It’s not unusual for some companies out there to not give much thought when creating their website’s footer.
Some don’t even have one at all!
But is that really the best thing to do?
Well, to tell the truth, you don’t necessarily need to incorporate a footer in your web pages, but it is pretty dang handy to have one, and I’m going to tell you why.
Website footers basically act as a buffer for when site visitors scroll through thousands of pixels of content to look for specific information about your website, especially if they don’t see it on your website’s header.
By giving site visitors with helpful links at the bottom of the page, they’re more likely to stay on your page and not bounce off to the next shiny website they see.
What’s a website’s footer?
In simple terms, the content part at the very bottom of a webpage is called the website footer.
It usually includes your company’s logo and name, important contact and legal details, a sitemap, social media icons, and an email sign-up form, and all of this information enhances the usability of a website as a whole.
Should you pay attention to your footer?
Well, you might be thinking that since a footer is all the way at the bottom of a page, there’s no need to put in that much of an effort, right?
But, you’d be surprised as to how much site visitors actually consume the information that’s placed on your footer!
The most recent study by Nielsen Norman Group back in 2018 also drives this point home when they found that only about 57% of the time users spent on a page was actually above the fold of a website!
So, it turns out that the upper part of a webpage isn’t hogging all the users’ attention as much as we might think, and that footer content aren’t down there just for show either.
They serve a purpose, helping your audience navigate and find the information they need, so even though they’re tucked away at the bottom of the page, you’ve got to make sure you’re making the most of that space!
6 important elements to include in your footer
When you’re setting up your footer, it’s smart to think about what kind of content deserves a spot there since you definitely don’t want to stash away super important links only in the footer.
For instance, if your website’s blog pulls in a ton of traffic, it’s best to keep it visible in the main navigation rather than burying it down below, right?
However, if it isn’t a primary focus for your organization, then it’s fine to keep it in your footer.
That said, here are 6 of the most common elements that you should definitely include in your footer for the most optimal results:
1. Your Company Logo and Name
Just like in your website’s header, having your business logo and name in the footer part of a webpage greatly reinforces your brand identity.
By placing them in the footer ensures that no matter where your visitors navigate on your site, they have this constant reminder of who you are, and what you present by consistently building brand reputation and having your logo and name prominently displayed at the bottom of every page.
On top of that, it can also mold the idea that your site is trustworthy in the digital community.
Imagine visiting a website and not being able to easily identify whose site it is, you’d definitely feel uncertain as to whether or not the information is even legit.
So, despite it being a small detail, it can go a long way in providing reassurance to your visitors and establishing trust and credibility with your audience over time.
2. your Contact Information
If you want potential leads to easily reach out to you, then adding your contact details in the footer is an important step to take.
The kind of information that it usually includes are essentials like a business email, phone number, mailing address, or even the actual address of where your business is located.
When visitors reach the end of your page and want to reach out, having contact details right there makes it easy for them to do so without searching high and low and reduces the trouble for them to connect with you.
It also adds a layer of transparency, showing that you’re open to communication and ready to assist with any inquiries they may have.
This, in turn, builds confidence in your brand and can encourage potential leads to take that next step towards engaging with your business further.
3. Social Media Links
Besides having your contact details, it’s vital that you keep up an active presence on social media to stay connected with your target audience across various platforms on the internet.
By including links to your social media accounts in the footer, you not only maintain said engagement but also bolster the reliability of your brand and encourage visitors to explore and connect with your brand beyond just your website.
Additionally, integrating your socials into your footer can positively impact your website’s SEO, which is a huge plus.
Through social media SEO strategies, like optimizing your profiles, sharing high-quality content, and engaging with your audience, you can improve your website’s ranking in search engine results and boost its visibility even more than before.
4. a Sitemap
A smart website footer strategy revolves around easy navigation and saves users from having to scroll all the way back up the page.
Depending on the nature of your website, important pages could range from account and login sections to product categories, FAQs, service descriptions, and contact forms.
These navigation choices typically include internal links to your homepage (often accessible through a linked logo), featured blogs/articles, your products or services, and a more elaborate about us section.
It’s also worth noting that you should arrange your links effectively and categorize them into neat little sections by using clear and relevant labels like Support, Other Products, and the like.
5. your Legal Information
I know, I know, all those legal documents are usually a drag to read, but they’re essential for keeping your users informed and meeting your legal obligations.
And guess what?
The footer serves as the perfect spot to establish your legal identity and ownership rights, providing transparency to your users.
That’s why links to content like your company’s privacy policy, copyright information, cookie policy, security details, and terms of service are often tucked away in the footer.
These details not only safeguard your creative works but also play a critical role in SEO, making it vital to include legal details in your footer to ensure that your site is both legally compliant and user-friendly.
6. a clear Call-To-Action
Your website’s footer can also be a great location to insert a secondary call-to-action in order to drive more conversions.
One way you can do this is by integrating a newsletter signup form into your website footer to produce an email list for your company to look back on.
By having this form conveniently placed in the footer, you’re not only streamlining the process of collecting and confirming email addresses for your subscriber list, but also creating opportunities and generating leads to turn website visitors into potential customers.
For instance, you can consider someone who’s scrolled all the way down to the bottom of your webpage is likely already interested in your content and what you have to offer.
So with an email list, you can not only keep subscribers informed about sales, new blog posts, and valuable tips, but you can also subtly sell to them by utilizing their emails for marketing new products that your business has to offer whenever they drop.
Website Footer Best Design Practices
So, now that you know several types of information that you can add to your footer, let’s go over how to make the most out of all of them by designing a footer and making your sales page as attractive as possible, which can dramatically increase visitor retention and successfully direct them to other parts of the page.
Don’t Copy Your Header’s Information
We’ve seen this happen all too many times, wherein businesses make exact mirror images of the content of their website’s header to the footer.
While it may seem like a simple solution, it’s not always the best approach to take because when your visitors scroll down after going through your website and seeing duplicate content, it won’t offer them any extra value at all.
So instead, you can think of your website footer as you would a letterhead, meaning you don’t need to repeat the same information at the top and bottom.
Anything you include in the footer should enhance the user experience and provide additional value that they wouldn’t find elsewhere on the page.
Keep It Minimalistic
Ensuring your website footer is well-organized is key to keeping your visitors engaged.
The last thing you want is for them to have to scroll all the way back up to find what they’re looking for, and that could potentially lead to them growing bored of your website and clicking away.
So, keep your footer as clear and straightforward as possible for the best user experience.
Start by highlighting the basics, like your main pages, contact details, and links to your social media profiles.
And if you decide to add an image, opt for something simple and easy to understand, even if it’s small, and avoid intricate graphs or complex statistics that might overwhelm your visitors.
Keep Mobile Users In Mind
When crafting your website footer, don’t forget about making it mobile-friendly.
Keep in mind that, in most cases, people will access your site from a variety of devices with different screen sizes.
Plus, when viewed on mobile devices, footers can sometimes appear like they’re never going to end, making it less likely that visitors will scroll through all of your information.
So, optimizing your website footer for mobile devices is essential for providing a seamless user experience and ensures that all users, regardless of the device they’re using, can easily access important information, navigate your site, and engage with your content.
Let Your Creativity Shine
When it comes to designing your website footer, don’t feel constrained to follow the crowd, after all, a “one size fits all footer” doesn’t exist.
So when designing your footer, know what your target audience prefers and let your brand’s personality shine through by getting creative!
Take a moment to think about your brand identity, and the overall design of your website, and explore different possibilities.
Play around with different color palettes to find the ones that complement your website’s overall scheme the best.
Also, bold yet easy-to-read fonts can make a big difference in grabbing your visitors’ attention and conveying your message effectively.
And don’t forget about images, custom graphics, and other engaging features that can add personality to your footer and make it a reflection of your brand’s style and values.
optimize your website’s footer Now!
After going through this entire article, I hope you bear in mind that footers shouldn’t be overlooked and are an essential part of the overall layout of your website.
Footers are quite literally your last shot at leaving a mark and showing your visitors that you can provide them value, no matter what page they’re on, so make sure that you don’t skip out on it!
And if you enjoyed this article and want to learn more about business, consider signing up for our free newsletter to join a community of like-minded people, gain valuable insights into how successful people got to where they are today, and apply them to your own marketing strategies!
FAQs
Does a website really need a footer?
Although footers technically aren’t necessary for websites to work properly, they do offer useful real estate to expand the functionality of your site. This is particularly true when you combine them with other tools for more effective content creation and delivery for website owners.
Does having footers help me in SEO?
If you want to have a higher rate of organic SEO, then adding footers to your webpages significantly increases those chances. You can insert additional information to your website’s footer that you would like not to have directly shown in the main navigation.
What’s the best size for a footer?
Your website’s dimensions and the amount of content you want to include will determine the precise size of your footer. Certain footers consist of slender, narrow strips with just one line of text. Others are considerably larger and include a lot more features. Though, don’t forget to take mobile design into account while selecting a footer size so that phone users don’t have to scroll down too far just to get a certain piece of info.
Should a footer be on every page of a website?
It helps to have a footer present on every page of your website so that your visitors can have a much easier time searching for the information that they want to acquire from your site.