What is the footer of a website?
While the main focus is often on the header and content of a website, there is a silent but powerful player at the bottom: the footer. Often the last to be tackled when developing a website, the footer plays an important role in creating a complete and user-friendly web experience. Below you will find out why the footer of a website is so important and how you can best use it for your website hosting.
What is a footer?
The footer of a website is the area at the bottom of every web page that often contains various elements, such as contact information, links to important pages, copyright information, links to social media, a sitemap and sometimes even additional navigation. Together with the header and the main body of the website, it forms the basis for almost every web page and website. It therefore occupies an important place in web design and development.
It is also the place where a website visitor can be convinced at the last moment to click through to another page within your website. Once a website visitor sees the footer, they have either finished reading the page and are looking for more information, or they are about to click away. The footer is therefore another attempt to persuade the visitor to continue clicking.
Functions of the footer
1. navigation and accessibility:
Similar to the header, the footer also offers additional navigation options. It often contains links to important areas of the website so that the visitor can still find what they are looking for even if they have already scrolled down the page. You can also link here to specific landing pages for a product or service that a visitor would like more information about.
2. contact and information:
Important contact information such as address, email, telephone number or a contact form are often located in the footer. This makes it easy for visitors to contact the website owner. However, if you insist on placing a contact form in the footer, you should try to limit the input fields in the options to keep them small.
3. trust and reputation:
copyright information, privacy policy and certifications can be included in the footer. This adds to the credibility of the website and builds trust with visitors. It also means that the website is no longer anonymous, which is often appreciated.
4. sitemap and search:
A clear sitemap can be included to give an overview of the structure of the website. Sometimes a search bar is also added so that visitors can quickly find specific content.
5. Social media integration:
Often footers contain icons that link to social media platforms. This encourages visitors to connect on other platforms and increase the website's online presence.
Design considerations
An effective footer is uncluttered and fits with the overall style of the website. It is important that it does not contain too much information, but only the most important elements to increase usability. Too many links and clutter can lead to visitors being put off and not realizing the benefits of a footer.
While often overlooked, the footer of a website fulfills an invaluable role in complementing the content and functionality of a website. Not only does it provide additional navigation and contact options, but it also builds visitor confidence. A well-designed footer can make the difference between an ordinary user experience and an extraordinary one, and therefore deserves due consideration when creating and designing a website.
