECT there to be a link or mention of the designer. If there isn’t, I can’t say I’d be compelled to actually have to contact the site owner to inquire. There are far too many well designed sitesout there to dwell on one for too long and that could have cost a designer a well deserved client.

I can only imagine there are more people out there like me, but I can’t imagine how this ‘marketing’ could be considered unethical?

By: Jake McKee

Jake McKee — Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:29:20 +0000

dusoft, I completely agree that this is inherently unethical. If a client knows that this logo placement is a part of the contractual obligation and agrees to it, how can this be unethical? Heck, if I had a project I was working with Happy Cog, I’d WANT, perhaps BEG for them to put their moniker on it specifically because it HELPS me in the marketplace. “Hey, did you see that web app? They were designed by Happy Cog, so they must be good!”

Have we really gotten to the point on the Web where SEO drives our every business decision? God I hope not. Stephen King writes in this week’s Entertainment Weekly about how the drive to televise baseball has had a radically negative impact on the game from the fan’s perspective. Perhaps the same thing is happening when honest cross-marketing is seen as negative SEO link baiting.

Ugh, SEO.

By: Codrin

Codrin — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 13:00:50 +0000

I have to say that I agree with Pat’s point of view.
[...] Convenient, because why waste time contacting the owner of the website to ask who designed it if the answer is just a click away?[...]
I believe that taking the time to contact the owner will act as a natural filter, and so you have more chances to end up with a serious client, one who thinks that inquiring is not a waste of his/her time and who is really interested in your work.
I would say more, but my hangover disagrees.
Good post though!

By: Sophia Lucero

Sophia Lucero — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:03:30 +0000

James, thanks for your input. I may have overlooked this, although I would say branding is intertwined with ownership. Branding is all about the reputation of the owner of that brand, and when he brands a product, he’s putting his name on the line.

I guess that could be the bottom line: “If your client goes out of his way to ask you to put your name on it, ask yourself what’s stopping you from doing so.” Could it be that you’re not confident enough of your own brand to put it there?

dusoft, that is why I brought up the Brand vs. Brand argument. However, I also think it’s not so much as link ethics as it is attribution. Although I’m grateful an SEO guy brought up his standpoint here. :)

By: dusoft

dusoft — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 12:16:39 +0000

You should never use this link marketing technique. It’s not felt as ethical in SEO industry and I fully support that stance. It’s using your client property to market yourself. Not ethical, definitely.

By: Do You “Designed By”? | Coffee on the Keyboard

Do You “Designed By”? | Coffee on the Keyboard — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 15:05:33 +0000

[...] rebuttal, Sophia Lucero at wisdump.com claims your “designed by” link should be like a Louis Vuitton logo: “Your brand should [...]

By: James Socol

James Socol — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:46:00 +0000

One thing neither you nor Pat raised is “ownership.” By putting your name on something, you’re not-so-tacitly saying “I did this work, I am proud of it, I want to be associated with it.” I think we’ve all done things where we’ve left our names off for just this reason.

That said, your point about the logo makes me think I should spend some time redesigning mine.

By: syed

syed — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 16:23:36 +0000

Just dropping by to say hello

By: software_developer

software_developer — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:06:06 +0000

I agree with you .. it depends ..
If logotype can be placed to be completely in design I see only one reason not to place it:
customer is against it ..

thank you ..

By: Atrick Design » The Personal Portfolio of Pat Dryburgh » Rebuttal To My “Designed By Link” Post

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:27:33 +0000

[...] an interesting post up at wisdump.com that was written in response to my post from last week. Check it out and join in the discussion! [...]