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5 Simple Steps to Designing a Perfect Footer

Often times when we plan for a website design, it’s only natural to put a major focus on the header and navigation – typically the elements above the fold.

Sadly, because of this, the site footer takes a back seat, resulting in a poorly executed design that in turn hurts the entire design effort.

Industry experts often claim that users who scroll down all the way to the very bottom of your page a.k.a. footer, are considered highly engaged.

If this is true, this means that you should carefully consider adding a few more things that will enhance a user’s experience rather than just having a collection of links and social media channels.

Here are 5 steps you can implement today while planning a design for a captivating footer that will enhance your visitors’ experience.

Step 1: Make it visual

 

footer design4

(Site: tapbots.com)

Footers are functional, but should also be treated as a visually pleasing detail that won’t clutter your website or hurt usability. Keep it simple and straightforward – remember, it must fit a ton of information, so make sure it’s readable and engaging.

Use icons, graphical elements, logos and text to make your footer visually appealing – just don’t overdo it. A footer is supposed to be informative first, a piece of art – second.

Step 2: Blend it with the overall design

A footer is an integral part of your website and its design cannot be radically different from its overall visual framework. No user would like to scroll down a beautifully crafted website, only to get a bucket of cold water on their heads in the form of a black, off-putting footer.

Maintain the style, color and tone of your website. Repeat visual elements from your header to create a sense of continuity – users will instinctively know that this footer belongs to the rest of the page and they won’t be distracted by random design elements that don’t reflect your brand personality.

Step 3: Make it easy for visitors to contact you 

Two essential links to include in the footer are to the ‘About Us’ and ‘Contact Us’ pages. This is good usability, so make sure this information is intuitively easy to find.

 

footer design3

(site: cantilever-chippy.co.uk)

Current design trends have omited both links on the top navigation for other elements. Because of this, users tend to scroll to the footer for these information. If you can’t add a contact form or map, it’s a good idea to include a link to the ‘Contact Us’ pages.

It’s also a good idea to include a link to team member bios along with their contact data and perhaps even photos.

Step 4: Provide informational and important content

 

footer design1

(site:ditto.com)

Before including any information in your footer, try to adopt the perspective of the user – what is he looking for when scrolling down?

We have already covered the contact data, but let’s face it: users appreciate something more than just plain “Contact Us” – a footer can be a perfect spot to share some interesting links and resources with your users. Choose well as these links will be displayed on every page of the website.

Step 5: Build a sense of trust

 

footer design2

(site: monocle.com)

Footers are great for adding a sense of trust to the user. Placing copyright information, disclaimers or privacy policies will no doubt make a website look more professional.

Another great option are accolades, for instance, in the form of client logos or testimonials about your products or services.

One more thing!

Knowing that your visitor is already engaged as he/she arrives at the bottom of the page, take this opportunity and include a Call to Action. Links to your most popular products, social media channels, even a newsletter sign up will benefit you in the long run!

If you find yourself lacking inspiration trying to make your footer look great, the web is there to provide you with lots of ideas – have a look at this list of 80 creative footers that captivate users attention and improve their engagement with the brand.

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Monique Rivers is an Australian tech blogger who also loves good food and fashion. She works at ninefold.com. Ninefold is a powerful Ruby on Rails platform, that allows you to deploy Rails apps quickly and easily.

Written by CrazyLeaf Editorial

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