You Need To Put These Eight Things in Your Website Footer
What to put in your website footer might not be the first thing you think about when designing your site.
But it IS super important.
It holds everything important in one place so people can easily find what they need. Plus, a smart footer can up your SEO game, making it easier for people to find you.
It can be hard to know what to include and what to leave out.
Including too much can make it feel cluttered, but not including the important bits can lead to visitors bouncing ASAP from your site, because there's too much friction for them to find what they're looking for.
5 Tips For Your Website Footer
01. KEEP IT ORGANIZED
An organized footer helps visitors find what they're looking for quickly. It can help with navigation and user experience. Group similar information together. Use headings to separate different sections like contact info, quick links, or social media.
02. INCLUDE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION (see below)
Essential info - like contact details, privacy policy, or social media links, makes sure visitors have access to the most important parts of your website. Stick to the most relevant information. Think about what your visitors might be looking for at the end of their site journey. What’s most helpful for them?
03. MAKE IT VISUALLY APPEALING & ON-BRAND
A well-designed footer can improve the overall vibe of your website, making it more on-brand, recognizable, and memorable. Use colors, fonts, and spacing that complement your website's design. Keep it simple and easy to navigate, while using your brand colors and fonts.
04. INCLUDE A CALL-TO-ACTION (CTA)
A call-to-action (CTA) in the footer engages your visitors and brings them into your ecosystem, encouraging them to take a desired action like subscribing to your amazing newsletter. Choose a CTA that makes sense for your audience and the overall context of your site.
05. MAKE SURE IT’S RESPONSIVE & MOBILE-FRIENDLY
A mobile-friendly footer ensures your website is accessible and navigable on all devices. Test your footer's design on various devices. Ensure text is readable and links are easy to tap on a touchscreen.
👉 Here’s a (free) Chrome Extension that simulates what a website looks like on mobile devices.
What to Include in Your Website Footer:
1. Contact Information
You gotta include a way to get in touch with you!
Whether this is your direct email address, a link to your contact page, or your phone number and address (if you have a physical location), this is arguably one of the most important pieces on your website.
2. Newsletter Subscription
Including a spot for visitors to subscribe to your newsletter is a smart strategy. It encourages engagement and helps build a community around your brand.
NOTE: I put 'Newsletter Subscription' here in this spot instead of a lead magnet (aka 'freebie') because I typically include opt-ins sprinkled strategically throughout the site, including the announcement bar, pop-ups, and a marketing bridge right above the footer. Plus, I like to give people an option to just subscribe because they want to hear from you, not just because they want a resource you provide.
But use your best judgement here, a lead magnet would work well in the footer too! Just don’t use both 😜
3. Social Media Links
If you have active accounts, link to them in your footer (NOT your header).
Think of social media accounts like Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, TikTok, Pinterest and more. Be strategic - you don’t want people to get Shiny Object Syndrome and follow a link out to your LinkedIn that you never use, only to get distracted by a notification and not come back to your site. Make sure your links are to social media platforms you’re on and actively growing, and keep them in your footer so they’re easy to find but not top of mind.
4. Legal Information
One of the most important thing your website needs: a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
Having a Privacy Policy is legally required if you collect any data at all (99% of websites do - either in analytics, GIFs, online forms, newsletter sign-ups, contact forms, etc).
Terms & Conditions is equally important.
There are a few options for you to get copies for your own site, ranging from free to yearly fees.
If your budget allows, I strongly recommend using a service that regularly updates policies based on the ever-changing laws that more and more states are enacting, as well as staying current on Europe’s GDPR policies.
These work way better and you can rest easy you are compliant, no matter what states’ regulations are updated.
Here are four legal page resources I recommend:
Termageddon (that's an affiliate link!)*
This is a subscription-based service. For $120~ish/year, you get up to 5 different policies with each license of their services + access to any updates, most of which they will do FOR you. They walk you through the whole process, and the policies are embedded on your site and are updated by Termageddon as laws change to keep you in compliance.
Policies included are:
Privacy Policy
Cookie Policy
Cookie Consent Tool
Terms & Conditions (basic terms of service for the website use)
End User License Agreement (EULA - for software or other licensed products, typically)
This is what I use!
NOTE: I am both a customer & an affiliate of this service. If you use my affiliate code JPKDESIGN to purchase a plan, I'll get a commission at no extra cost to you, and you'll get support from them to walk you through the whole setup!
Termly Free Privacy Policy Generator
Termly's Free Policy Generator is great for solopreneurs and small businesses just getting started, offering cost-effective, customizable options. However,they provide generic results that don't cover all legal nuances, especially for specialized industries, and it does NOT update regularly.
This is a good starter option if you’re JUST starting your business and don’t have a lot to spend, but you’ll likely want to prioritize an upgrade as soon as you’re able.
Sprout Law's Privacy Policy Website Template offers an easy solution if you want legally compliant documents without the high cost of personalized legal services or regularly updated policies. They’re currently $59 for a one time fee. It bridges the gap between free policy generators and hiring a full-time legal professional, making it a solid choice for businesses aiming for growth and compliance.
5. Site Map/Important Links
A site map, or a collection of links to your main pages, is important - you’ll see these in footers across every industry. They assist in easy navigation, as well as let Google know that the webpages you are linking to are important (and they help with SEO by using internal links to your most relevant pages).
Good links to include here are:
Home
About
Contact
Services
Shop
Blog
Subscribe
Any free resources you offer
6. Search Bar
A search bar is helpful for all sites, and particularly beneficial for content-heavy sites. It helps visitors find exactly what they're looking for quickly. Squarespace’s native search bar is unfortunately not very robust 😆, but it does do the trick in a pinch.
7. Your Logo or Photo
You’ll want to include something here that softy reiterates where your visitor is. Use either a professional photo of you, or your business logo. It's a reminder of YOU, the person behind the website and business.
8. Copyright Years
Always include the current year and the year your website was launched to assert copyright protection over your site's content.
And there we have it. Your website footer is a super important of your website design and strategy.
It's the last thing people see and encompasses your most important info. Your footer should look organized and on-brand, matching the rest of your website.
Whether you're using Squarespace or any other platform, including these elements can help make your website more on-brand, and a place where your visitors want to stay and hang out.
