Bourn Creative

Transforming Businesses into Extraordinary Brands

  • Services
  • Portfolio
  • About
  • Praise
  • Start Your Project
WordPress Footer and Footer Widgets
standard icon

The Difference Between a WordPress Footer and a WordPress Footer Widget Area

April 16, 2014 Jennifer Bourn

A footer is the bottom section of a website, usually appearing on all pages throughout the site.

The most common use of a footer is a bar across the bottom of the page that includes the copyright information, and links to the privacy policy and disclaimer pages. Depending on the focus and design of your website, this area may also include your contact information and links to pages such as an affiliate page, a sponsors page, an advertising page, or even the contact page.

A footer widget area is the section above the footer that includes widgets (also referred by users as “boxes”) for content.

Typically the footer widget area is set apart from the rest of the content, either with a colored background, or a line or divider of some type. And, in many cases, they appear on almost every page of the website.

The number of widgets or content “boxes” in a footer widget area is determined by the design of the theme. Theme footer widget areas can contain one, two, three, or even four widget areas (or more) — and while many themes use three or four widgets that are all the same size, they don’t have to be the same size in width or height.

WordPress Footer Widgets Explained

What should go in a footer widget?

Everyone likes the idea of footer widgets because they provide an opportunity to add more value to visitors, provide another way visitors can access your most important content, and an opportunity to add keyword-rich internal links to your key conversion pages — But everyone also gets stumped when trying to figure out what to put in them!

Here are some examples of what you could include in your footer widgets:

  • Contact information (if not in your footer)
  • Legal jargon and links to legal pages (if not in your footer)
  • Menu of links to sales pages
  • Recent blog posts
  • Promo and link to speaking page
  • Short testimonial and link to testimonials page
  • Social media icons/links
  • Promo and link to services page
  • Upcoming event promo and link to event page
  • Short bio and link to about page

Tips on How To Use WordPress Footer Widgets

Don’t Make Your Footer Too Big!

Be careful when adding content to your footer widgets that you don’t add too much content!

Creating a giant, overpowering footer that is longer than some of the actual page content on your site is just silly — seriously! Remember the principles of content hierarchy — the footer should contain important content as it’s on every page of the site, but it should have the lowest visual priority of the page.

What About You?

Do you use footer widgets or just a footer or both? If you use footer widgets, what type of content have you found works best in them? Have you seen sites with giant footers that seem too big for the site? Did you learn something new in this post that will help you improve your site?

We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!

Related Posts

  • How to Create A Highly Effective Website Home Page
  • How To Design A Website Header (And What Should Go In It)
  • What Are Website Menus And How Are They Used In WordPress Sites?
  • What Is A WordPress Widget?
  • Smart Strategies For Your WordPress Website Sidebar Design
  • Website Content Tips For The WordPress Page And Post Content Area
  • Why Every Business Needs a WordPress Blog
  • Understanding WordPress Page Templates
  • Understanding WordPress Archive Templates
  • Sales Pages, Landing Pages, and Squeeze Pages, Oh My!
  • Add An Opt-In Box to Your WordPress Site To Build Your Email List
  • Responsive Website Design: What Is It, How Does It Work, Why Should I care?
Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

Category: WordPress Tips & Resources Tags: Web Design, Website Content, WordPress, WordPress Widgets

Subscribe To Our Blog & Never Miss A Thing

Sign up to get new our latest posts and announcements delivered straight to your inbox. Seriously, at this point, what’s one more email?

About Jennifer Bourn

Creative Director · Digital Strategist · WordPress Evangelist

As founder of Bourn Creative, Jennifer is an award-winning designer who has been working in the branding and design trenches since 1997. Today she consults on brand development, website strategy, and content strategy, works closely with clients on graphic design and web design projects with WordPress as her platform of choice.

When not immersed in client projects, Jennifer manages the Bourn Creative brand and our internal systems and processes. She speaks often on podcasts, summits, and at live events, and writes not only for our blog, but for several other websites, sharing her expertise on freelancing, client services, agency growth, blogging, marketing, and branding. Jennifer also co-organizes the Sacramento WordPress Meetup and is lead organizer for WordCamp Sacramento.

Discover What We Can Do For You

Have a project you think we'll like? Click the button below and tell us about it.

We love working with enthusiastic clients who are as passionate about their business as we are about strategy, design, and development. If that sounds like you, we should talk.

Start Your Project

Bourn Creative

  • Follow Us On Twitter
  • Like Us On Facebook

Copyright © 2023 Bourn Creative, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy | Disclaimer