VOL. III · CH. 3.6 · COMPONENT
Footers
Where the links that don't fit anywhere else quietly accumulate — for better or worse.
1 min read · 121 words
3.6.1Definition & Anatomy
The footer holds secondary navigation, legal links, contact information, and social links — the material a user seeks out deliberately, rather than encounters during primary navigation.
3.6.2Common Mistakes
- Treating the footer as a dumping ground for every link in the product, with no organization.
- Missing genuinely important links (privacy policy, support contact) that legally or practically need to live somewhere findable.
3.6.3Best Practices
- Organize footer links into clearly labeled columns by category.
- Always include legal, contact, and accessibility links regardless of how minimal the rest of the footer is.
ExampleGovernment and enterprise sites keep footers deliberately comprehensive, since footer links are often the primary path to compliance and accessibility statements auditors specifically look for.