Designing an effective footer

web design manchester

When it comes to web design, we are Manchester’s leading specialists, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester. And we work with companies and businesses around the North West and across the region, from Southport to Wigan, to provide high quality web design solutions and support. From hero images and above the fold content, to the footer at the bottom of the page, we make sure that every single element is well designed, stylish and practical. So for footers, what does this mean? Well, this is our guide to the features of an effective footer.

Including a website footer

At the end of your website, you will usually have space for a footer. This is highly usable space where all sorts of practical additions can be inserted, including:

  • contact details, like a telephone number, social media icons, or even a map of your location
  • a simplified navigation menu, so your users don’t need to scroll all the way back to the top of the page
  • client testimonials to secure your users trust and persuade them of your companies reliability
  • upcoming events that your business may be hosting
  • awards or commendations that prove that your employees are qualified and trained
  • a search bar for users to quickly search through your content for the information they need

Features of an effective footer

So what are the features of an effective footer? Well, your footer should:

  • Be a different background colour to the rest of the page. Even if this is only slightly different, the change will signify to users that this is content that is separate from, and additional to, the content on the page.
  • Use white-space effectively. In a small space, like the footer, you need to make sure you space out your text, links and images effectively. Otherwise everything will look as though it has all been crammed in together. And your website will not look professional.
  • Use icons and images if appropriate.Using small icons and imagery in the footer can help to separate your content and help users find what they need more efficiently. Thanks to the symbols and visual imagery.
  • Be easy to read- although the footer can be a small space, you still need to think of the needs of your users. They will need to be able to read the content in the footer, and so you will have to choose typography that is appropriate.
  • Accentuate key features- if your footer includes a navigation bar, or links, you should use a secondary or tertiary colour to highlight these features and draw the users attention to them. Colour can also help indicate which categories are connected, although you should bear in mind that this might not help colourblind users.
  • Be responsiveYour footer needs to be able to respond to changes in screen size, orientation and resolution, just like the rest of your website. And you should always carry out a quick test to make sure that your footer does actually respond. And that your content is still easy to read, and easy to use, on different screens.

For more information or advice about any aspect of web design, including footers, get in touch with the professionals today, here at Pumpkin Web Design Manchester.