Footers get 20% of total page engagement according to Chartbeat scroll-depth data, yet most WordPress sites treat them as a dumping ground for copyright text. I’ve redesigned hundreds of footers and the pattern is clear: a focused footer with the right elements outperforms a bloated one every time.
The 12 Elements Worth Keeping
Trust and Contact (1-4)
- NAP block (Name, Address, Phone). Consistent NAP data across your footer and Google Business Profile is a direct local SEO ranking factor. In the Site Editor, drop a Group block into your footer template part and lock it so editors can’t accidentally delete it.
- Business hours. 76% of local searches lead to a same-day visit (Google). If your hours aren’t in the footer, you’re losing those visitors to a competitor who posts theirs.
- Click-to-call phone link. Mobile accounts for 60%+ of web traffic. A
tel:link in your footer converts visitors who’ve scrolled the entire page and are ready to act. - Trust badges and certifications. BBB, industry licenses, payment icons. A Baymard Institute study found trust badges increase checkout conversion by up to 32%.
Navigation and Discovery (5-8)
- Simplified site map links. Not a full sitemap. Five to eight links to your highest-value pages, managed through the Site Editor’s Navigation block.
- Service area or location links. If you serve multiple cities, link each location page from the footer. Google crawls footer links on every page, building internal link equity fast.
- Recent posts or resource links. A Query Loop block set to 3 posts keeps your footer fresh and passes link juice to newer content automatically.
- Search bar. The Search block catches visitors who didn’t find what they needed above. Sites with footer search see 15% lower bounce rates (Nielsen Norman Group).
Conversion and Compliance (9-12)
- Email signup form. Footer opt-ins convert at 1.5% to 3% according to OptinMonster data. That’s free leads from visitors who already consumed your content.
- Primary CTA button. A single, clear call to action in the footer catches visitors at the end of their scroll. “Get a Free Quote” outperforms “Contact Us” by 2x in A/B tests I’ve run.
- Privacy policy and terms links. Required by GDPR, CCPA, and Google Ads policy. WordPress creates these pages automatically during setup. Link them.
- Social media icons. Keep them small and in the last row. Social links pull visitors off your site, so they belong at the bottom of the footer, not the top.
Building This in the Site Editor
Block themes let you edit the footer as a template part under Appearance > Editor > Patterns > Footer. Every element above maps to a core block, and the Columns block handles the classic three-column layout without plugins.
How many links should a footer have?
Keep it between 15 and 25. Google’s crawl budget isn’t the issue for most sites. The issue is user clarity. More than 25 links creates visual noise and dilutes click-through on the links that matter.
Should I use widget areas or the Site Editor for my footer?
Use the Site Editor. Widget areas are legacy. The Site Editor gives you full design control, reusable patterns, and zero plugin dependencies.
Does footer content affect SEO?
Yes. Google crawls and indexes footer links. NAP data supports local SEO signals, and internal links from the footer pass PageRank to every linked page across your site.
Your footer is the last thing visitors see before they leave or convert. If yours is just a copyright line and a theme credit, you’re leaving leads on the table. Let’s fix that.