On occasion, we are asked by our clients to remove the navigation links from the footer of a web design. Reasonings have included: It’s ugly, no one will use it, and It has no value. But is that really true? Below we answer the questions: what is a website footer, why is it important to include a navigation menu in the footer, and must the header and the footer navigations be identical?
What is a website footer?
A website footer is the bottom section of a website. Above is a screenshot of the footer of this website. For a more thorough explanation of what a website footer is, see our blog post: What is a website footer?
Why is it important to include navigation links in the footer?
We believe navigation links in the footer are as important as ever. In fact, with the popularity smart phones, the footer navigation has become even more important. Below we have outlined four reasons why footer navigation is important.
The bottom of the page is not the end of the site
A compelling footer can lead users to delve deeper into the site. Instead of leaving them to decide where to go when they’re done with a page (scroll back up, leave the site, go elsewhere or just close the tab) us the footer navigation to give them some clues to where they might like to go next.
Footer navigation can help search engine rankings
While links in body copy count for more than links all by themselves, such as in a navigation bar, sidebar, or footer, they do have value. Links in navigation tell the search engines which pages are most important.
They are especially important on long pages
While the main navigation is easy to access on pages that are short, longer pages may require the user to scroll down so far that the main navigation is hidden. Instead of forcing the user to scroll all the way back to the top, footers provide immediate access to the main links.
Footer navigation helps mobile users
A 2024 mobile marketing study by The Pew Research Center found that 98% of American adults had cell phones. Of those, 96% used smart phones. If your potential customers are likely to be traveling or if they’ll likely access your site on the go, your footer links can be especially important. Mobile users search differently. Because they typically have to scroll up and down more often than the typical desktop user, they find footer links especially useful.
Is it time to improve your website’s navigability by adding a nav bar?
You may be wondering, does the header navigation and the footer navigation need to be the same? We believe that the answer is no, they don’t need to be. However, if you decide that what’s works best for your site, it’s fine if they are the same.
Header and footer purposes differ, so it makes sense that you might want the content to be different, too. The purpose of a website header is two-fold: 1) easy identification of whose site this is 2) easy way to navigate to other parts of the site. The purpose of a website footer is also two-fold: 1) to provide essential contact information 2) to guide the user who has made it to the bottom of the page as to what to do next.
If you’d like to improve the look and effectiveness of your site footer, give us a call at (518) 392-0846 or email [email protected]. And for those interested in learning more about all our services, visit our WordPress website design and development services page.