Far too often, a website footer is merely an afterthought in the web design process. However, simply because a website footer is (by definition) relegated to the bottom of a web page does not mean it should rank low on your priority list. A well-designed website footer can vastly improve a site’s usability and provide visitors with direct access to some of its less-trafficked pages. And there’s good reason to think your footer will get engagement from users.
According to a
study by Chartbeat, 80% of site visitors view the content below the fold three times longer than the content above.
In light of this data, it’s important to consider adding more than just a privacy policy, copyright notice, general contact information, social media links and business logo. The website footer is also a great place to consider including elements like a newsletter signup box or contact form.
Now that we have some understanding of how important a website footer can be to an overall site experience, let’s take a look at the critical elements that belong in (almost) every one.
The essential elements of a website footer are:
If you include a sign-up form anywhere on your website or are collecting users’ personal information (e.g. email addresses, phone numbers, etc.) in any way, it's a good idea to include a privacy policy agreement somewhere on the website.
Most visitors probably won’t even go looking for your privacy page. But for those that wish to wade through the legalese, it’s a best practice to add a link to it in the website footer.
Protecting digital property that belongs to you and your small business customers from copyright infringement is an important part of maintaining a effective and successful online presence. A copyright notice helps protect your work by letting everyone who visits the website know there are legal consequences for using any of its content without permission.
Under U.S. law, your content is technically copyrighted as soon as you publish it. Therefore, you'll want to just go ahead and add the copyright symbol (©) and year your site was published somewhere in its footer. By simply adding this small bit of information in your website footer, you will go a long way towards dissuading potential plagiarists. Moreover, there are additional steps you can take to further protect the copyright on your digital work.
For both SEO and practical reasons, it’s a good idea to either create a sitemap in the website footer or provide a link directing users to the XML sitemap. Sitemap footers should contain website pages that can’t fit in the site’s main navigation bar. This encourages users to explore pages that might not otherwise be easily discoverable on a site.
A sitemap footer should include links to the about us page, contact us page, privacy policy, shipping and handling, shopping cart, image gallery, services page, and all other relevant site pages.
Speaking of discoverability, the job of Google’s search engine bots is to look for your XML sitemap; including a link in your footer makes it easier for them to find it.
The two main purposes of a website are to provide value to visitors and generate contact information from quality leads. One way to address both of these needs is to make it as easy as possible to get in touch with the business.
It is absolutely critical for businesses to include contact details, such as email, phone number, address, etc., in their website’s footer. Many sites today also include a link that leads visitors to a contact form.
A logo is the ideal tool to represent a brand’s image and reinforce its identity in the marketplace. White it most definitely deserves a place in your website footer, the rules regarding how your logo looks may change slightly. For example, the background color of a site footer is oftentimes different from that of the main website. Therefore, you may want to display the business’s logo in a slightly different color than normal.
Furthermore, you may want to consider including your brand’s vision and mission statement side by side with the logo. This presents site visitors with a holistic view and general impression of what your brand is all about.
Whether the goal is to offer people a way to keep up with promotional offers or subscribe to a newsletter, an email sign-up form is an excellent marketing tool to include in any website footer. After all, a visitor who has made it to the bottom of your web page is likely to be interested in further communicating with the business.
A tried-and-true way to generate and interact with quality leads is by connecting with them on social media. By including social media profile links in the website footer, a business can generate more opportunities to grow its reach.
A great website footer tells site visitors what a business does, who they serve, and why consumers should work with them. Let's take a look at some examples that accomplish these goals, and do so in an engaging and beautiful design.
Griflan Design offers animation, illustration, marketing, and web development service. The company’s website footer is relatively simplistic, putting it in stark contrast to the rest of the site, which is highly dynamic and involves tons of moving images. This has the effect of making the website footer a stabilizing presence in the overall design; and hence, a main location where the eye is drawn.
Chron is one of the largest newspapers in America. Its website footer is simple and elegant. This is an ideal example of what it looks like when a website footer is well planned and includes all of the essential elements cited above.
Orbit Media is a well-known design studio in the IT industry, and its website footer is chock-full of rich content for site visitors. Scroll to the bottom of the homepage (or any page) and you’ll find a newsletter signup, links to social media, multiple points of contact information, and its B Corp Certification.
A website footer is much more than just the last design element on your web design checklist. In actuality, it’s a content section where customers, and sometimes search engines, look for important information about a small business and its website. To make sure sites you create are ready for both of these audiences, follow the advice outlined above and you’ll be sure to create website footers that drive more value for your clients and increase customer loyalty.
