Website footer design: what the last thing on the page should do
People scroll to the footer on purpose. They're looking for the address, the opening hours, a phone number, the returns policy or the privacy page. A footer that holds only a copyright line sends them away empty-handed at the exact moment they were ready to act.
What visitors use the footer for
The footer has become the conventional place for the facts that don't belong in the main story but that people need. Visitors who have learnt this skip straight to the bottom when they want to call, visit, check a policy or find a page the top navigation doesn't show. That makes good website footer design less about decoration and more about being a reliable reference card for the business, the same on every page.
What to put in a website footer
- Who and where
- The business name, the street address for a physical location, and the area served for a mobile business. Use an
addresselement for contact details. - When
- Opening hours, with seasonal or holiday changes kept up to date. Out-of-date hours are worse than none.
- How to reach you
- Phone as a
tel:link and email as amailto:link or a link to the contact page. Real numbers only: placeholder numbers such as 555 ones look careless instead of private. - Legal
- Links to the Privacy Policy and Terms, plus company registration or regulatory details if your sector requires them.
- Secondary links
- Pages people look for but that don't earn top navigation: careers, FAQ, delivery and returns, accessibility statement, press.
- Social and newsletter
- Links to the profiles you actually keep up, and a newsletter sign-up if you'll really send one.
- The small print
- A copyright line can stay, at the very bottom. It's fine; it just shouldn't be alone.
Footer examples by kind of site
| Site | Footer essentials |
|---|---|
| Café or restaurant | Address with a map link, hours by day, phone, booking link, allergen information link |
| Tradesperson | Areas covered, phone, hours including emergency call-outs, trade body memberships |
| Online shop | Delivery and returns, contact, privacy, terms, payment and support details |
| Studio or freelancer | Email, a short line on availability, social links, privacy |
| Clinic or practice | Address, hours, phone, registration details, complaints process, privacy |
Layout and type
- Group into a few columns. Three or four groups with short labels (Visit, Contact, Information) on desktop; they stack on phones. Don't recreate the whole sitemap.
- Keep text readable. Footers are often set smaller and greyer than the rest of the page. Stay at 14px or more for links and check that muted grey still reaches 4.5:1 against the footer background.
- Make links easy to hit. Stacked footer links on phones need enough vertical spacing to tap accurately; aim for targets at least 24px tall, the WCAG 2.2 minimum, and ideally 44px.
- Separate it clearly. A rule, a change of surface or extra space marks where the page ends and the reference card begins.
- Repeat the main action only if it fits. A “Book a table” button in a restaurant footer is useful; a giant sign-up banner above every footer is usually not.
Accessibility
Use the footer element for the site footer, so assistive technology exposes it as the content information landmark. If the footer has a list of links, put them in a nav with a label such as “Footer” so it isn't confused with the main navigation. Link text should make sense out of context: “Privacy Policy”, not “Click here”. And keep the footer's content and order the same on every page, since consistent placement is one of the things people rely on.
Footers in Anticode
The Critic flags a footer that's nothing more than a short copyright line, because it's one of the habits that makes generated sites look unfinished. It also flags empty links (an empty href or a bare "#") and placeholder phone numbers, both common footer failures. It doesn't test whether outside links still work, so click through your footer links yourself.
Every published Anticode site gets its own Privacy Policy and Terms, written from what that particular site actually does (for example, whether it has a contact form, bookings or a newsletter), so there are real pages to link to from the footer. They're a starting point, not legal advice, so read them against your own situation.
Questions people ask
Do I need a copyright notice in my footer?
It isn't required for copyright to apply in most countries, but it's harmless and conventional. Keep it at the bottom, after the useful information.
Should the footer repeat the main navigation?
On a small site a short repeat helps people who reach the bottom. On a larger site, link to secondary pages instead of duplicating everything.
Where should the privacy policy link go?
In the footer of every page, and next to any form that collects personal data, such as a contact or newsletter form.