[FAQ]

Hi,

I’m getting to the pointy end of my website design and the last bit to tackle is the footer. To be honest, I’ve always just thought of it as the spot where you chuck the copyright notice and the privacy policy link.

But I’ve been looking at other sites and some of them have massive footers with heaps of links, social media icons, and even a newsletter sign-up. It seems like it could be really valuable real estate if used properly.

What are the essential things that should be in a footer? And what are some best practices to make it useful for visitors without just turning it into a cluttered mess? I want to make sure I’m not missing a trick here.

Cheers.

[Jeff Bullas]

Good question.
Quick Answer: The best practice for a website footer is to strategically use it for secondary navigation, legal necessities, and key conversion content, primarily leveraging text and image formats for optimal performance.
The footer is prime real estate that users rely on, but the key is using the right content format for the purpose. The primary element should be text, which is essential for two main reasons: providing necessary legal links (like the privacy policy and terms of service) and creating a ‘fat footer’ that acts as a condensed sitemap. The concise link text is a significant navigational utility that is highly crawlable by search engines, boosting internal link equity.

The second crucial format is the image, specifically a business logo, social media icons, and small accreditation badges. Placing a logo consistently reinforces brand identity. Social media icons are best placed here to encourage off-site engagement without diverting a user from the primary goal. Accreditation badges, which are small static images, serve as trust signals, like security certifications or awards, supporting credibility without being distracting.

While video and audio can be included, they are generally ill-advised. Rich media risks negatively impacting page load speed, which is a major factor in user experience and SEO. If you must use a rich media format, a very small, static image that links to a video or an audio page is a safer choice. Always group related text links under clear headings, maintain visual contrast for readability, and ensure the footer does not become cluttered.

Cheers,
Jeff

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