How to Check Footer Backlinks and Track Them Over Time

When you check footer backlinks, you confirm that a footer link you bought or earned is actually live, points to the right address, carries the agreed rel value and still appears across the publisher's pages. Because footer links are part of a site template, a theme update, a redesign or a small edit can remove them without anyone telling you.

This guide walks through the first check on publication day, a source code review, confirming sitewide visibility, how Search Console and backlink tools show footer links, and a monthly tracking routine.

Why You Should Check Footer Backlinks Regularly

An in-content link usually stays in place unless the article is deleted. A footer link depends on the template. When a publisher switches theme, reorganises the footer or removes a plugin, your link can be affected, often without notice.

Regular checks catch problems such as:

• The link being removed from the footer entirely.
• The target URL changing or being routed through a redirect chain.
• The rel value changing from what was agreed.
• The link appearing only on some pages, or only on desktop.
• The anchor text or the description next to it being edited.

We explain what a footer link is and why it is assessed differently in what is a footer link and its SEO value. Here the focus is monitoring a live link. Recovering a lost link is a separate task, which we touch on later.

Regular checks have one more benefit: your own dated records show that the service you paid for was delivered. If a disagreement comes up, timestamped observations are far more reliable than memory. Treat footer link monitoring as part of the buying process, not only as an SEO task.

The First Check on Publication Day

When the publisher confirms the link has been added, check it the same day. What you record now becomes the baseline for every later comparison.

Publication day checklist:

1. Open the publisher's homepage, scroll to the footer and confirm the link is visible.
2. Check that the anchor text and the description beside it match your brief.
3. Click the link and confirm it reaches the right page without a redirect.
4. Look at a few different page types, such as a category page and an article page, to confirm the link is present.
5. Repeat the same checks in the mobile view.
6. Log the date, the pages checked and what you saw, and take screenshots if useful.

Most steps in our post-publication checklist for sponsored articles also apply to footer links. The difference is that a footer link has to be checked across many pages, not just one.

Checking the Link, rel and Redirects in Source Code

Seeing the link on screen is not enough. To understand how search engines see it, look at the page's source code.

Finding the link in source code

Open the page, view the page source and use find-in-page to search for your domain. You should see a standard anchor element with your target URL in its href attribute. The element inspector in your browser's developer tools shows the same information and also includes elements added by JavaScript after the page loads.

Reading the rel attribute

Look for the rel attribute on the same element. A paid footer link would normally carry rel="sponsored" or nofollow, as Google asks for paid links. Our guide to dofollow vs nofollow vs sponsored vs UGC links explains what each value means. What matters in a check is that the value matches your agreement and does not change without notice.

Checking for redirects

Confirm that the href address goes straight to your target page. A redirect service, shortened URL or interstitial page changes the picture. An HTTP status checker will show whether the address returns a direct 200 response with no redirect in between. Moving the page on your own site can also create a redirect chain, so add your own URL changes to the tracking list.

Raw source vs rendered HTML

The page source shows the initial HTML the server sends. The element inspector shows the final state after the browser has run JavaScript. If the link only appears in the second view, the footer is built with JavaScript. That is not a problem in itself, but you should confirm the link still renders as a standard anchor element with an href attribute.

Confirming the Footer Appears Across the Site

A footer link is usually expected to appear sitewide, but not every site shows the same footer on every page. Some use one footer on articles and another on category pages. Others change the footer content by section.

A sampling approach is enough to confirm visibility:

• Pick the homepage, a few category pages, and a few recent and older articles.
• If the site has other language or section versions, add a page from each.
• Record the presence of the link, the anchor and the rel value on each page.
• If the link is missing on a page type, tell the publisher and refer to the scope in your agreement.

Imagine this scenario (a fictional example): your link appears on a food blog's homepage and recipe pages, but not in its newly launched video section, which uses a different template. That may not be a breach, since the section may have launched after your agreement. Read the agreed scope first, then clarify with the publisher.

Reading the Search Console Links Report

The Links report in Google Search Console summarises the external links Google knows are pointing to your site. It lists top linking sites, your top linked pages and top linking text.

To reach it, open your property, go to Links in the left menu and find the publisher's domain in the top linking sites list under external links. Clicking the domain shows which of your pages it links to.

Footer links show up in a distinctive way. A sitewide footer link may appear as a large number of links from a single domain. If the link count from one site suddenly jumps, check whether a footer placement explains it.

Keep these limits in mind:

• The report is not a complete list of every link; Google shows a sample.
• A new link does not appear immediately. Google has to recrawl the pages and the data has to refresh.
• A removed link also takes time to drop out, so use the report for trends rather than daily checks.
• The URL Inspection tool only works for properties you have verified, so you cannot inspect the publisher's page with it.

How Backlink Tools Show Footer Links

Third-party backlink tools crawl the web with their own bots and build their own link databases. In these tools, footer links also tend to appear as many backlinks from one domain, and some tools label them as sitewide.

When reading tool data:

• Look at referring domains rather than raw backlink counts. A footer link adds one referring domain.
• Crawl frequency and coverage differ between tools, so a link shown in one may be missing in another.
• The rel value shown reflects the date of the last crawl. Always confirm the current state in source code.
• Lost link alerts are useful, but open the page yourself before acting on them.

No tool mirrors exactly what Google sees. Use tools as an early warning system and source code as your verification method.

A Monthly Footer Link Tracking Template

If you manage several footer links, keeping all checks in one table makes the job easier. The example template below shows the core columns to fill in each month. The sites in the rows are fictional.

Adding the start and end dates of each placement helps you avoid missing renewal dates on recurring footer links. Combined with referral traffic data, these records also help you assess the return on the spend; our guide on how to measure backlink ROI explains the method.

What to Do When a Link Is Removed or Changed

When a check turns up a problem, do not jump to conclusions. First confirm the change is real, then contact the publisher.

Step by step:

1. Reload the page in another browser or with the cache cleared, to rule out a caching issue.
2. Check several pages to see whether the problem is sitewide or limited to one page.
3. Inspect the source code and note whether the link is gone or whether the address, anchor or rel value changed.
4. Record your observation with the date and a screenshot.
5. Contact the publisher with a polite, clear message, citing the relevant term and your first publication record.
6. For an order placed on Akua Adforce, if the situation does not match the delivery notification, ask for support through the dispute process.

If you need a fuller method for winning back lost links, our guide to link reclamation and recovering lost backlinks covers the process in detail. Footer link monitoring is the first line of defence that lets you spot the problem early.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know a footer link has gone live?

Open several pages on the publisher's site, look for the link in the footer and search the page source for your domain. If it appears as a standard anchor element with the correct address, it is live. Record that first observation with the date.

How do I check which rel value a footer link uses?

Find the link element in the page source or in your browser's element inspector and read its rel attribute. If there is no rel attribute, the link carries no qualifier. A paid link would be expected to use rel="sponsored" or nofollow.

Why does Search Console show footer links late?

Google has to recrawl the publisher's pages and the Links report has to refresh, which takes time. The report also shows a sample rather than every link. Use it to follow trends rather than for daily verification.

Is it a problem if a footer link is added with JavaScript?

Google can process JavaScript-generated content, but the link should still render as a standard anchor element with an href attribute. Elements that rely on a click handler without an href may not be treated as links. Check the final rendered HTML in your browser's element inspector.

How often should I check footer links?

A first check on publication day and a regular check at least once a month is a practical starting point. Add an extra check if you notice a redesign on the publisher's site. For recurring placements, also schedule a check before the renewal date.

What is the first step when a link is removed?

First confirm it in another browser and on several pages to rule out a temporary issue. Then record the observation with a date and screenshot and contact the publisher. If the order was placed on Akua Adforce and the issue is not resolved, you can use the dispute process.

Conclusion and Next Step

Checking footer backlinks starts with a baseline record on publication day and continues with a regular tracking table. Reviewing the link, rel value and redirects in source code, confirming visibility across page types, and reading Search Console and backlink tools as trends give you a realistic view of each link. When something changes, verify first, then approach the publisher with your records.

If you want placements with clear, trackable terms, review the footer link listings and add every placement you buy to the monthly table in this guide.