Footer

The footer is an important part of a website, located at the bottom of every page. It plays a crucial role in the user experience and design of a website by providing additional information and navigation aids.

In HTML, the footer of a document or a specific section is defined using the tag. In contrast to the header, which introduces the main text, this is located at the bottom of a section or the entire page. The tag for the footer supports global attributes that can be used in any HTML element and is supported by all common web browsers. Global attributes refer to characteristics that are applicable to all HTML elements.

The most important things at a glance:

Definition: Lower section of a website with additional information and navigation
Purpose: Signals end of page, improves user experience & SEO
Mandatory information: Imprint, data protection, terms and conditions if applicable, revocation (especially for stores)
Optional content: Logo, payment methods, trust symbols, newsletter, social media links
SEO benefits: Internal linking for linkjuice, caution with external links
Technology: HTML tag <footer> for clear semantic structure
User behavior: Footer is deliberately accessed by interested users
Design tip: Clear, concise, recognizable - with repetition value for branding

To activate this YouTube video, you must agree to the marketing cookies.

The purpose of the footer

The footer marks the end of the website for the user and indicates that there is no more content below it. If users scroll down to the footer, this can be a sign that they are looking for additional information. This is an opportunity for the footer to present special, valuable or appealing content. The footer also contributes to the credibility of a website by ensuring that certain basic information can always be found in the same place.

Content & functionality of footer

Due to the often limited space, the footer of a website usually only offers limited functionality. In terms of usability, the footer could sometimes be considered less important as the user has to scroll to the bottom of the page to reach it. Nevertheless, the footer plays a crucial role in the navigation of search engine crawlers. With the help of "deep links" in the footer, these bots can penetrate directly into deeper levels of the website, which makes the crawling process more efficient as fewer resources are required for browsing.

Possible functions and content of the footer include:

The strategic distribution of link power through internal linking
Information about the owner of the website
Information about the current year to emphasize the topicality of the website
References to the legal notice or the general terms and conditions

Mandatory information in the footer

Legal information is best placed in the footer of a website so that it remains accessible on every subpage. This includes, in particular, links to the legal notice and privacy policy. In Germany, most websites are required to have an imprint. It is also common for online stores to place links to the General Terms and Conditions (GTC) and information on the right of withdrawal in this area of the footer. This legal information not only contributes to compliance with legal requirements, but also strengthens users' trust in the website.

Optional content in the website footer

Information on payment methods and returns processing is also a useful addition if the website is an online store. Trust can also be promoted by placing certificates, seals of approval, positive customer reviews and a reference to secure SSL encryption for data transmission.

The company logo should also be displayed again in the footer of the website. This ensures that the user is immediately reminded of the company. This improves recognition and ensures that the company is remembered for longer. Placing the corresponding icons in the footer, which are directly linked to the company's profiles on these platforms, is suitable for referring to the company's social media presence.

The footer of a website is often used to show visitors how to sign up for the newsletter. This is an excellent strategy for increasing customer loyalty to the company through email marketing.

If your offer is also accessible via an app, it is advisable to provide links to the app stores in the footer. Given the widespread use of the internet via mobile devices, this increases the chance that users will download and use the app.

Example website footer from DREIKON:

The importance for search engine optimization

In the past, the use of links in the footer was considered an effective measure for search engine optimization (SEO), as they could improve the ranking of a page. Nowadays, however, footer links are rarely used for external links. An exception could be the targeted use of footer links from the homepage, for example as recognition for the web design agency, in which case the link should preferably only contain the brand name instead of a generic keyword.

Website operators should generally be careful with external links from the footer. However, footer links can still be useful for internal links in order to direct the so-called link juice from the homepage to subpages. However, webmasters must be aware that this type of internal linking does not improve user-friendliness, but mainly serves search engine optimization strategies. With the ongoing developments in crawling technologies, it remains to be seen whether this practice of internal linking will continue to be necessary.

Conclusion

To summarize, the footer is an indispensable part of every website. It is located at the bottom of every page and contributes significantly to the user experience and the design of the website by providing additional information and help with navigation.

The footer fulfills several functions: It signals the end of the page, provides space for important information such as the imprint and privacy policy and enables internal linking for better distribution of link power. It can also be useful for search engine crawlers, which can navigate through the page more efficiently via deep links.