Sitewide and Footer Links

Sitewide links are links that appear on every page, or almost every page, of a website, usually in the header, footer, sidebar or navigation. They can be internal links to your own pages or external links to another site. Their SEO value and risk depend on why they are there.

Written by Paul Hoda, SEO consultant since 2005. Last updated 8 November 2026.

What sitewide links are

Any link placed in a template element is repeated on every page that uses the template. Common examples include:

  • Main navigation and footer menus linking to key pages.
  • A “Website by” credit in the footer pointing to a web design agency.
  • Blogroll or partner links in a sidebar.
  • Sponsor or advertiser links placed in a site template.

A single site linking sitewide can create thousands of individual links, but they all come from one of your referring domains. Search engines generally treat repeated template links very differently from a single link placed within an article.

Internal sitewide links

Sitewide links to your own pages are normal and useful. They help users and crawlers reach important sections quickly and keep click depth low. Pages linked from the main menu or footer tend to receive more internal link equity than pages buried deep in the site.

The main risk is clutter. A footer stuffed with dozens of keyword-heavy links to location or service pages adds little for users and dilutes the signal. Good internal linking keeps template links focused on the pages that genuinely matter and uses contextual links in body content for the rest.

External sitewide links and link schemes

Google’s spam policies list “widely distributed links in the footers or templates of various sites” as an example of link schemes. Footer links sold to advertisers, or keyword-rich credits placed across client sites, were among the patterns targeted after the Google Penguin update in 2012.

That does not mean every external footer link is harmful. Google is generally good at discounting template links rather than penalising them. Problems arise when the links are paid, use exact-match anchor text, or form part of a wider pattern of manipulation.

How to handle sitewide links safely

  1. For design credits, use your brand name as the anchor, or place the credit on a single page such as the About page.
  2. Add the rel="sponsored" attribute to any sitewide link that was paid for, and consider rel="nofollow" for partner links.
  3. Keep footer navigation short and organised around what users actually look for.
  4. Review your backlink profile for sites linking to you sitewide with keyword anchors, and ask for changes if the links look manipulative.

Common myths

  • “Thousands of links from one site is a big boost.” Repeated template links count for far less than the raw number suggests.
  • “All footer links cause penalties.” Most are simply discounted. Risk comes from paid or manipulative patterns.
  • “Removing the footer menu will help rankings.” Useful navigation links help users and crawlers, so removing them can do more harm than good.

Key Takeaways

  • Sitewide links appear in templates such as headers, footers and sidebars.
  • Internal sitewide links are normal and help users and crawlers find key pages.
  • Google lists widely distributed footer and template links as a link scheme example.
  • Paid sitewide links should carry rel="sponsored".
  • Many links from one domain count far less than links from many different domains.

Related Terms

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