Hiya Reader,
There's one part of a website that's very commonly overlooked.
Which is sad, because it's arguably one of the most IMPORTANT parts of a website.
But you wouldn't think so on the surface, bc it seems kinda like "whatever, who gives a shit"....
Any guesses on what that part is?
*****Intentional pause so you can guess****
*********************************************
*********************************************
....okay, it's the FOOTER.
Your eye probably read that word before you had the chance to pause but I hope you appreciate my effort on the build up lmao.
Website footers come up A LOT when I'm doing website audits for clients, students, or workshop attendees.
Why?
Because your footer lives at the bottom of *literally* every page on your site.
Every. Single. One.
Which means it's kinda like a catch-all net. If someone's scrolling a page, doesn't find what they need, and hits the bottom? That footer is your last shot at pointing them somewhere useful.
Annnnnd a strategic footer can = better SEO + more sales.
How your website footer helps your sales + SEO:
- It keeps people on your website site longer = more reading = more trust = more sales
- More time on site + more pages viewed = good UX signals, which search engines pick up on
- It gives Google (and AI bots) more context about what you do, who you help + which pages matter
- It reinforces trust & credibility (your legal pages, your location, clues that you're a REAL business)
- It can help you get pulled into local AI search results (more on this below!)
ALL OF THAT JUST FROM A WEBSITE FOOTER BABYYYYYYYYYY.
Now can you see WHY I love them?
They're relatively low-lift to whip up, and they pack SO MUCH POWER IN THEM.
So, what does a strategic website footer need?
✅ Social media links, and make sure they open in a NEW tab. You want people checking out your Instagram or YouTube, but you DON'T want that click pulling them completely off your site.
✅ Links to your important pages (aka money pages). For service-based owners, that's your services pages, ya know, the pages that actually make you $$$. If you're an eCommerce shop, it's prob your best-selling collections/categories. When thinking about these, ask yourself, if someone hits the bottom of ANY page right now, where do I actually want them to go next?
✅ A location + keyword line, even if you're not a local business. This one's one of my FAVORITE tips. Let me give you an example of what I mean with this tho....
I'm an SEO consultant (my main keyword), and even tho I don't target local clients specifically, my footer still says "SEO Consultant & Educator based out of Buffalo, NY + working with clients worldwide."
Why?
Because it's a genuine human connection point (I've literally had people hire me because their in-laws are from Buffalo lolol), AND sometimes when people are prompting AI tools like "find me an SEO consultant," the AI will surface local options even if the person didn't ask for that. Having your location somewhere, even in one little line in your website footer, can sometimes help you get pulled into those results.
✅ Your legal stuff. Privacy policy, terms, copyright, etc. These should 100000% be in the footer, always.
✅ A link to your contact page, especially if it's not already sitting in your main navigation. It's common user knowledge that if you want to contact a business, scroll to the footer of a website.
✅ If you're a local business? You also need your hours, phone number, and your location's address in there.
Wanna see all of this in action + more tips + visual examples?
With the quick checklist above, I gave you the meat & potatoes of a solid website footer.
But, I got some extra examples + tips I wanna share with you about this too.
Which is why I whipped up a whole ass YouTube video about it.
The video includes some visual examples; a good footer, a bad footer, and a footer that's in-between. I also breakdown the pieces of my OWN website footer + why I decided to build it the way I did...
>> WATCH THE WEBSITE FOOTER BREAKDOWN VIDEO HERE
NEWSLETTER SPONSOR -- This newsletter is sponsored by Carolyn Leasure – Website Redesign Expert, founder of Maypop Creative Studio.
You know your website needs work. But where do you even start?
The list of things you need to figure out first keeps growing – copy, photos, brand direction, what you even want to say – so you're waiting to be prepared enough to make it worth spending the money.
Ready to get your site together THIS SUMMER before the busyness of fall hits?
In this 5-day free Slack challenge, Website Redesign Expert Carolyn Leasure will guide you to gather the key things you actually need to make your site work.
This is the prep that comes BEFORE templates, designers, and copywriting. And the best part: none of it requires technical skills. Just dedicated time and a clear plan.
So let's do it together in one rockstar week. One focused task per day, without tossing your laptop into the abyss.
|
✅ Action step for this week:
Take 5 minutes RIGHT NOW and scroll to the bottom of your own homepage.
LOOK AT YOUR WEBSITE FOOTER & DO A LIL' AUDIT 👀
- Do you have links to your social media profiles?
- Do the links open in a new tab?
- Are 2-3 of your most important MONEY pages linked?
- Is there a line anywhere that mentions your location + what you do?
- Is your privacy policy/terms linked?
- Is your contact page easy to find from here?
- What about a mini about section and/or email sign up? Optional but helpful!
If you're missing 2 or more, just pick ONE to fix this week.
Doesn't have to be complicated or perfect. Just helpful as fuck.
Wanna see all of this in action?
>> WATCH THE WEBSITE FOOTER BREAKDOWN VIDEO HERE
