Footer links appear at the bottom of every page. While useful for navigation and legal pages, avoid stuffing footers with keyword-rich links as they carry less SEO value and can appear manipulative.
Why Footer Links Matter in SEO
Footer links act as a safety net for both visitors and search engines. If users scroll to the bottom of a page and cannot find what they need in the main navigation, the footer provides alternative paths. From an SEO perspective, footer links distribute internal link equity across important pages and signal to search engines which pages hold ongoing importance.
However, overloading the footer with too many links can appear manipulative and dilute link value. Google prefers natural linking patterns, so footer links should support user needs rather than serve as a place to stuff keywords.
How Footer Links Work in Practice
Footer links work by guiding users to pages that are essential but might not fit in the main navigation menu. For example, an e-commerce store might include links to return policies, FAQs, shipping details, or product categories that customers often seek. These links also act as internal pathways, ensuring that search engine crawlers can reach deeper pages within the site architecture.
In SEO, the positioning of links does matter. While links in the main body text typically carry more weight, footer links still pass authority and play a structural role in connecting key pages across the site.
Footer Links Across Different Platforms
WordPress
In WordPress, themes usually come with built-in footer widgets where you can add menus or custom links. SEO plugins make it easy to control which pages to feature.
Shopify
Shopify merchants use footer links to display store policies, account pages, and product categories. These are critical for trust and compliance, especially for online shopping.
Wix
Wix sites allow simple drag-and-drop customization for footer links. However, careful planning is needed to avoid clutter.
Webflow
Webflow provides flexible design for footers, allowing businesses to highlight both branding elements and important internal links without overloading the area.
Custom CMS
A custom CMS offers the most flexibility. Developers can design footers to balance brand identity, usability, and SEO goals effectively.
Industries Where Footer Links Are Crucial
E-commerce
Online stores rely on footer links for quick access to shipping policies, return information, and key product categories.
Corporate Websites
Businesses use footer links to display contact details, investor information, and corporate policies that maintain transparency.
Local Businesses
Local businesses often include links to maps, directions, and contact forms in the footer for easy access.
Media and Publishing
News websites place category links or trending topics in the footer to encourage deeper content discovery.
Best Practices for Footer Links
Good footer links are simple, relevant, and easy to navigate. Include only the most important pages instead of trying to replicate the entire site map. Use descriptive anchor text rather than generic words like “click here.” Ensure the design is clean and the links are grouped logically so users can quickly find what they need. Avoid excessive keyword linking, as it can raise red flags with search engines.
Common Mistakes with Footer Links
One common mistake is adding too many links to the footer in an attempt to boost SEO. This creates clutter for users and dilutes link authority. Another mistake is repeating the entire navigation menu in the footer, which adds no extra value. Some websites also fail to optimize anchor text, missing the opportunity to give context to search engines about where the link points.
FAQs
What are footer links?
Footer links are hyperlinks placed in the footer (bottom section) of a website, often appearing on every page. They connect to legal pages, contact info, privacy policies, or other secondary but important pages.
How do footer links affect SEO?
They offer some benefits for site structure and crawlability, but carry much less ranking influence compared to links embedded in main content.
What are the risks of having too many footer links?
Too many footer links can look spammy, dilute link equity, exceed a “healthy” number of links per page, and potentially harm site quality in Google’s eyes.
What are best practices for footer links?
Keep the list small and relevant, use clear anchor text, include only essential pages (like Contact, Terms, Privacy), and make sure external footer links are trustworthy.
Should footer links be external or internal?
Most footer links are internal (linking to your own site’s pages). External footer links can be used but should be limited, relevant, and marked correctly (often with nofollow if needed).
