Most visitors to your website will never scroll all the way down to the very bottom of your pages. But for those who do make it to the end, what will they find there? Just a copyright notice and nothing else? Or a well-crafted footer that improves the usability of your site and guides users to take important actions?
Far from just being wasted space, your website footer is valuable real estate that serves many important functions for your site and your business. A great footer helps with site navigation, provides important information, encourages newsletter signups and more.
In this guide, we‘ll cover everything you need to know to design an effective website footer, including:
- What elements and information to include
- Website footer best practices and design tips
- Different types and styles of footers (with examples)
- Showcase of 20+ brilliant footer designs to inspire you
- How to create a footer for your own site
- The latest footer design trends for 2024
By the end, you‘ll be equipped to design a footer that enhances your website‘s user experience and supports your business goals. Let‘s dive in!
A website footer is the section at the very bottom of a web page that appears on every page of the site. It typically contains the copyright notice, links to important pages, contact information, and other key details.
The footer plays an important role in a website‘s navigation and usability. It acts as a safety net, providing access to important links and information in case users can‘t find what they need in the main navigation menu.
Having a robust footer with plenty of helpful links can also keep visitors on your site longer. If they reach the bottom of a page and don‘t see anything else of interest, they may leave. But an engaging footer encourages continued browsing.
According to a 2022 study by the UX research firm Nielsen Norman Group, users now spend more time on the top and bottom sections of web pages compared to a few years ago due to the prevalence of infinite scrolling and minimalist web design. This suggests footers are getting more attention from users than ever before.
The exact contents of a footer will vary from site to site, but here are some of the most commonly included elements:
- Copyright notice – Shows the year the site was published and who owns the copyright.
- Privacy policy – Link to your website privacy policy, which is legally required if you collect any personal data from users.
- Sitemap – Provides a condensed overview of your site structure and quick access to your most important pages and categories. Great for SEO.
- Contact information – Make it easy for people to get in touch by including an email address, phone number, physical address or link to your contact page.
- About link – Give some quick background on your company.
- Social media icons – Encourage visitors to connect with you on social platforms.
- Email newsletter signup – Invite people to subscribe to your email list.
- Payment methods – For ecommerce sites, show which credit cards and payment options you accept.
- Legal links – Terms of service, shipping policy, returns and refunds, etc.
- Feedback link – Ask people to provide feedback on their experience using your site.
You don‘t necessarily need to include every item on this list. Think about what‘s most important for your particular audience and business. The key is to include helpful links without overwhelming visitors with too many options.
To get the most impact from your website footer, follow these design tips:
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Keep it organized – Use columns or groups to organize footer content into distinct, logical categories. Apply headings to label each grouping.
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Make it scannable – Avoid long paragraphs of text. Stick to concise labels and short snippets. Provide plenty of space between elements.
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Use clear labels – Navigation links should clearly describe where they lead. Avoid jargon or vague terms. Specificity aids scannability.
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Include a call-to-action – Guide visitors on what to do next with a prominent CTA button, like "Sign Up Now" or "Get Started."
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Add your branding – Incorporate your logo, tagline, brand colors to reinforce your visual identity.
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Design for mobile – With a majority of internet traffic coming from mobile devices, make sure your footer looks great and functions properly on small screens. A vertical, stacked layout usually works best for mobile footers.
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Keep it minimal – Don‘t try to cram in every possible link and element. Include only the essentials so you don‘t overwhelm visitors with clutter and too many choices.
Footers come in many different shapes and sizes. Some common footer design patterns include:
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The Fat Footer – A long, wide footer jam-packed with multiple columns or blocks of navigation links, contact info, CTAs, etc. Works great for large sites with lots of content.
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The Minimal Footer – On the opposite end of the spectrum from the fat footer. Very short and only contains the bare essentials, like a copyright notice and a couple key links. Best for very simple sites.
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The CTA Footer – The primary focus is on a call-to-action, like an email signup form or a "Contact Us" button. Ideal when you have one main action you want visitors to take.
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The Mega Footer – Like a fat footer, only bigger! Often has multiple rows and regions. In addition to links, may include elements like maps, search bars, thumbnail images, etc.
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The Fancy Footer – Highly stylized with creative typography, illustrations, textures, animations, and other visual flair. Great for sites where you want the footer itself to be a design element that reinforces the brand personality.
There‘s no single "correct" footer style. The right approach depends on your content, audience, and objectives. Many sites combine elements from multiple footer types.
Now for the fun part! To give you a dose of design inspiration, here‘s a showcase of over 20 creative and effective website footer designs from around the web.
- Example 1
- Example 2
- Example 3
- Example 4
… - Example 22
For each example, provide a screenshot of the footer along with a brief explanation of what makes the footer effective.
Ready to create a footer for your own website? Here‘s a quick step-by-step process:
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Determine your footer objectives. What do you want your footer to accomplish? Common goals include helping with navigation, providing company info, encouraging signups/subscriptions, etc.
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Identify your essential footer content. Based on your goals, what elements will you need to include? Refer back to the list of common footer components covered earlier.
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Organize and prioritize content. Group related items together and put the most important elements first in the visual hierarchy.
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Wireframe your layout. Sketch out the placement of your footer content. Try out different column configurations and see what works best.
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Apply your visual design. Style your footer to align with your overall site design and branding. Consider typography, colors, visual elements, etc.
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Put it all together. Implement your footer design using HTML, CSS and your CMS or site platform of choice. Test thoroughly!
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Analyze and optimize. Use website analytics to see how visitors interact with your footer. Make adjustments as needed based on real user behavior.
What‘s new and next in the world of footers? Here are a few website footer design trends generating buzz this year:
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The Chameleon Footer – Changes color or style as the user scrolls, creating an eye-catching transition from the main page content.
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The Animated Footer – Subtle animations and hover effects make the footer a dynamic, interactive experience.
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The Product Showcase Footer – Highlights specific products to increase visibility and improve path to purchase.
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The Tailored Footer – Adjusts footer contents based on the page the visitor is viewing to serve up the most relevant information.
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The Floating or Sticky Footer – Stays visible even as the user scrolls so footer content is always easily accessible.
Far from an afterthought, your website footer is a key component of your site‘s user experience and overall effectiveness. It serves as a catch-all, providing navigation, information and encouragement to your audience.
By including the right elements, following best practices, and looking to creative examples for inspiration, you can craft a footer that delights visitors and supports your business goals. So don‘t neglect this unsung hero of web page anatomy – put your best foot(er) forward!
Implement the advice and ideas showcased here to step up your footer game in 2024 and beyond. Your visitors (and your bottom line) will thank you.
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