Your website’s footer is an opportunity to improve your visitor’s experience on your site. Since it is at the bottom of the page, you can provide extra navigation, policies, links, and other information that helps them get what they need from your site.
A useful, helpful footer is usually 3-4 columns wide with 6-8 text links or 1-2 other elements in each column.
Critical elements:
Copyright Statement
Most footers contain a copyright statement. Check yours to be sure you have the current year. Some legal folks recommend the whole range of years from the year you started in business through the current year. Check with your favorite legal source if you aren’t sure.
Policy Links
The must-have policy is a privacy policy. New laws are coming into effect all the time, including a new law in New York that apparently allows lawsuits against website owners in a new way.
You might also include links to cookie policies, terms and conditions, and disclosures.
You may also include links to your shipping, return, refund, or guarantee policies here.
Recommended elements:
Contact info
I also recommend having a way to contact you in the footer. Here are some to consider:
- a link to the contact page
- a very brief email list signup form, or a link to your email list signup form
- a (clickable) phone number if applicable
- an email if you allow people to contact you that way
- links to your social
I’d recommend having at least one of these in your footer, more if applicable or useful to your visitors. Watch your space, especially on mobile, to ensure your footer isn’t crowded. On mobile, the various footer widgets, or columns, usually stack vertically on top of each other.
Store hours and location if you have a physical location!
One of my pet peeves is going to a store website and being unable to find the store address (if they are a physical store)! So make it easy for your website visitors to visit your physical store!
Footer Navigation
The footer navigation can be more detailed without feeling complex. Lists of blog categories, product categories, main pages, and various policies help direct users where they want to go without returning to the main menu at the top of the page. This feature is especially helpful for long pages on mobile.
The footer is an excellent place to list any links on your site that would be a good resource for your visitors.
Optional elements:
About
Depending on what other elements I want in the footer, sometimes there is room for a 1-sentence About statement. This mini-bio allows people to be reminded of what your business is about at the bottom of every page.
Logo
One way to keep your website branded consistently is to add your footer to your logo. Chances are you can make it bigger than in your header and your visitors can read it more easily if the wording is small.
Certificates, badges, payment methods, etc
Certification badges, professional memberships, payment methods, security badges, or other helpful or reassuring information can help your visitors feel more secure, especially if you offer items for purchase on your website.
Resources
Links to resources on other websites, if applicable to your site or business.
