The footer is one of those elements of stores or websites to which little attention is paid. I want to change your approach to this issue. The footer of an online store is an underestimated, butvery important element, which, properly used, will do a lot of good for the website and the business itself. Read what elements are worth taking care of so that the footer provides value to the web store and its users.
Page footer and its importance for SEO
The votes on this issue are not clear-cut, but it’s worth leaning towards the option that the footer has at least a negligible impact on a page’s position in search results. A functional page footer generates user actions, which in practice translate into parameters rated by search engine crawlers.
Examples? Links are placed in the footer to help navigate the website. This can provide value, but also a pitfall for SEO – be careful with the number of links and their natural embedding. A footer that makes it easier for users to navigate to other sub-pages of the store increases the amount of time spent on the site, and this provides value to Google.
Why is the page footer important?
First of all, it will appear as a permanent element on every subpage of the site, and experience shows that the more elaborate the page and requiring scrolling down, the more often users realistically reach the footer. Once they reach it, if the footer is properly optimized, it can encourage them to stay on the page and perform the actions you want. To make it work, take advantage of all the opportunities you have when creating a valuable footer.
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How to create a good footer in an online store?
Below you will find the tasks that a page footer can perform, as well as indications of the areas that are really worth refining.
- Information function – technical, legal, etc. data.
This data is important from the user’s point of view. What it may include in:
- Intuitive access to information about return or privacy policies, as well as terms and conditions. Preferably with a single click.
- Contact information.
- Copyright and author of the website.
- Navigation function
The footer is a place that can make it easier or harder to move around the store. Choose the former option and effectively increase user engagement, post in the footer:
- “Back to Top” link. It is important because it allows the customer to move quickly through the site.
- Links to the main categories, or site map. Customers view them as an additional menu, which is useful especially in large sites.
- Login or search engine. It will make it easier for customers to perform the action they have already decided on.
- Authenticating and confidence-inspiring function
Allows you to present items that will confirm to customers the safety of their purchases in your store. What works well:
- Make the business credible – customers need to know that there is a viable legal entity behind the store. So be sure to include the physical address of the business or even a photo of the office here.
- Links to accounts on social networks, an easy option to check the popularity and trust of your brand among other store users.
- Confirmation and trust-inducing elements (so-called trust icons or seal marks) – e.g. certificates, awards, etc.
- Sales function
Indications as the last, but very important. The footer is where you smuggle benefit information through efficient copywriting. They are the ones that convince customers to buy:
- The benefits of shopping at your store. What can you post here? Information about free shipping or returns, the number of products sold in the last month, or simply contact information.
- Call To Action – you can use it in several ways, as a button to contact, consult with the staff, or check out a promotion or the latest offer.
- A suggestion to sign up for the newsletter. An alternative form of customer contact that has a long-term effect.
What not to do in the footer of a website?
It should certainly not be overloaded. As you can see, the elements that can be included in it are really quite a lot. However, be sure to choose only those that are most useful to your customers. It is also not worth overloading the footer with key phrases, this used to be a common practice, today it will definitely do more harm than good.
Website and online store footer – summary
Treat the footer of your store and site as an integral part of the entire site. This is another element you create for your users, your customers – use the information and tools that will be of value to them.
