Your Website Footer: What to Include (and Why it Matters)

by Jessica Wentworth, Graphic Designer

Insights / Website Design / Your Website Footer: What to Include (and Why it Matters)

When it comes to designing your website, most people immediately think of creating an eye catching hero area, pristine navigation, and engaging visuals.

But one section that many people overlook is your footer.

It is often the last thing that people see before they leave the site,  which means it’s your last chance to guide them through your site, build trust, and even convert them into customers or community members. As research has shown, people use footers.

So what should your footer include? Let’s break it down.

Navigation Links

Arguably the most important thing to have in your footer is quick links to key pages on your site.

While you don’t have to include your whole menu here, it’s a good idea to link to some of your top visited or most important pages. Think Services, About, Blog, etc.

Since this is probably your last chance to get your audience to convert, you’ll definitely want to include some sort of call to action. Place it prominently and use action-driven language!

Having these links in your footer helps users (and search engines) easily find and access the information that they likely came to your site looking for in the first place.

Contact Details & Social Media

Your footer is a great place to highlight key contact information. Your phone number, email address, and social media links should definitely be included.

If you have a physical office or storefront, be sure to have the street address available, too.

These will help boost your credibility and make it easy for your audience to get in touch.

Legal Information

This is certainly not the most exciting part of your footer, but it’s very important to have.

At a minimum, be sure to have links to your Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions pages readily available. Typically, it’s not necessary to make these links super prominent, but having them accessible will make sure you are protected.

Also, don’t forget about your copyright! Adding a simple line in your footer, such as “© 2025 Digital Ink, LLC” will show your users that your site is up to date and legally protected.

(Pro tip: automate your copyright year so you can set it and forget it!)

Mailing List Sign Up

While this one is not necessarily a requirement, skipping it would definitely be a missed opportunity for growing your contact list and enhancing your email marketing.

Your footer is a great place to drop a link – or even an embedded opt-in form – giving users the opportunity to sign up to receive updates from you. It’s low-pressure, always visible, and one last chance to capture anyone who may have not converted on your main call to action.

Your footer doesn’t need to be fancy, but it does need to check a few boxes in order to serve both you and your users. It’s a small but mighty part of your site that shouldn’t be an afterthought.

If you’ve got questions about how your footer can be improved, reach out to us – we’re here to help!