In this tutorial, we will show you how to remove the “Proudly powered by WordPress” link.
One of the benefits of using a WordPress website is the amount of customization it offers. From themes to plugins, there are seemingly endless options for create a website perfectly personalized. However, there is one element that seems a bit more difficult to change: the “Proudly powered by WordPress” link.
Luckily, there are several methods you can choose from to remove these credits. Even better, there are methods suitable for all types of users.
In this tutorial, we'll look at some of the reasons you might want to remove these links and explore precautions you can take during the process. Next, I will guide you step by step through three popular methods to remove them.
But before, if you have never installed WordPress discover How to Install a WordPress Blog in 7 Steps et How to search, install and activate a WordPress theme on your blog
Then back to why we are here.
Why remove the link “Proudly powered by WordPress”
Over 40% of all websites work on WordPress. Based on these stats alone, chances are you've noticed that a few websites you visit have the same footer: “Proudly powered by WordPress” :
You've probably also seen some websites that use WordPress, but don't show footer credit. There are a few potential reasons why this is the case.
Websites that choose to hide this footer link may be doing so because they are trying to achieve a self-sufficient image. You may choose to do this for a similar reason if you create a resume website to advertise your skills. You may also want to keep it empty for aesthetic reasons.
Freeing up footer space can also leave room for more website customization; some examples include adding working code or a instagram-widget. The footer appears on every page of your website, so it's also a good place to put your contact information or a call-to-action (CTA) button.
However, there are also a few reasons to keep the footer link. WordPress is free and efficient, making its footer links an easy and subtle way to credit the platform that helped you build your website.
They can also act as a resource. The link can direct visitors curious about website building to powerful tools for creating their own website.
These are some of the factors to consider when deciding whether to remove the “Proudly Powered by WordPress” link. The good news is that it's a fairly simple process and you can always go back and cancel if you change your mind.
Things to Remember Before Deleting the “Proudly Powered by WordPress” Link
The first thing to keep in mind is that yes, it is legal! The fact that WordPress doesn't provide an easy way to remove these links might give you the impression that it's not allowed. On the contrary, this freedom is only one of the advantages of the open-source nature of the platform.
WordPress is published under the GNU General Public License. This means that you are free to change the software almost as you wish, including the footer. It might not be obvious, but it's completely above the fray and in your power.
Even so, there are a few things to keep in mind before starting the removal process. On the one hand, if you use the CSS method, you could affect your search engine optimization (SEO).
We'll discuss that later, but it works very similarly to hidden spam links that list repetitive, hidden keywords to fool search rankings. As such, the use of CSS could lead Google to categorize your site as spam and demote it accordingly.
As with any major change to your website, I highly recommend make a backup of the site websites before starting. Not only is this security protocol generally good, but it also protects you in case the worst happens.
With all that covered, let's get into removing footer links. “Proudly powered by WordPress”.
How to Remove the “Proudly Powered by WordPress” Link (3 Methods)
If you are looking to remove default WordPress footer links, there are 3 effective methods you can choose from.
1. Edit Footer from Theme Settings Page
Depending on your WordPress theme, you may just need to adjust some settings to get the job done. Many developers anticipate that users will want to customize this part of their footers and make the option available.
If easy removal of WordPress footer links is important to you, this might be a factor to consider when you select a WordPress theme.
Essentially, the approach is the same no matter which WordPress theme you choose. First of all, head to the Appearance option in the sidebar of the WordPress dashboard and select Personalize their campaigns.
In the Customizer you are looking for something similar to the Footer, to foot options of page or to credits (the exact name of the menu depends on the WordPress theme).
In this section, there should be an option where you can edit the footer content using shortcode. This can be used to add both theme copyrights and WordPress links to your footer:
If you want to get rid of all text, just remove the shortcode and leave an empty box. This should result in an empty footer. You can also adjust the footer if you want it to show different text or redirect somewhere else.
2. Edit your theme code directly
Another way to remove the footer is to edit your WordPress theme code directly. As stated earlier, I strongly recommend that you make a backup before you begin.
It is also important to modify the code with a Child theme not the parent theme itself. This is another way to protect against accidental breakage of your core files and theappearance of your website.
This method requires a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) client. I recommend fileZilla because it's a free and solid way to manage your files.
To get started, open the parent theme with FileZilla. Find the file footer.php ou footer.php and make a copy of it, but don't delete files from the parent theme. Instead, save the copy in the child theme folder with the same name.
Once you've moved it, look for code like this:
<div class="powered-by">
<?php
printf(
/* translators: %s: WordPress. */
esc_html__( 'Proudly powered by %s.', 'twentytwentytwo' ),
'<a href="' . esc_url( __( 'https://wordpress.org/', 'twentytwentytwo' ) ) . '">WordPress</a>'
);
?>
</div><!-- .powered-by -->
</div><!-- .site-info -->
</footer><!-- #colophon -->
</div><!-- #page -->
<?php wp_footer(); ?>
Once you find it, remove that part of the code from the child theme file footer.php. Save your changes and activate your child theme from your WordPress dashboard.
Your WordPress website should now display an exact copy of the original WordPress theme, but without the WordPress footer link. You can continue to customize and adjust the child theme as you normally would.
3. Use CSS for a quick fix
As I said before, the CSS method has some risks. This can have negative effects on your SEO due to the fact that Google signals as a spamming technique since the WordPress footer link will be hidden and not actually deleted.
Also, this method does not work with all WordPress themes. Its success rate is a bit random, depending on how the WordPress theme you are using was written. For these reasons, it is not recommended.
However, it is undeniably a quick and easy way to remove WordPress footer links. If you're in a tight spot and need it to go away quickly, this is a good option to help you out while you look at the other methods.
It may be a good idea to take other precautions for your search engine rankings if you plan to use this method, such as choosing a WordPress theme SEO friendly.
Once you've squared all of that up, start by making sure that the WordPress theme you want to hide the footer link for is enabled. Go to your WordPress dashboard and find the option Appearence in the sidebar.
Select option Theme Editor. You will probably be automatically redirected to the page Style Sheet under Theme files on the right side. However, you might want to double check before adding anything.
Then scroll to the bottom of the file style.css and paste the following code:
.site-info { display: none; }Finally, click the button Update file. This should hide the footer links.
You can also add custom CSS from the Customizer. For this method, open your WordPress theme customization page by clicking on the menu Appearance> Customize in your WordPress admin area. Here select Additional CSS in the sidebar and paste the same code as above in the field.
Once you click on Publish, the CSS should have taken care of the footer links. I want to reiterate that I only recommend this as a short-term solution to use while determining which of the other methods will work best for your website due to SEO issues.
Discover also some premium WordPress plugins
You can use other WordPress plugins to give a modern appearance and to optimize the handling of your blog or website.
We offer you here some premium WordPress plugins that will help you do that.
1. WP Slick Slider Image Carousel Pro
If you are an unconditional follower of the sequel Visual Composer, using the WP Slick Slider plugin is an option that you should consider.
With almost 100 predefined templates, you will definitely find what you are looking for without coding anything. This is an option to take really seriously, especially for users of Visual Composer.
See also How to create a sitemap on your WordPress blog
Its features are among others: a fully responsive layout with drag and drop support, a shortcodes, the support of RTL and multilingual, beautiful design and much more.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
2. Super Social Content Locker
Super Social Content Locker is an all-in-one plugin, with social content locking functionality for your blog. In particular, it allows you to lock your content and customize the unlocking mode your visitors will use.
Thus, to unlock content, users will for example follow you or share the content of the website on social networks, or watch your video advertising. They may also be asked to fill in a form, or simply to participate in a vote.
Read also our article on 8 WordPress plugins to easily create your layouts
This plugin can be used in two ways: on a widget lateral bar stand-alone or anywhere on the website.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
3. WooCommerce Product FAQ Manager
WooCommerce Product FAQ Manager is an excellent premium WordPress plugin designed for any eCommerce website, which is looking to add a FAQ section, in order to convert visitors into buyers.
The advantage that you will have with this plugin, is that you will be able to advertise each product and answer questions about each of them. In addition, it is easy to install and highly customizable.
At your convenience, you will have the possibility to add colors corresponding to the graphic charter of your shop. It will be your way of make eCommerce even more enjoyable thanks to this plugin.
Download | Demo | Web hosting
Recommended Resources
Find out about other recommended resources to help you build and manage your website.
- How to add Gmail authentication on WordPress
- How to fix the "missing temporary folder" error on WordPress
- How to create interactive images on WordPress
- How to fix "Unable to write to disk" error on WordPress
- How to display your WordPress publications in a grid layout
Conclusion
If you are looking to fully customize your WordPress website, the Proudly Powered by WordPress link may not match your image. Fortunately, with a little time spent getting to grips with your WordPress theme, it can be easily taken care of. In this article, we've covered three ways to remove these footer links.
Here is ! That's it for this tutorial, I hope now you know when and how to remove the Proudly powered by WordPress link. Do not hesitate to share with your friends on your favorite social networks.
However, you will also be able to consult our resources, if you need more elements to carry out your projects of creation of Internet sites, by consulting our guide on the WordPress blog creation.
And if you have any suggestions or remarks, leave them in our section Comments.
...
