A footer link is a hyperlink placed in the footer section of a website the area that appears at the bottom of every page. Footer links are commonly used for navigation, legal information, internal linking, and sometimes SEO purposes.
Because footers are site-wide and repeated across many pages, footer links can be useful but they must be used carefully to avoid SEO issues.
What Is a Footer Link?
A footer link is any clickable link located in a website’s footer. These links usually appear consistently across the entire site and help users access important pages that don’t need to be highlighted in the main navigation.
Common footer links include:
- About Us
- Contact Page
- Privacy Policy
- Terms & Conditions
- Sitemap
- Blog or Resources
- Social media profiles
In SEO, footer links are considered structural or navigational links, not editorial links.
How Footer Links Work
Footer links function in two main ways:
- User Navigation
They help visitors quickly find key pages when they reach the bottom of a page. - Internal Linking
Footer links pass internal link signals to important pages, helping search engines crawl and understand site structure.
Because footer links are repeated across many pages, they create multiple internal links pointing to the same URLs.
Why Footer Links Matter for SEO
Footer links can support SEO when used correctly. They help by:
- Improving site crawlability
- Reinforcing internal linking structure
- Highlighting important pages
- Enhancing user experience
However, search engines like Google typically assign less weight to footer links than to contextual links within main content.
Footer Links vs Contextual Links
| Footer Links | Contextual Links |
|---|---|
| Placed in site footer | Placed within content |
| Repeated site-wide | Page-specific |
| Lower SEO value | Higher SEO value |
| Mainly navigational | Editorial and relevant |
Contextual links are stronger for rankings, while footer links are better for structure and usability.
External Footer Links and SEO Risks
Footer links can become problematic when used for external linking, especially for SEO manipulation.
Risky Footer Link Practices
- Adding keyword-rich links to unrelated websites
- Selling footer links for SEO
- Participating in footer link exchanges
- Using exact-match anchor text site-wide
Google has specifically targeted spammy footer links in past algorithm updates.
When Footer Links Are Safe and Useful
Footer links are generally safe when:
- They point to relevant internal pages
- External links are natural and limited
- Anchor text is branded or generic
- Links add value for users
Example of a safe external footer link:
“Website by ABC Web Design”
Best Practices for Footer Links
To use footer links correctly, follow these tips:
- Keep the number of footer links reasonable
- Focus on usability, not rankings
- Avoid keyword-stuffed anchor text
- Use footer links mainly for navigation
- Be cautious with external footer links
- Don’t rely on footer links as your main SEO strategy
A clean, simple footer is better than one packed with SEO-focused links.
Examples of Footer Links
- Internal links to privacy policy, about page, or contact page
- A branded credit link to the site developer
- Social media profile links
- Category or resource links for large websites
These examples prioritize user experience over manipulation.
Final Thoughts on Footer Links
Footer links are a normal and necessary part of website design. While they can help with navigation and internal linking, they offer limited SEO power compared to contextual backlinks. Used responsibly, footer links support site structure and usability but abused, they can raise red flags with search engines.
The key is simple: design footers for users first, search engines second.