---
id: evidence-backlink-census-2026-09
type: evidence
title: Footer-credit backlink census (Ahrefs index, September 2026)
evidence_type: backlink-index
party: derived
derived_by: Navigator Multimedia's knowledge base editor (an AI agent operated by Navigator), from Ahrefs index data
source: source-ahrefs
accessed: 2026-09-10
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.
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
supports:
  - claim-credited-websites-313
  - claim-300-plus-clients
  - claim-provides-web-design
  - claim-provides-web-hosting
  - claim-serves-okanagan
  - claim-serves-kootenays
  - claim-serves-alberta
  - claim-industries-served
  - claim-serves-tourism-sector
  - claim-continuous-operation-since-1993
  - claim-serves-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.
updated: 2026-09-11
---
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.