In a blog post last year, Google reminded users that widgets are cool, but widget A WordPress Widget is a small block that performs a specific function. You can add these widgets in sidebars also known as widget-ready areas on your web page. WordPress widgets were originally created to provide a simple and easy-to-use way of giving design and structure control of the WordPress theme to the user. links are the suxxor.
Widgets can help website owners enrich the experience of their site and engage users. However, some widgets add links to a site that a webmaster did not editorially place and contain anchor text that the webmaster does not control. Because these links are not naturally placed, they’re considered a violation of Google Webmaster Guidelines.
If you look at the examples, they highlight things that many plugin A plugin is a piece of software containing a group of functions that can be added to a WordPress website. They can extend functionality or add new features to your WordPress websites. WordPress plugins are written in the PHP programming language and integrate seamlessly with WordPress. These can be free in the WordPress.org Plugin Directory https://wordpress.org/plugins/ or can be cost-based plugin from a third-party (and theme) developers would consider acceptable links.
What does this mean for you? It means your powered-by link may adversely impact your users. Be smart. Make your links no-follow.
Also as a reminder: Any and all powered-by links and credits must be opt-in. That is a site owner must make the conscious and informed decision to display your credits. You cannot have them show by default, you cannot have them be opt-out, and you cannot hide them in display:none code or any other way that embeds a clickable link. Code comments like <!-- Powered by WordPress --> is fine.
