Most publishers obsess over the hero section and ignore everything below the fold. That is backwards. Your footer is the last real estate a visitor sees before they bounce or convert. For operators running content sites and affiliate businesses, it is infrastructure: a catchall for essential information your header cannot carry, and one more chance to build trust before someone leaves.
The data backs this up. Chartbeat found that 35% of visitors bounce after interacting only with above-the-fold content, while 65% scroll deeper. Below-the-fold sections get viewed three times as long, with engagement rising the closer readers get to the bottom. Your footer sits at the end of that journey. Treat it like a closing argument, not an afterthought.
This guide covers what a footer is, why you need one, and 21 elements worth including to boost engagement, capture leads, and protect your business.
Updated 2026.
1What Is a Website Footer?
A website footer is the portion of content appearing at the bottom of your webpage.
It works as an additional navigation menu while displaying relevant information not found in your site’s above-the-fold (ATF) section.
Here is an example from the design platform, Sketch:
Among other things, it contains social media buttons, company information, and its copyright notice. These are things unnecessary for the ATF but still useful.
Despite existing at the very bottom, your footer plays an important role. With more people scrolling farther down the page, it pays to ensure your site has the right elements.
2Do You Even Need a Website Footer?
Yes, your website should have a footer.
It is a section with a different goal from your header. Your footer should act as a catch-all for your visitors and list additional information unrelated to the ATF.
While your header may include “must-have” information, your footer consists of the “nice-to-know” parts. Keep in mind, these are guidelines only.
Every website has different business goals, which should be front of mind when creating yours.
An eye-opening study from Chartbeat revealed that 35% of people bounce after only interacting with your ATF while 65% stick around and scroll.
So, it would help if you optimized your homepage to accommodate the 65% who stay.
But that is not all.
The same study showed the “below the fold” portion of a web page gets viewed three times as long (with increased reader engagement the closer they get to the bottom).
An agreed-upon web design metric says the fold line is roughly 1,000 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall.
When you look at the above screenshot again, you see it is not until nearly 1,500 pixels that engagement peaks (but scrolling continues beyond 3,000 pixels).
Why You Should Have a Footer
Here are a few reasons why you should consider your footer as another place to draw in readers (and not use it as an afterthought).
As already mentioned, people are scrolling farther down web pages.
Your footer is the last place they will stop before deciding to leave. But, they will stay on your site if you can hold their interest a little longer.
Sidenote: When people stay on your site longer, it signals to search engines that your content is popular and positively affects rankings.
So, hold their attention, continue building trust, and make your final case of why they should stay. You can think of your footer as your website’s closing argument in favor of your product or service.
Placing a call-to-action (CTA) in your footer is one way to capture leads.
Ask them to take action. If you run a subscription-based service like Lasso, ask them to sign up.
Try placing website awards or certifications here. Social proof is a known persuasion technique and should help disarm any reservations people may have.
Take every opportunity to convert visitors into fans.
There are probably things you did not include higher up on your homepage.
Those things (whatever they may be) can go in your footer. You might have helpful tips, resources, or branding info.
3What to Put In A Website Footer? (21 Examples)
There is no right answer here.
What belongs in your footer will vary from person to person. People visit websites for various reasons. A simple question is, “what are your goals?”.
Is it more sales? More leads? More subscribers? Should you include items that protect you from legal action?
For example, it makes sense to include your affiliate disclosure if you are an affiliate site. If you advertise, include a link to your media kit.
Below are 21 examples of things worth including in your website footer.
1. Copyright Notice
I am sure you are already familiar with this copyright symbol “©.” It usually precedes the words “copyright notice” in fine print at the bottom of the page.
Including it is the best way to protect your website. Andy Crestodina from Orbit Media mentioned some helpful tips in this article on website plagiarism (which a copyright notice helps combat).
His advice:
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Use a tool like Copyscape to find the guilty parties
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Use the Internet Archive (aka the Way Back Machine) to show you wrote it first
You should protect anything printed on your blog.
2. Affiliate Disclosure
If you are a Lasso customer, you likely earn a portion of your income through affiliate links.
And you probably have an FTC affiliate disclosure in your footer.
But if you do not, now is your chance. It is an industry standard and should be included to have total transparency with your readers (and avoid getting fined by the FTC).
For operators building affiliate sites, our guide on how to add affiliate links covers placement and compliance basics.
3. Advertise
Are you actively accepting guest posts? Do you run a podcast and want sponsors?
Anything your website does to increase revenue can go here.
You could include a humble brag that mentions your 50K Twitter followers or 100K email subscribers and make it appear advantageous to advertise with you.
An example could include the text “advertise” and link to a page that contains your monthly traffic or total number of social media followers followed by a contact form where they can get in touch.
You might say:
“If you want to reach more people, advertise on our website that reaches 400,000 monthly readers.”
Tip: Using a contact form instead of your email address helps prevent your inbox from blowing up with spam.
4. Disclaimers
Some websites have a disclaimer in their footer to avoid any legal liabilities not covered in their terms of service or privacy policy. Of course, nobody wants to get sued, so including it helps protect you from lawsuits.
For example, Nerdwallet “strives to keep its information accurate and up to date.” It also follows that up by telling its visitors to always check the financial provider’s official website for current terms and details.
A few disclaimer examples if you need to add one to your website might be:
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Views expressed (e.g., op-eds/opinion pieces)
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Disclaimer of liability (e.g., products or services)
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Past performance (e.g., something that promises results)
5. Terms of Service
A Terms of Service (aka terms of use) explains what users can expect from using your product, service, or website.
For example, Lasso’s Terms of Service details what to expect when using our WordPress affiliate plugin.
Similar to the disclaimer, it removes your responsibility by having visitors agree to certain things.
6. Privacy Policy
A privacy policy informs people how your website collects, uses, and discloses information.
For example, disclosing a policy revealing what you do with that information is a good idea if your business collects personal information from its visitors (e.g., banking details, a home address, or phone number).
Customers like to know what you do with their data.
7. Security
How do you protect sensitive information (e.g., bank account numbers)? Many financial institutions display a Security badge on their footer to give peace of mind to customers.
Making them feel safe might be the gentle push that gets them to do business with you.
The loan comparison and provider site, Credible, places a security link in its footer, which leads to a page explaining its encryption and https security precautions.
8. Email Capture Form
Since email has a $40 ROI for every $1 spent, it makes sense to have a call-to-action.
What is on your footer appears on every page, so having an email capture form displaying at the end of your blog posts is a solid way to stay in touch with readers who want more from you.
Sidenote: How many times have you reached the bottom of a fantastic blog article and handed over your email because the content earned it?
Having a capture form in the footer is great for generating leads too.
Check out Backlinko’s simple newsletter link:
9. CTA Button
Call-to-action buttons can be for any action you want your visitors to take.
Some examples:
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Donate now
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Start your trial
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Book a consult
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Download your checklist
Invite people to start a free trial or consult if you are selling something (e.g., a service). For more placement ideas across your site, see our call-to-action examples guide.
Check out live chat software Olark’s footer (notice the sticky header stays with you as you scroll down):
10. Customer Support & FAQs
If there are common questions, objections, or confusing topics on your website, link to a support page. Anything visitors always ask is worth including in the footer.
You might have yours feature links to pages such as:
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FAQs
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Support
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Help Center
11. Site Search Bar
Some websites have hundreds of web pages. That is tough to present all information on your homepage (even in both ATF, body and footer).
Instead, hand over control to your visitors and let them find it via a search bar. If they are scrolling to the bottom, perhaps they could not locate a point of interest.
A search bar serves as a last attempt to capture a visitor about to bounce. Design your site to increase user engagement at every step.
Advanced Tip: Use Google Analytics to find out what your users are searching for when visiting your site. Use their search terms to create new content.
Head to Analytics Behavior > Site Search > Overview.
You will see your site’s frequently searched topics.
Here is an example of a search bar from Ahrefs blog:
12. Case Studies & Success Stories
Case studies are more in-depth than mere quotes.
You will often see a testimonial on the homepage praising the product, service, or website.
But if you want to get detailed, show people your customers’ success stories. It helps generate excitement about your brand.
Seeing a link to “Case Studies” in your footer might be exactly what your visitor needs to see before reaching for their wallet, joining your community, or scheduling a consultation.
Plus, it triggers the psychological persuasion technique of social proof, which is a strong motivator.
13. Comparisons (So You Stand Out Against Competitors)
If you are doing it differently than the rest, leave a link in your footer.
Showing your visitors how you compare against competitors is worth sharing when you are doing a good job.
For example, your product might feature a free trial, but the other brands do not. That is worth a mention. Then, compare your product against others in the footer.
14. Social Media Icons
If you want to increase your reach using other channels, try social media buttons or icons.
Placing them at the bottom is the better option. You want your readers to stay on your page rather than leave for another website.
Once they have absorbed everything your site offers, they can head to a social network.
See how Orbit Media uses social icons in its footer (along with an excellent CTA and humble brag stating how many email subscribers they have):
They also mention:
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They are a Certified B Corporation (social proof)
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The impact they are making environmentally and socially (and how readers can learn more)
15. Affiliate Partner Program
If you have a partner program, here is a place to include it.
Many sites have affiliate programs in their footer linking to an easy signup process.
You probably do not need to include it in your header, which is why this “nice-to-have” detail is perfect for adding at the bottom.
16. Contact Form
Contact forms are great for letting you connect with your visitors. They can leave all of their contact information in it, and you reply at your discretion.
Perhaps you are running a freelance consulting business, or you do speaking gigs. Having one makes sense when the lifeblood of your income depends on getting hold of other people.
Google the search term “contact form plugins,” and you will get a list of places to start.
You can also leave your business’s physical address and phone number in your footer.
Imagine your reader scrolls down your homepage, loves your product, and now needs to find out where to buy from you.
An address and phone number help facilitate more leads and sales.
17. We Are Hiring (& Other Announcements)
You can add special news in your footer. See how 1Password includes a “We Are Hiring” announcement.
It is another way to grab more applicants (as well as post to your private communities or newsletters).
You could also include things like:
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Careers
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In the news
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Press releases
18. Extended Navigation Functionality
Some websites use what is called a fat footer to act as a secondary navigation menu.
For example, your header may include a “Features” section that prompts a dropdown menu when you click it.
The dropdown menu has all of the product’s features (but these are hidden from visitors unless they click “Features” in the header).
Here is an example:
When you click “Features,” a dropdown menu appears with a list.
In a fat footer, you might see all of the product features in plain view (not hidden) beneath the “Features” link.
Here is how that same section appears at the bottom:
In the above screenshot, you can see all of the links in plain sight, “fattening” up the footer from its slim counterpart with more navigation links.
A fat footer is like a regular footer on steroids.
19. Branding
Make sharing your brand’s color schemes, fonts, and logos easy with links to your branding page.
It is one form of free advertising that is made simpler with a downloadable logo kit.
20. An “About Your Company” Page
“Our Story,” “Our Team,” or “Our Company” are some ideas to include that let your visitors get to know you.
You may not have included it at the top of your website, but it could easily fit here. If you have one, it can also feed into your company’s value page.
21. Your Mission & Values
Here is another place for you to resonate with your readers. Tell them what you stand for, how you do business, who you are, or where you come from.
Make it personal. It is another chance for them to get to know you.
Olark’s Values page has a great one.
They even go a step further and add a Statement of Inclusivity, so you know the standard being set.
4What Is a Sticky Footer?
A sticky footer is a footer that “sticks” to the bottom of a webpage’s screen and remains visible as you scroll down the page. It never disappears.
Much like a sticky header (a header that remains visible at the top of your browser screen as you scroll down the page).
5Footer Design & SEO Optimization
We have already mentioned fat footers and sticky footers as two design options.
If you are curious about color schemes, typography, and layout, I recommend reading Lasso co-founder Matt’s Extreme Saas Makeover article.
Another simple technique is to reverse your footer design’s color scheme so it contrasts with the rest of your homepage.
For example, if your homepage’s above the fold and body have light text on a dark background, use the opposite in your footer.
The contrast alerts them they are in a new place. And can address any crucial questions you left off your homepage’s header.
Your Footer & SEO
A carefully planned footer should help search engines when crawling your website. All links pointing to other pages determine their relevance.
A strong footer compliments your website and assists with navigation. Use keyword-rich anchor text with every link.
For operators worried about link placement affecting rankings, our piece on whether affiliate links hurt SEO walks through what actually matters.
Sidenote: Your footer appears on every page, so think about where you want your visitors to go next when they reach the bottom.
Since over 50% of internet traffic comes from mobile and mobile users scroll due to smaller screen size, utilizing footer links to redirect visitors to another page on your site makes sense.
It is always a good practice to have something waiting for your readers when they reach the end of a page.
Page Depth
A footer should help with page depth too.
Page depth measures the average number of web pages viewed per user in a single session. Your footer should send users to your most relevant pages.
The longer people stay on your website, the better it looks to search engines (and, therefore, your ranking).
Sidenote: The farther Google bots crawl to reach specific pages, the higher the odds that Google will think those pages are less important and rank them lower.
So, be sure you are strategic about where you send your visitors.
What You Should Not Do with Your Footer
Do not let your footer mirror your header. Tilt it in favor of secondary information unrelated to what is already at the top of your page.
Your website’s strongest elements are at or near the top (e.g., your value prop).
The footer has the supplemental, “nice-to-have” info and acts as a catch-all for the things your header missed.
How many times have you dashed to the footer of a page to quickly find info that is unlisted at the top?
A few more things to avoid.
Do not:
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Cram everything you could not fit into the header on your site’s footer. It makes for a poor user experience. Be comfortable with the white space.
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Use keyword stuffing to attract clicks or get a ranking boost. Google is wise to this, and it will backfire on you.
6Last Words
It might be the last thing a user sees, but a great website footer design can help increase (or retain) engagement, boost leads, and generate conversions.
There is no wasted real estate on your website. Every section should aim to get more traffic or sales.
If you run an affiliate site, start with what is already ranking. Run an Opportunities scan on URLs that already get traffic. Most operators find product mentions sitting in posts with no affiliate link attached.
See how Lasso fits your stack. Get started with Lasso and turn the links you already have into trackable placements that earn trust and get more clicks.
Sean Brison
Sean Brison is a dad, writer, business owner, and Content Lead at Lasso. He's spent the past several years in cahoots with Lasso's founder, Andrew, creating awesome things for people. He's also addicted to perfectly-balanced cocktails, the outdoors, and John…