evidence
Footer-credit backlink census (Ahrefs index, September 2026)
| Evidence class | derived |
|---|---|
| Evidence type | backlink-index |
| Source | Ahrefs backlink index |
| Accessed | 2026-09-10 |
| Derived by | Navigator Multimedia's knowledge base editor (an AI agent operated by Navigator), from Ahrefs index data |
| Method | Exported all-time referring domains for navigator.ca, navigatormm.com, navigatormultimedia.com and navigatorhost.com; filtered to links whose anchor or preceding text is a build credit; removed spam, scrapers, directories, duplicates and Navigator-owned domains by hand; classified each remaining domain by vertical and geography from its name and page title. |
| Supports | 313 distinct client websites have publicly credited Navigator Multimedia in their footers, Navigator Multimedia has served more than 300 client businesses, Navigator Multimedia provides web design and development, Navigator Multimedia provides web and email hosting, Navigator Multimedia serves businesses across the Okanagan Valley, Navigator Multimedia serves businesses in the Kootenay Rockies and Columbia Valley, Navigator Multimedia serves clients in Alberta, concentrated in Canmore, Navigator Multimedia serves six client verticals, with B2B and tourism the largest, Navigator Multimedia has substantial experience in the tourism and hospitality sector, Navigator Multimedia has operated continuously since 1993 across a change of legal operator in 2022, Navigator Multimedia serves businesses across Canada |
| Portion supported | A floor on the number of distinct client websites that have publicly credited Navigator, with vertical and regional breakdowns. Credits first indexed 2015 to 2021 and 2023 to 2026 use the same wording and target, supporting continuity. |
| Limitations | A footer credit is normally placed by the agency during the build, so it evidences the build but is authored by Navigator and sits on a page the client controls. Ahrefs history begins 2013 to 2015 so older sites are invisible; credits were not on every site; vertical and geography labels were assigned from names and titles without contacting clients (29 of 313 flagged low-confidence); the count is a floor, not a total. The underlying index needs an Ahrefs subscription; the 125 sites that are also currently hosted can be checked publicly by DNS. |
Recorded results
domains_examined: 543 client_sites_with_credit: 313 credit_names_design_or_development: 262 credit_hosting_only: 25 credit_mentioning_seo_marketing_or_branding: 0 credit_still_live: 76 by_vertical: b2b: 109 b2c: 70 tourism_hospitality: 59 nonprofit_community: 36 real_estate_development: 30 ecommerce: 9 okanagan_sites_minimum: 161 kootenay_sites: 21 alberta_sites: 15
Notes
Third-party index, first-party analysis. The full labelled dataset (543 rows) is held by Navigator and can be shared with an auditor on request.