What is a Footer?

When building a webpage, there are many different components.  All of these parts play a role in the design and development of your website and how it displays the information needed.  One of these parts is the footer. What is the footer?  The footer is the section that can be found at the bottom of the webpage.

WHAT IS IN THE FOOTER?

As mentioned before, the footer is located at the bottom of your webpage. The footer usually carries over to all of the web pages throughout the website.  What information can be found in the footer?  In the past footers would contain:

– Copyright information
– Web developer information

Nowadays footers are a lot more in depth and offer information that the business feels should be viewable on all pages.  Footers now have full widgets in addition to the text.  In these widgets most like to include:

– Business contact information
– Google map embed
– Recent blog post links
– Important page links

The footer now has just as much of a roll as the header.

WHERE DOES THE FOOTER CODE LIVE?

The footer code can be found in the footer.php file of your site.

HOW TO CHANGE FOOTER INFORMATION IN WORDPRESS

If your website is built in a CMS like WordPress, then you can usually change the footer information in the theme customization options.  In those same options you will see different layouts for the footer that can be applied.  The footer information can be displayed stacked or side by side. You can also opt to only display one side of text as opposed as 2 sides (left and right, top and bottom).

The footer widgets can be found in the widget options of your WordPress backend.  The number of widgets that can be applied to your footer depends on the theme you have selected.  Some themes may not have the footer widgets enabled, so you may need to download a plugin that will give you the same effect.

Remember that if one plugin does not work as desired, simply uninstall the plugin and install a new one until you find the one you like.  Not all plugins are built the same and may not work well with specific themes, so make sure to test before you settle.

FORMS IN THE FOOTER

One can also add a form to the footer.  A form in the footer will make it easy for someone to contact you directly or subscribe to your blog or newsletter if needed.  If you do decide to add a form to your footer, make it a short form.  Only collect some simple information so that your form doesn’t expand your footer to the size of the page itself.  You do not want your footer to ruin the aesthetic of your page.

DO I NEED THAT MUCH INFO IN MY FOOTER?

Your footer should have only the information that is related to your business.  The footer will be seen throughout your site so you want to ensure it is displaying any information that will act as a quick link to important information of your business.  We recommend having your business contact information and an embed of your google maps in the footer in addition to the copyright and developer information.  The developer information is just a courtesy and is not necessarily a requirement.  Not all web developers will require you to display their name at the bottom of your site which will act as a link to their website.  Even if they do require it, it doesn’t take up too much of your website’s real estate.

FOOTERS CAN REALLY HELP

Don’t treat it as the dumping ground for other information.  The footer will come in handy to your viewer when they are reading something of interest on your page and they reach the bottom, they won’t have to search for your contact, they have it available on the same page.  They can even map your location if you have your google map embedded.  Keep your footer clean and organized.

ADCAFFEINE MARKETING FOR YOUR WEBSITE NEEDS

At AdCaffeine Marketing we provide all types of services that could help you and your company.  We have all types of packages and plans that could prove beneficial to your business plan and goals.  Our SEO and marketing strategies are catered to your needs.  This is the reason for our initial meetings.  We’ll ask the questions to find out what you are looking for as we want you to excel and get the most out of your experience with us. AdCaffeine can build you the perfect website and also design the perfect logo for your business.  Our goal is to deliver the best services at the most competitive prices.  Please feel free to contact us with any questions or inquiries.