A useful WordPress footer combines secondary navigation, a privacy-policy link, ownership information, contact methods, and clear branding. Add terms, disclosures, accessibility information, social profiles, language, support, store policies, or other utilities only when they serve your visitors and your legal or business context.
Essential footer elements for most sites
Secondary navigation
Use the footer for high-value destinations that do not belong in the primary menu. Common links include About, Contact, Products or Services, Support, FAQ, account or checkout pages, and a sitemap when one helps people find content. WordPress lists About, Contact, Privacy Policy, Copyright, Disclosure, Legal Information, Reprint Permissions, Company Information, and Accessibility Statement as examples of pages that may belong in footer navigation.
Privacy policy
Link a published privacy-policy page from the footer so visitors can reach it from every page. In WordPress, assign the page under Settings → Privacy, publish it, tailor the wording to your site, and add it to the footer menu or Navigation block.
The generated policy is a starting point, not a complete legal description. Check that it accurately covers your forms, comments, cookies, analytics, embedded content, newsletters, advertising, affiliate services, and any other processing you use. WordPress notes that the site administrator is responsible for using its privacy resources correctly and keeping the information current; core text may not describe third-party services.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
Copyright and ownership
Identify the person or organization responsible for the site and display a current copyright notice where appropriate. A simple line such as “© 2026 Example Organization” is clearer than an automatically changing year with no owner. If the site has separate legal, licensing, or reprint information, link to those pages rather than putting lengthy text in the footer.
Contact options
Give visitors a practical way to reach you. Depending on the site, this may be a Contact page, email address, phone number, office address, business hours, or map. Keep details synchronized with your contact page and business listings. WordPress.com’s Contact Info block supports email, phone, and physical location fields.
Branding
Include the site name or logo, normally linked to the homepage. Use sufficient contrast and meaningful alternative text for an image logo. A text site name is preferable to a logo that is too small to identify on mobile screens.
Conditional links worth adding
Terms, disclaimers, and disclosures
Add Terms of Use, conditions, a disclaimer, advertising or affiliate disclosure, refund and returns information, or company details when your business model or jurisdiction calls for them. These are not universal boilerplate: a personal portfolio, online shop, membership site, and public-service website have different obligations. Make each link describe the page it opens.
Accessibility information
Link to an accessibility statement, conformance information, or certification when applicable. The footer itself should use semantic navigation, visible keyboard focus, understandable link text, adequate contrast, and controls that work without a mouse. Social icons and other image-only links need accessible names.
Social profiles
Include icons only for active, official accounts that you maintain. Each icon should link directly to the intended profile and have an accessible label such as “Follow Example on LinkedIn.” Remove abandoned accounts instead of presenting an incomplete list.
Store, nonprofit, and service-specific links
Match the footer to the visitor’s likely task:
| Site type | Useful footer links |
|---|---|
| Online store | Shipping, returns, payment methods, order support, size or product guidance, and account pages |
| Membership or SaaS service | Help center, status, account, billing, security, and cancellation information |
| Nonprofit | Donate, impact or transparency information, annual reports, and contact details |
| Public-service or regulated organization | Accessibility statement, formal policies, location or office information, and required notices |
Utility actions
A language switcher, location or office selector, search, help link, back-to-top control, newsletter signup, or login link can be useful when visitors genuinely need the action. Do not add every possible control: a crowded footer makes important links harder to scan and can be difficult to use on small screens.
How to add footer content in WordPress
Block themes
- Open Appearance → Editor.
- Open the footer template part (often under Patterns or the template-part list).
- Add or edit the blocks your theme supports, such as Navigation, Site Logo, Social Icons, Contact Info, and Paragraph.
- Create short, labeled groups—for example, “Explore,” “Help,” and “Legal”—and place related links together.
- Save the template part, then check a page on desktop and mobile while logged out.
Exact controls vary by theme. If your site shows Widgets instead of the Site Editor, or shows neither option, follow that theme’s documentation for its footer area.
Classic themes and widget footers
Go to Appearance → Widgets and open the footer widget area. Add a Navigation Menu, Custom HTML, Site Logo, Social Icons, or text widget as appropriate. Some themes provide footer settings under Appearance → Customize instead. Avoid editing theme files directly unless you use a child theme or understand how updates will affect the change.
Adding the privacy link in code
Theme developers can use WordPress’s privacy helpers, including get_privacy_policy_url() and the_privacy_policy_link(), to output the assigned policy URL or link. The page still needs to be assigned under Settings → Privacy and kept accurate; a code-generated link does not replace policy maintenance.
A practical way to prioritize footer items
Before adding a link, score it against these questions:
- Audience task: Does it help visitors contact you, buy, get support, understand your service, or navigate?
- Legal or jurisdictional need: Is the information required or strongly advisable for your location, industry, or audience?
- Freshness: Can you keep the destination, phone number, profile, hours, and copyright details current?
- Accessibility: Is the label understandable, keyboard reachable, visible at useful contrast, and linked to the expected destination?
- Density: Can the item fit into a short, labeled group without making the footer overwhelming?
Start with the essential items, then add conditional links that receive regular use. A footer is navigation and service infrastructure, not a storage area for every page on the site.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Quick Recap
Footer quality-control checklist
- Open every footer link in a logged-out browser and confirm it reaches the intended page.
- Check the privacy policy against the forms, cookies, analytics, embeds, newsletters, ads, and affiliate tools actually active on the site.
- Verify the owner name, email, phone, address, hours, and copyright year.
- Test keyboard navigation, focus visibility, heading order, contrast, and screen-reader labels for icons.
- Check the footer at narrow mobile widths and at high zoom; prevent clipped text and horizontal scrolling.
- Remove dead social profiles, duplicate links, old campaigns, and pages that no longer serve visitors.
- Review the footer after changing themes, navigation menus, domains, contact systems, or third-party services.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
