How To Increase SEO In 2024 Using Footer Links
The strategies utilized by organizations to build their online exposure are continuously changing along with digital technologies. The significant element that affects search engine optimization or SEO is the use of footer links.
These links are found at the bottom of a website page. Plus, they are an incredible asset for driving traffic and improving rankings. However, it’s critical to use them strategically and stay away from common missteps that can adversely influence SEO.
This article will explore how to use footer links to boost SEO. Whether you’re an entrepreneur or a digital advertiser, understanding how to use footer links can assist you with staying in front of the competition. This can also assist you with improving your internet presence.
What Are Footer Links?
Footer links are links found at the bottom of your site on each page. They’re there to assist guests with exploring your site without any problem. Usually, they lead to different pages within your webpage, however, sometimes they could link to different sites.
Back then, Google used these links to comprehend which pages on your site were fundamental. However, they’re not only for Google, they’re also useful for individuals visiting your site. Thus, it’s essential to pick footer links that make it simple for guests to find what they’re searching for.
Are Footer Links Still Important?
Yes. But, as search engines get smarter, footer links aren’t as big a deal as they used to be.
What it means is as follows:
Google looks closely at every link in your footer. They want to see if you’re putting links there to boost your SEO or if they’re genuinely helpful for your site visitors:
If Google thinks those links improve your site for clients, having them in your footer is worth thankful for. However, finding the right balance is precarious. This blog has three instances of good footer links you can use.
Which Footer Links Are Used the Most?
Footer links are like signposts at the bottom of a webpage. They help visitors find their way around your site more easily.
Usually, people only put the most critical links in the footer. Here’s a list of those important links:
- CTA or Opt-in forms
- Latest articles
- Sitemap
- Mini photo gallery
- Testimonials
- Upcoming events
- Category pages
- Location information
- Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
- Main navigation pages
- Copyright information
- Business Contact
- Social media widgets
When you’re choosing which links to put in your footer, think about what your visitors will find helpful. Don’t clutter it up with things they won’t care about. That way, your footer will be helpful and make your site better for everyone.
What about external footer links?
Usually, it’s not a good idea to have many of these external links in the footer. They don’t really help your website’s ranking on Google.
Google doesn’t think highly of external links in the footer. If you have too many of them, Google might even give your website a lower ranking.
If you have to put an external link in the footer that leads to another website, use a “nofollow” tag. This helps you avoid getting in trouble with Google and keeps your website’s ranking safe.
4 Things You Need To Know About The Footer Links
Which links should you include in the footer of your website? Remember these four rules when adding SEO links in the future.
1. Google might not value external links in the footer as much
When you design a website, you usually have a section at the bottom called the footer. It’s been there since websites first started. Search engines like Bing and Google are aware of footers and their contents.
SEO specialists have seen that if you put links to other sites in your footer, Google doesn’t consider them much as links in the main part of your site. So, it’s ideal to involve the footer for links that assist guests with finding significant pages within your site.
So, it’s best to use the footer for links that help visitors find important pages within your website.
If you want to put links to other websites in your footer, it’s okay to do so for related businesses or social media profiles, but too many external links might not help your website much in Google’s eyes. It’s better to focus on links that benefit your visitors the most.
2. Footer links don’t usually get clicked on much
People only go to the footer if they can’t find what they’re looking for anywhere else on the site. It’s like a last stop to find certain pages. So, usually, not many people click on footer links.
Why is this important?
Putting lots of links in the footer won’t help get more people to visit different pages on your website. Because, honestly, not many folks use them. It’s not worth making the page look crowded with links just to get a few clicks.
3. Your Pages Can Go Beyond A “Healthy” Link Total With Footer Links
An excessive number of links on a page might degrade its quality.
Here’s the issue:
The footer appears at the bottom of almost every page on your website. So, if you put too many links in the footer, you’re adding all those links to every single page. This might give you more links than what Google thinks is good.
This is especially true if the links go to other websites.
Here’s why it matters:
Google looks at the number of links a page has while choosing if it’s great or not. With excessive links and insufficient content, Google could think the page is spam. And spammy pages don’t appear well in Google searches.
Ensure the footer of your site isn’t too packed with heaps of links that aren’t required. This helps keep the total number of links on your site at a supportive level.
4. Arranging Footer Links Can Take Up a Lot of Time
Organizing footer links can take up a lot of time. For many website owners, it’s not worth it. Here’s why:
- Search engines might not value footer links much for SEO.
- Visitors to your site don’t often click on footer links.
- Having too many links in your footer can make your page look bad.
So, investing energy in organizing your footer links is certainly not a smart thought. It’s smarter to keep it basic, as the saying goes.
How to use footer links intelligently
Now you understand which footers are good and which ones aren’t. To make your website better for search engines, choose your footer links wisely. Look at these 3 websites with great footer links and learn from them for your site.
1. Example of Amazon
Amazon is a huge website with lots of pages and things to buy. Loads of people visit it every month, around 2.45 billion!
They could put many links at the footer of their pages, but they’ve kept it simple and smart. They only include the most important links that you might need.
They’ve divided the links into categories:
- Get to Know Us” has links to important pages about the company.
- Make Money with Us” is for people who want to sell stuff on Amazon.
- Amazon Payment Products” has links to different ways you can pay.
- Let Us Help You” has links for customer service and support.
It’s not difficult to track down the thing you’re searching for because they’ve organized it perfectly. It is good that they’ve figured out how to keep it simple, even though Amazon is such a big platform!
2. Example of Apple
When most people think about Apple, they usually think of the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook. But Apple offers more than 50 popular products and services! And that’s not even counting all the different versions they have.
Apple manages all its customer support and services through its website. So, people go to the Apple website for many different reasons. Apple has organized all the links at the footer of its website into different departments. This makes it easy for users to find what they need.
Another smart thing Apple does is include links to each group of products and services. This helps people find what they’re looking for faster, which can lead to more sales.
Even though Apple has many links in its website’s footer, the layout is simple. This makes it easier for customers to quickly navigate and find what they need.
Over to you
Here’s what you need to know about making a footer with the correct links. The trick is to put only the links that make it easy for visitors to find what they want. If you’re smart, you can make your footer even better to attract more people to buy from you. Just don’t put too many links.
