The footer of the site – is an abandoned basement or a portal for your customers?
In the meaning of most ordinary users and even owners of the web resources – the footer – a section at the very bottom of the site where contact information is most often placed – this is something like an appendix in the human body. That is, something that seems to be supposed by default, but no one except specialists knows why this is needed, which means that you should not think about it, and in general, it is quite possible to do without it. However, professional developers, particularly specialists from seclgroup.com, know for sure: there are only necessary elements on a correctly built and tuned site. And the footer is one of the most critical elements of successful lead generation and the key to the high conversion of your resource.
So what is a footer, and why is it needed?
We repeat once again: there are no unimportant elements on a good site. Each section, each button, and each field either performs a specific function or should not be there. Professional site developers experts, who have many years of experience creating intuitively understandable, user-friendly interfaces based upon UI/UX principles, are always guided by this fundamental approach.
A footer or “basement” is a section located at the very bottom of the site (hence the name) and contains official information that seems secondary to rank-and-file users. Such a perception of this element is explained by the fact that the company’s contacts intended for the customer’s communication are usually located at the very top, in a prominent place, so many visitors do not get to the footer.
However, a competent approach to the design of this section guarantees its important place in the formation of a sales funnel. It will provide you with a confident conversion of the entire resource.
What actions does the information in the footer encourage the visitor?
We clearly understand that the primary goal of any site is the generation of leads. Therefore, even if the user scrolled the page to the footer, not planning to take further actions, the developer’s task is to ensure that he stays there to provide your conversion.
What actions can he take by receiving information from a footer?
- Fill out the feedback form
- Subscribe to newsletters about the company
- Go to your pages on social networks and subscribe to them
- Leave an application for the goods or service that interests him, if, for some reason, he did not receive them at once
Footer as the last chance to keep the client
It often happens that the visitor either needed help understanding your site’s navigation or, for some other reason, did not find the information for which he came to your resource. In this case, the footer turns into your last frontier. If you do not detain him here, he will definitely leave and, most likely, will not return. Moreover, he can leave negative reviews about your resource on social networks, which, as you know, does not contribute to the growth of popularity.
Make sure that when a visitor reaches the “basement,” he finds there clearly systematized and conveniently organized information. In particular:
- Useful links
- Links to secondary tasks
- Site’s map
- Reviews or rewards
- Your top clients and short success stories
- Brands related to your company
- Forms of customer involvement (emailing and social networks)
It is worth emphasizing once again: the fact that the primary contacts that allow the user to contact your support service are located at the top of the site, in a prominent place, may give you the impression that they do not need to be duplicated in a footer. It is a mistake. Footer is a place where all the information about your company should be collected in a concentrated and understandable form. Do not think that, by indicating, the link, for example: “Useful contacts,” you have done what the user expects from you. It works only if, by pressing it, the visitor receives a straightforward, structured menu from which he can easily choose exactly the department he needs. If you expect that he independently scrolls a long list guessing how an employee who can resolve his difficulties can be called in your company, be sure: you have lost this client.
Of course, all legal information, including data on copyrights, warning about using cookies, and other personal data, should also be placed in a footer. This section should be brief, but it is supposed to be apparent to the user where, if necessary, he can get comprehensive data on this issue.
You may have a temptation to save a place in the foot, as they say, dumping everything into one pile. Do not do that! Ensure all the information is comfortable for the eyes in physical and esthetical terms; the visitor of your site shouldn’t look for a magnifying glass to read the microscopic font.
Summing up
There is the thought with which this article began. Each element of your site should be focused on the main goal: to make browsing the resource as comfortable as possible and, as a result, smoothly bring the maximal number of visitors to the target action. Therefore, use the footer to place one more call to action there.
Pay attention to the information that many consider secondary. It includes:
- Submitting an application for work in the company
- Access to information for investors
- Access to PR information
- Search for company branches
- Data on the company’s management, including links to their profiles on LinkedIn
And be sure to contact professionals!
