What is a footer?

A footer is the bottom section of a website or email that appears on every page and contains supporting, often repeated information. A well designed footer helps users navigate, builds trust and can quietly improve conversions and SEO.

On a website, the footer usually sits below the main content and above the browser edge. The footer often includes contact details, legal links, navigation shortcuts and trust elements like certifications or reviews. For a growth focused B2B or e commerce business, the footer is a strategic place to reinforce key actions without distracting from the main page content.

Typical elements inside a footer

A footer often bundles content that users expect to find quickly without scrolling back to the top. You might group links into columns, add a short company description or highlight your primary call to action. In analytics, you can track how often visitors interact with footer links to understand their intent and behaviour.

  • Essential navigation, such as links to product pages, pricing, case studies and the company blog
  • Contact details and support, including address, phone, email and contact forms
  • Legal pages, for example privacy policy, cookie policy and terms of service
  • Trust and social proof, such as certifications, awards, review scores or partner logos
  • Secondary calls to action, like newsletter signup or demo and quote request links

Together, these elements make the footer a reliable safety net that lets visitors re orient, verify your credibility and take the next step when they reach the bottom of a page.

Why the footer matters for performance and SEO

The footer is not just decoration. A clear footer improves user experience by giving visitors a predictable place to find key information. For example, linking to a conversion focused site built with expert website development services can drive more qualified leads from every page. Consistent footer navigation also supports internal linking, which helps search engines understand your site structure.

From an SEO perspective, footer links distribute authority across important pages, although they should not replace strong in content links. For conversion rate optimisation, the footer is a low friction place to repeat a primary action, such as booking a demo or viewing pricing, without cluttering the hero section. Analytics tools can show how often users scroll to and click in the footer, which is useful for diagnosing engagement issues on long pages.

Best practices for designing a footer

Keep the footer simple, scannable and aligned with your brand. Use clear headings for each column, avoid overloading it with every possible link and make sure it looks good on mobile. For busy founders and marketing leads, a footer that mirrors your core offer and key trust signals supports the story told in the rest of the page. If you are planning or redesigning your site, pair a strong footer with a conversion oriented layout and insights from specialised website strategy content to turn more traffic into measurable growth.