“You care about what shoes you wear each day, right? Then you should be treating your footer the same way.”
These words from Yoav Schlezinger stress on the true significance of great footers. You have footers out there, sure, but you have to be great.
Schlezinger is being conservative here. But what is he understating?
Your footer has to be consistent with the optimized homepage’s look and be informative at the same time. The user scrolled down to the bottom and surely not to waste time. Make the information useful.
In this article today, we’ll go through 7 solid tips for designing website footers which enhance the user experience.
We are not here to discuss the must-have features of a footer. There are aspects of those functions and other items we do not necessarily consider as standard footer functions which add to a positive experience.
But first—
The importance of a footer
There are a ton of reasons behind the crucial inclusion of a footer.
- Users read the footer. Mind is blown, right? Here’s Chartbeat displaying the results showing user engagement with the footer area:
- It has been found that footers contribute 50% conversion
- Footers are an efficient way to get your contact details and privacy policy across to the site visitor.
- SEO strength can stem from the footer area to quite an extent.
- Well done footers will reward the user with the contents of the menu, so you don’t have to scroll up again. Moreover, this can lead to a much-deserved CTA click by the end of it.
Seven strong elements to incorporate into your footer design
- Copyright – Somewhere in the sub footer lies a key piece of information that is there to protect you. A copyright info section says to the public that your content is original, properly cited and users are not allowed to plagiarize the information.
- Social media – It is almost forbidden to go about existing without a social media presence. This especially applies to those who have a website which is a source of income, or could even be a personal blog, but as long as you are serious about it, you want to be able to reach out to as wide a base as possible.
A social media widget section is a good place for users to know about your social media activities, feel closer to you because of the one-on-one made by the web and to always be informed of your updates.
But where?
A solid placement for widgets is on the footer section, of course, because if anywhere else, it takes the user out the site, and distracts them when they should be paying attention to the content.
3. Contact info – The contact info almost serves as a CTA on its own. Someone might be looking in to purchase something or seek information. It depends on the goals the site sets for itself and what counts as a conversion.
Regardless, it is expected that there would be contact details in the footer. A site without it simply takes away from what would otherwise have been a pleasant visit to your site.
4. Search bar – Think of this a bonus. Users made the right decision in scrolling down so far. That either says your copy is helpful to them. Or, they are lost and would need some further help. Why make them scroll up all the way when you can leave a search bar in the footer?
5. Image/Video – Footers can also be optimized for media. We know images and video greatly interest a site visitor and definitely more than text. You could consider adding images or videos. Preview clips, basically, of the links of pages when the mouse hovers over it in the footer section.
Or, it could simply be of something about the website, something which interests the user such as a video of checkout page tuitional you made or an image of a recent award your site received recently. The examples are endless as long as it is relevant and engages the user, you’re good to go.
6. Feedback/testimonials – It always helps to know what your users think about you for that can greatly improve your site. Additionally, before engaging with your site, making a purchase or contacting for information, the user may want to check out how legit you truly are.
A link to a feedback/testimonial page allows your site to stand on its ground by these reviews. It is a win-win for both the site and the user. This link is typically found in the menu but a quick link at the footer, as the user is checking out your media attachment, contact details, search bar and the like, just before they make a decision, depending on the goals you set for CR, it will be heavily beneficial to have this link here at the footer to further confirm how awesome your site truly is.
7. Google Map – Of course, you added the contact details with the address, phone and email information. But how many visitors do you expect would take the time to type that in and find where you are situated?
You are in the making life easier for the users business. A map is ideal to give the location details in the easiest and quickest of ways.
