Website Footer Design: What to Put in the Footer, What to Leave Out, and a Checklist for a Small Business Site

Key takeaways

• People use the footer when they are lost or checking. Nielsen Norman Group (NN/G) says visitors use it as a second chance to be convinced and as a last resort for content they could not find.
• Contact details and policy links belong there on every site. NN/G says to include utility links in the footer even if they also appear at the top of the page.
• A footer cannot hurt a visitor who found what they needed higher up. NN/G calls it a cost-free addition, unless it is so bloated that it delays the page.
• Do not hide it. NN/G warns against tiny text, low contrast and collapsed accordions.
• Make the links easy to tap. WCAG 2.2 asks for targets of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or enough space around smaller ones.
• Keep it to two levels. Link to first and second level pages, not your whole site.

The short answer

For a small business, a good footer has five parts: who you are in one line, how to contact you, a short set of links to your main pages, your legal links, and one next step such as a booking button or an email sign-up. Group them in labelled columns, use clear link names like "Contact" rather than "Resources", keep the text readable on a phone, and put the same footer on every page.

Who is writing: Amariq designs and builds websites. We haven't run a test on footers for this post. The reasoning below comes from the sources linked in the text, and the checklist at the end is our own summary of them. If you are also deciding on a header that follows the visitor, see our sticky header guide.

What ranks for this search, and what it leaves out

On 8 November 2026 the first page of Google (US, English) for "website footer design" was mostly collections. It showed a footer inspiration gallery (footer.design), Dribbble, Awwwards, Figma community kits, Pinterest boards, a components library (21st), and an agency guide from Clique Studios dated 11 November 2019. There were also articles from Wix, HostGator, Justinmind, Halo Lab and Webflow (20 January 2026). Google's AI summary at the top listed the elements most pages share: a short company summary, repeated navigation, a call to action, contact details, legal links and proof.

We could open the NN/G article, but the Wix, HostGator, Halo Lab and Webflow pages would not load for us, so nothing in this guide is drawn from them. What the results we could see have in common is a focus on how a footer looks. What they rarely answer is the owner's question: what do I actually have to put there, and how much is too much? That is the gap this guide fills.

Why visitors scroll to the footer

NN/G's article "Footers 101: Design Patterns and When to Use Each" (published 24 February 2019, read in full on 8 November 2026) describes two common cases:

1. They did not find what they wanted. The visitor reads the page and either needs more information or wants a second chance to be convinced. They may also be looking for something that is not in the main menu, such as a job or an investor page.
2. They already know where to look. They scroll down on purpose for contact details, company information or social links. Some use the footer to navigate, because it is close and the top menu is far away on a long page.

That second group is why contact details are not optional. In NN/G's words, users "will often go directly to the footer" to find contact information or ways to get support.

What a small business footer should contain

NN/G lists the common footer elements: utility links, doormat navigation, secondary tasks, a site map, testimonials or awards, brands within the organisation and customer engagement. Not all of them suit a small site. This table sorts them for a business with a handful of pages.

NN/G also advises testing the testimonials idea with your own audience, because the right amount varies.

The pieces, in the order a visitor looks for them

1. A one-line description. The business name or logo with a sentence on what you do and where.
2. Contact details. Phone, email, address or service area, and opening hours if they matter. Our guide to contact page design covers what to show and what to hide.
3. Main pages. The same links as your top menu, grouped under a heading.
4. Legal links. A privacy policy link and, if you use them, terms. See our guide to the privacy policy for a website. An accessibility statement link belongs here too if you publish one, see the accessibility statement guide.
5. One next step. A booking or quote button, or a short sign-up box. Our list of call to action examples shows wording that works for service businesses.
6. Social links and a copyright line. Link only to accounts you keep up. NN/G suggests an embedded social feed only when you post often enough to keep it fresh.

Layouts that work

There is no official standard for the shape. Three common arrangements, which are our summary and not a tested ranking:

Clique Studios, in an article dated 11 November 2019, gives a rule of thumb of 300 to 600 pixels in height with three to five columns on desktop that stack on mobile. We read it as a snippet in Google's results, not the full page, and it is a guideline from one agency, so treat it as a starting point.

What to leave out

NN/G names four common pitfalls. We have added what each means for a small site.

NN/G sums it up: people use the footer and rely on it, so don't try to hide it.

Making the footer easy to use

On a phone

Footer links are small by nature, and a thumb is not a mouse pointer. The W3C's explanation of WCAG 2.2 criterion 2.5.8 (Target Size, Minimum, Level AA) asks for pointer targets of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels. If a target is smaller, there must be enough space around it that a 24 pixel circle centred on it does not touch another target. Links inside a sentence are exempt. A stack of single-line text links with no padding is the classic failure, so give each footer link some vertical padding. Our guide to mobile website design covers the rest of the phone layout.

Contrast and legibility

WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast, Minimum, Level AA) asks for a text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text. Light grey text on a dark footer is a common way to miss it. Check the colours with a contrast checker, and see our notes on website colour schemes.

The HTML element

The W3C's ARIA examples page says the HTML footer element acts as the page's "contentinfo" landmark when it sits directly in the body, which helps screen reader users jump to it. A page should have one such landmark, and a footer placed inside an article, aside, main, nav or section is not treated as that landmark. If your site builder lets you choose the tag, use footer for the site footer.

Footers and search

A footer repeats on every page, so every link in it is a link from every page. That is a reason to keep it to the pages you most want found, not a reason to stuff it with keyword links. Pointing to your service pages and your contact page is useful to visitors and clear to search engines. If you serve a local area, showing the same business name, address and phone number as your Google profile helps visitors confirm you are the right business. Our local SEO guide and Google Business Profile guide cover that side.

A footer checklist

1. The footer is the same on every page.
2. The business name or logo and a one-line description are at the left or top.
3. Phone or email, and address or service area, are visible without clicking.
4. Main pages are repeated under clear headings.
5. Privacy policy link is present, plus terms or accessibility links if you have them.
6. One call to action appears, and it matches the main goal of the site.
7. Social links point to accounts that are active.
8. Link names are plain and standard.
9. No more than two levels of links.
10. Text is large enough and passes a 4.5:1 contrast check.
11. Each link has room to tap on a phone.
12. The footer is not collapsed or hidden.
13. The copyright year is current.

How Amariq can help

If your footer is a dumping ground or hard to read on a phone, send us the link and we'll tell you what to keep, group and cut. For a new build, we design the footer with the rest of the page so the closing step matches the goal of the site. We build on Webflow, Framer, WordPress, Shopify, Wix, Squarespace or a custom stack. Each project is priced from its scope, never by the hour, with 40% to start, 30% at design approval and 30% before launch. Once the final payment is made, the design, copy and code belong to you, and your domain, hosting and analytics accounts sit in your name. See our web design service or the website optimization service.

Frequently asked questions

What should be in a website footer?

At minimum, contact details, a privacy policy link and your main pages. NN/G says most sites should include utility links such as contact information, customer service, privacy policy and terms in the footer.

How big should a website footer be?

There is no official size. One agency, Clique Studios, suggests 300 to 600 pixels on desktop. Let the content decide, and keep it light enough that it does not slow the page.

Should the footer repeat the main menu?

Usually yes. NN/G calls this doormat navigation and says it helps on long pages, because visitors can move on without scrolling back to the top.

How many links should a footer have?

Enough for first and second level pages and the legal links, and no more. NN/G says a full site map in the footer suits sites of about 25 pages or fewer, and larger sites should link to a separate site map page.

Do I need a footer on every page?

Yes. NN/G says the footer should be consistent, predictable and easy to find, and that it needs to be present on all pages to be helpful.

Is a sticky or hidden footer a good idea?

A footer that is collapsed by default is a pitfall NN/G describes, because content becomes hard to find. For pages that scroll without end, NN/G suggests a small footer in a side column that stays in view.

What is the HTML tag for a footer?

The footer element. When it sits directly in the page body it counts as the page's contentinfo landmark, according to the W3C's ARIA examples.