5 Ways to SEO Website Footers

Did you know that the footer on a website is your secret weapon when it comes to making headway in the search results related to your website?

It’s true!

The footer is powerful, and here’s why: It replicates on every single page of your website! Think about that, it basically is a simple multiplication of what goes in the footer times how many pages are on your website. This can have powerful effects when aiming for search engine optimization or SEO.

Assembled here is a list of tasks to do if you would like to increase your website’s SEO:

1. Add links to pages with the title the same as keyword search phrases
   If your website has the ability to add semantic, or search key friendly URL’s to the structure, then this technique works great. First, do some searches on Google and decide what search phrases you would like to have your website show up in. For example, let’s say it is “Dry cleaning New York NY,” you would want to create a page titled “Dry Cleaning New York NY.” Fill this page with content about dry cleaning in that area, and then link to it in the footer of your site.

1. Add a SSL certificate
   A SSL certificate or Secure Sockets Layer certificate is a gaurantee that the website is safe from attacks and is a credible website. Search engines like Google give out extra search “juice” or benefit when a site has a SSL certificate. There are different levels of SSL, the highest offers a green lock on the browser page area, reinforcing to visitors that this is a safe site to shop on and do business with. The SSL certificate also comes with an insurance policy to cover any liability that may occur from running your website. It is obvious that any serious business or website owner will want to look into SSL certificates for their website both for the security and the SEO benefits.

1. Add a Privacy Policy
   Privacy policies are disclosures about how much information the website logs and tracks on it’s visitors. Having a clearly defined list of policies linked from your websites footer is an act of good faith in Google and other search engines opinions, and will play positively into your search engine optimization. Check the web for other privacy policies for inspiration on where to start on yours. Open Tracker has an article about how to write a website Privacy Policy

1. Add a Terms of Use page
   Terms of Use pages are legal agreements between your website and its’ visitors. It spells out what the visitor is entitled to and what your website is entitled to. What if scenarios are discussed here with solutions presented to particular challenges. Again, check what others are doing on Terms of Use pages for inspiration. Google offers a boost in search for having a Terms of Use page, and it may just save you in a legal battle. Sift Digital has a nice blog post about How to write your website’s Terms of Use page.

1. Add a Sitemap
   One of the best ways to increase navigation to content that might not otherwise be discovered is a sitemap. It offers a overview of the entire website. The sitemap should be configured in a structured manor that shows hierachy amongst the pages. Each page should have a link to it from the sitemap. Google appreciates this opening and displaying of the content for the visitor and rewards you accordingly. Make sure to place the sitemap in a visible area in your footer. There is also another sitemap that can be created and submitted to Google and other search engines, you can learn more About Sitemaps from Google here.

Now all you have to do is sit back and enjoy your new search results! Of course there is always more SEO that can be done, check out our other articles on Search Engine Optimization.

Have you used any of these techniques with success and care to share your story? Tell us in the comments!