Like plenty of other creative businesses, we started with a traditional web design credit tucked into the footer of our website.

There was nothing inherently wrong with that setup. At least the person who designed our website was being acknowledged! But as our business and brand continued to evolve, one small footer link stopped representing the amount of care our website had received from multiple creatives across the industry.

Our website was no longer the product of one project or one person. It had become a collaborative effort involving our brand and website designer, photographers, illustrators, educators, and other creative partners who helped us bring every slightly chaotic idea to life.

So, I quickly messaged our web designer, Lauryn of Nectar Design Co., and asked whether we could create a dedicated site credit website page that gave every contributor the recognition they deserved.

Thankfully, we work with Lauryn through an ongoing website maintenance plan, which made bringing this idea to life significantly easier. I cannot recommend this type of support enough when your designer offers a maintenance retainer after your initial website build. Your website is rarely ever truly “finished,” and having someone available who already understands the design and backend can make future updates feel far less overwhelming.

Why Website Credits Are an Industry Standard

When I launched my old travel blog in 2018, I barely paid attention to website credits.

I am sure they existed, but they felt more like something you removed from a template footer than an intentional part of the website. Honestly, I do not remember caring much about the footer at all. As long as the website had a navigation menu and the links worked, I considered us solid.

Several years and an entirely different business later, I see website credits very differently.

As a creative who provides website copywriting and SEO services, I genuinely appreciate seeing our name included in a client’s website footer or site credit page. It is a small but meaningful acknowledgment of the thought, strategy, and labor that went into building the final product.

A website credit can also make it easier for future clients and collaborators to discover your work. When someone loves the writing, design, photography, or illustrations on a website, they will often scroll to the footer to figure out who created it.

I know because I do the exact same thing.

When I land on a website that immediately catches my attention, one of my first moves is to head toward the footer and investigate who was involved. A thoughtfully created credit gives each contributor another path to be found while showing visitors that your brand was built through intentional collaboration.

Sooo… How Do You Give Yourself Credit When Building A Website?

The simplest option is to include a short credit in the website footer. For example, you might use language such as:

• Website Copy by [Insert Business Name]
• Photography by [Insert Business Name]
• Branding by [Insert Business Name]
• Web Design by [Insert Business Name]
• Custom Illustrations by [Insert Business Name]
• SEO Strategy by [Insert Business Name]

Each business name can then link directly to the contributor’s website.

This approach works beautifully when only one or two creatives were involved. It keeps the footer simple while still making sure their work is acknowledged.

We decided to go beyond that format because we had too many creative contributors to list without turning our footer into a full-blown roll call.

Over the past few years, we have worked with:

• One brand and website designer
• Two custom illustrators
• Three brand photographers

That is already six businesses to credit (!!),  and we have no plans to stop investing in creative support anytime soon.

Rather than squeezing everyone into a tiny section at the bottom of the website, we created a dedicated site credit page that could continue growing alongside our business.

What to Include on a Site Credit Website Page

Your site credit website page can be as straightforward or personality-filled as you want it to be. At the bare minimum, it should clearly identify each contributor, explain what they created, and provide a link to their business.

However, you do not have to stop at a list of names. As a website copywriter, I knew I did not want to slap six links onto a page and call it complete. I wanted to share why we chose each creative, what they contributed, and what made working with them such an important part of our brand’s development.

For every contributor, consider including:

1. Their Name and Business

Clearly list the creative’s name and business so visitors can immediately understand who was involved.

2. Their Role in the Project

Be specific about what they contributed. This might include website design, development, copywriting, SEO strategy, photography, illustrations, branding, or custom coding.

Specific credits become especially important when multiple people have contributed within the same category. For example, we have worked with three different photographers, each of whom created imagery that now appears throughout our website.

3. A Short Description of Your Experience

Share what led you to choose that person and what you appreciated about working with them. This does not need to become a full testimonial, but a few thoughtful sentences can give the credit more meaning. It also provides additional context for someone who may be considering hiring that creative for their own project.

4. A Link to Their Website or Portfolio

Make it easy for visitors to explore the contributor’s work. Link directly to their website, portfolio, or the most relevant service page whenever possible.

5. The Specific Pages or Elements They Created

When your website has evolved over time, you may also want to clarify which elements each person was responsible for.

Perhaps your original designer built the full website, while another designer later created a sales page. Maybe one photographer created your original brand imagery, while another photographed a new service or campaign.

Acknowledging those differences helps you accurately represent everyone’s contribution without replacing the credit of the person who originally built the foundation.

A Site Credit Page Can Include More Than Creative Services

Your credits do not have to be limited to the people who directly designed or wrote the website.

You could also recognize programs, mentorships, templates, tools, or educational resources that supported the website development process. When appropriate, this may also be a natural place to share affiliate links, as long as you clearly disclose the affiliate relationship.

My friend Caitie Cupples has a beautiful example of this approach on her own site credit page. Alongside the professional resources that helped bring her website together, she also mentions the comfort show that emotionally supported her while she wrote it.

It is a small detail, but it adds personality and reminds you that a site credit page does not need to be all business.

Why a Dedicated Site Credit Page Works for an Evolving Brand

One of the biggest advantages of creating a full site credit page is that it gives your website room to evolve without erasing the people who helped build earlier versions of it.

When our website originally launched, it featured photography from one primary branding session. Since then, we have hired two additional photographers whose images now appear throughout the site.

Under our previous setup, only the original photographer was credited in the footer. That was no longer an accurate reflection of the work visitors were seeing.

Our dedicated page now allows us to recognize all three photographers and explain how each person contributed to our visual brand.

This same situation can happen with:

• New brand illustrations
• Additional website pages
• Sales page design
• Updated website copy
• Custom development
• SEO strategy
• Rebrands and design refreshes
• Photography from different campaigns or seasons

Sometimes, you need a new page and your original designer is unavailable. Sometimes, your copy evolves several years after the website launches. Other times, your brand simply outgrows the version you started with.

That does not mean the original contributor’s credit should disappear or that the newest creative should receive credit for the entire website.

A dedicated site credit page gives you enough space to accurately acknowledge both.

Your Website Probably Took a Village

There is a strange pressure within creative entrepreneurship to make every part of a business appear self-made.

But most strong brands are not built in isolation.

They are shaped by designers, copywriters, photographers, developers, illustrators, strategists, educators, collaborators, and the people who help turn half-formed ideas into something tangible.

Creating a site credit website page is a simple way to recognize that work, direct potential clients toward the creatives you trust, and document how your brand has evolved over time.

Whether you begin with one thoughtful footer link or build an entire page for your creative village, the goal is the same: give people clear, accurate credit for the work they contributed.

Want more website copywriting tips? Find more resources here.