diff --git a/footer.php b/footer.php
index ed7a1937..fb050920 100644
--- a/footer.php
+++ b/footer.php
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 			<span class="sep"> | </span>
 			<?php
 				/* translators: 1: Theme name, 2: Theme author. */
-				printf( esc_html__( 'Theme: %1$s by %2$s.', '_s' ), '_s', '<a href="https://automattic.com/" rel="designer">Automattic</a>' );
+				printf( esc_html__( 'Theme: %1$s by %2$s.', '_s' ), '_s', '<a href="https://automattic.com/">Automattic</a>' );
 			?>
 		</div><!-- .site-info -->
 	</footer><!-- #colophon -->