Whether you’re an experienced website manager or just beginning, you understand the importance of a well-designed and functional website. One often underestimated aspect of web design is the footer. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to edit the footer in WordPress
What is a WordPress Footer
The footer is the section located at the bottom of every page on your WordPress site. While it might not capture immediate attention, it plays a crucial role in your website’s structure and user experience. Think of it as the concluding chapter of a book; it might not be the primary focus, but it is essential for providing additional context and important information.
Typically, a footer includes
Key elements such as:
🔸️Copyright Notices
Protecting your intellectual property and informing visitors of your content ownership.
🔸️Navigation Links
Directing users to important pages like the contact page, privacy policy, terms of service, and other essential sections.
🔸️Contact Information
Offering easy access to your business’s contact details.
🔸️Social Media Icons
Allowing visitors to connect with you on various social platforms
Benefits of Adding a Footer
Adding a footer to your website can provide numerous advantages. Let’s explore these benefits in detail:
1). Improve User Experience
A well-designed footer significantly improves user experience by providing easy access to additional information and navigation options. As visitors reach the bottom of your page, they often look for relevant links to continue exploring your site. A footer with useful links, such as related articles, site maps, or frequently asked questions, helps users quickly find what they’re looking for, thereby keeping them engaged and reducing bounce rates.
2). Strengthen Brand Identity
A footer is an effective way to reinforce your brand identity. By including elements such as your company’s contact details, logo, copyright statements, and social media icons, you create a consistent and professional appearance across your site. Customizing your footer to reflect your brand’s colors and style improves credibility and trustworthiness, distinguishing your site from others and establishing a stronger connection with visitors.
3). Boost SEO Performance
Incorporating a footer can improve your website’s SEO by improving internal linking. Adding links to important pages, categories, or recent posts in the footer helps search engines understand your site’s structure and hierarchy. This improved internal linking can increase crawlability, potentially leading to better search engine rankings and increased organic traffic.
4). Facilitate Compliance and Accessibility
Footers can be used to display important legal and compliance information, such as privacy policies, terms of service, and accessibility statements. This not only helps in meeting legal requirements but also ensures that your site is more accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, thereby broadening your audience.
5). Increase Conversion Opportunities
Footers offer valuable real estate for conversion-focused elements. Including call-to-action buttons, subscription forms, or special offers in the footer can capture visitor interest and encourage actions such as signing up for newsletters, requesting a quote, or making a purchase. This strategic placement can help convert more visitors into leads or customers.
6). Provide Contact and Support Information
A footer can serve as a convenient location for contact details, including phone numbers, email addresses, and links to customer support resources. This easy access to contact information ensures that visitors can quickly reach out for assistance, improving customer satisfaction and support efficiency.
Ways to Edit the Footer in WordPress
#1. Editing the Footer Using the WordPress Theme Customizer
The WordPress Theme Customizer is a built-in tool that enables you to modify your site’s appearance, including its header, footer, and other global settings. It is a user-friendly and secure method for making changes to your footer.
From here, you can edit the following footer elements:
▪️Footer text
This is the text that appears at the bottom of your footer. You can use this space to add your contact information, social media links, or copyright notice.
▪️Footer menu
This is the menu that appears in the footer of your site. You can use this menu to add links to important pages on your site, such as your homepage, blog, and contact page.
▪️Footer widgets
This is where you can add widgets to your footer. Widgets are small blocks of content that can be used to add additional functionality to your site, such as a search bar, social media links, or a recent post list.
Note: This guide uses the Astra theme as an example, but the process is similar across most WordPress themes.
Steps:
1. Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard
Access your WordPress admin panel by logging in with your credentials.
2. Go to the Customizer
Go to Appearance → Customize from the dashboard menu.
3. Access Footer Settings
In the customization menu, look for sections related to `Footer customization. Common names for these settings include Footer Layout, Footer Builder, or Footer Settings.
4. Edit Footer Content
In this example, we’re using the Astra theme. To customize the footer, go to the theme customizer and click on Footer Builder.
This will take you to a screen with various options for editing the footer, such as changing the text and adding social media links.
Click the ‘Copyright’ button to modify the footer text.
You can then remove the existing text and enter your message.
5. Modify Footer Text and Style
Use the provided text box to update the default text as needed. Scroll down to explore additional styling options for the footer, such as borders and background colors.
6. Publish Changes
After making the desired modifications, click `Publish` to save your changes.
You have now successfully updated your WordPress footer using the Theme Customizer. You can revisit this section at any time to further adjust or improve your site’s footer as needed.
#2. Adding Widgets to Your WordPress Footer
Widgets are versatile content blocks that you can add to various areas of your WordPress site, including the footer. They allow you to insert different types of content such as text, images, videos, and HTML code into designated sections. Many WordPress themes support widgetized footers, enabling you to customize this part of your site easily. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to add widgets to your WordPress footer:
1. Log into Your WordPress Dashboard
Begin by logging into your WordPress site’s admin dashboard.
2. Go to Widgets
In the dashboard menu, go to Appearance and select Widgets.
3. Select a Footer Section
On the Widgets page, you’ll find multiple sections labeled for different parts of your site’s footer. These are labeled as Footer Bar Section 1, Footer Bar Section 2 or any other names such as Footer Widget Area 1, etc depending on the theme used.
Click on the section you wish to edit. For example, click on Footer Widget Area 1 to open that section.
4. Add Widgets to the Footer Section
On the left side of the Widgets page, you will see a list of available widgets. To add a widget to a footer section, simply drag and drop the desired widget into the open area of the footer section.
-Custom HTML Widget
Drag the Custom HTML widget to the selected footer area if you need to insert custom code or scripts. Enter your code into the widget’s content area and click Save to apply the changes.
-Text Widget
Another commonly used widget is the Text widget. Drag this widget into another footer section, such as Footer Widget Area 2.
This widget allows you to add and format text, including embedding media. After entering your text, click Save to publish the widget.
5. Review Your Changes
After saving your widgets, review your site’s footer to ensure the widgets appear as intended.
#3. Adding a Menu to Your WordPress Footer
Adding a menu to the footer of your WordPress site can enhance navigation and provide additional links to important pages. The ability to add a footer menu depends on your WordPress theme. If your theme supports footer menus, follow these steps:
1. Access the Menus Section
Log into your WordPress dashboard, and go to Appearance followed by Menus.
2. Create a New Menu
Click on Create a New Menu.
Enter a unique name for your menu (e.g., Footer Menu) that will help you identify it.
3. Set Menu Location
Under Menu Settings, locate Display Location.
Check the box next to the Footer Menu. If you don’t see this option, it means your theme does not support footer menus.
4. Add Items to Your Menu
In the Add Menu Items section, select the pages, posts, custom links, or categories you wish to include in your menu.
Click Add to Menu to include these items. You can rearrange the menu items by dragging them into your desired order.
5. Save Your Menu
Click Save Menu to finalize and publish your footer menu. The menu will now appear in the footer section of your site.
Adding an Existing Menu to Your Footer
If you already have a menu created and want to add it to the footer:
1. Manage Menu Locations
Go back to Appearance and then Menus. Click on Manage Locations.
2. Assign an Existing Menu
In the dropdown next to the Footer Menu, select the existing menu you wish to display. If you don’t see this option, your theme does not support footer menus.
3. Save Changes
Click Save Changes to apply the menu to your site’s footer.
#4. Using a Footer Plugin
Another straightforward way to edit your WordPress website’s footer is by using a plugin. This method allows you to modify or remove the theme credit and the Proudly powered by WordPress message.
We’ll use the Remove Footer Credit plugin for this purpose. Follow these steps:
1. Install and Activate the Plugin
– Go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Plugins → Add New.
– In the search bar, type Remove Footer Credit and click on the Install Now button next to the plugin.
2. Inspect the Footer
– After activating the plugin, visit your website’s homepage and locate the footer section.
– Right-click on the footer and select Inspect to open the Developer Tools.
– In the Elements tab, find and copy the code snippets related to the theme credit and the Powered by WordPress text.
3. Configure the Plugin
– Return to your WordPress dashboard and go to Tools → Remove Footer Credit.
– Paste the copied code snippets into the Step 1 field of the plugin interface.
4. Save Changes
– Click the Save button at the bottom of the page.
This process will successfully remove the Proudly powered by WordPress message and any theme credit text from your footer.
Conclusion
The footer of a WordPress website is a section located at the bottom of each page, typically featuring elements like the site name, links, widgets, and social media icons.
Customizing your WordPress footer is a straightforward and impactful way to improve the user experience. Whether you’re a blogger, a small business owner, or simply want to personalize your site, the footer is an excellent place to start.
By applying the methods outlined in this article, you can tailor your footer to meet your specific needs and preferences.
Feel free to be creative and enjoy the process! Your website is a reflection of you and your brand, and the footer, though a small part, can significantly enhance the overall experience for your visitors.
