Learn How to Edit a Footer in WordPress: A Complete Guide 

Editing the footer in WordPress can be frustrating, but it is not a hard task. The challenge is that each WordPress theme has a unique footer layout and achieving your desired design can be time-consuming. 

That said, it is important not to overlook your footer credit. It serves several useful purposes. Visitors often scroll to the footer for important info and it also helps your site’s SEO. 

This guide will show you how to edit a WordPress footer. We’ll also share some plugins to make it easier. 

Why update your WordPress footer? 

Most WordPress themes have a customizable footer area. You can easily edit it according to your website’s needs. Editing the footer isn’t just an SEO tactic, it’s about improving your site’s user experience by making key info easy to find. 

The footer is a perfect spot for important details. You can add copyright information, contact info and links to key pages like About, Contact or Blog. Including links to your social media accounts is also a must as these basics would be a great start. But update your footer widget areas to highlight your brand’s uniqueness. 

Many web users expect to find useful information in a WordPress website footer. Having it easily accessible helps visitors navigate your site and increase engagement.

Here’s why keeping your footer element updated matters

• Update the footer: If your business changes its address, phone or email. This lets visitors reach you with the correct info. 
• Updating legal Info: If your Privacy Policy or Terms of Service changes, update the footer links to point to the latest versions. This ensures users can access the latest legal details. 
• Adding or removing links: As your site grows, you might need to add or remove links in the relevant footer location to keep it updated. For example, if you launch a new product or service, adding a link to that web page in the footer helps users find it easily. 
• Quick design refresh: If a full redesign isn’t on the table, updating your footer (and maybe your header) can give your site a fresh look. Refreshing your footer credits and other elements is a simple way to modernize your website without a complete overhaul. 
• Boosting SEO: A well-structured footer with helpful links like a sitemap, can improve your site’s SEO. Search engines use these links to better index your site, which can lead to improved ranking. 

An updated, thoughtful footer boosts your site’s SEO and user experience. It helps visitors find what they need quickly. Manage your footer widgets on the WordPress website to keep your site relevant, user-friendly and organized. Learn how to edit the footer in WordPress footer.

In WordPress, the footer content is stored in the footer.php file, which is usually written in HTML or CSS. 

However, you don’t have to modify this file directly to customize your site’s footer text. Instead, you can use widgets, the WordPress Customizer or a plugin to make changes easily. 

How to edit your WordPress footer with widgets 

Editing your WordPress footer using widgets is one of the simplest methods, as long as your theme includes a WordPress footer widget area. If your theme doesn’t offer this, you’ll need to try another method. 

To access the widget section, go to your WordPress dashboard, hover over Appearance and click Widgets

On the Widgets page, you’ll see two sections: Available Widgets and the edit Footer area. Keep in mind that depending on your theme, the number of footer areas may vary. 

To customize the footer, simply drag and drop a widget into the footer bar section you want. Once you place the widget, click on it to configure the settings and then hit Save. 

To add links to the footer using menus page, follow these steps: 

You can customize your WordPress footer by adding a custom menu as a widget. First, go to the “Menus” section under “Appearance” in your dashboard and choose the option to create a new menu. 

Give it a clear name so you can easily identify it later. If it’s your first time setting up a menu, WordPress will guide you to create your first one. 

Once your menu is named, look for the “Menu Settings” and select the option to assign this menu to the footer. After that, click “Create Menu” at the bottom. 

Now, you can start adding the content you want to appear in the footer menu. You can add links to pages, posts or even categories. When you’re happy with the items you’ve added, click “Save Menu” to confirm everything. 

Now, it’s time to display your menu in the footer. Go to the “Widgets” section under “Appearance.” Search for the “Footer Navigation Menu” block by clicking the “+” button. Once you find it, add it to your footer widget area. 

Then, use the dropdown to select the custom menu you just created. You can also change the default “Navigation Menu” title to something more descriptive if you like. 

Finally, click “Update” to save your settings and the new menu will appear in your site’s footer. 

How to edit the footer via your WordPress themes 

You can also edit your WordPress footer using the built-in Customizer, which gives you a live preview of your changes as you make them. To get to the Customizer, head to the “Appearance” section in your WordPress dashboard and click on “Customize.” 

In the Customizer, you might find several ways to adjust your footer depending on your theme: 

• Theme options: Some classic themes have a footer section. You can tweak the colors, borders or text to match your site’s look and feel. 
• Widgets: If your theme supports footer widgets, this is where you can add content, such as text, images or social media links, to your footer. 
• Menus: If you want to include navigation links, you can add a menu to the footer through the menu settings here. 

Once you’re satisfied with how your footer looks, make sure to click “Publish” or “Save Draft” to apply the changes. 

Keep in mind that not all themes offer direct footer customization options. If yours doesn’t, you can still modify the footer by customizing widgets and menus. Some themes may place footer settings in areas like a “Footer Builder” instead of the Theme Options panel. 

How to remove the “Powered By WordPress” footer 

Many WordPress themes include a “Powered by WordPress” message in the footer and sometimes even credits to the theme developer, like “Theme by Developer A.” While there’s nothing inherently wrong with this, it might not align with your brand’s image or professionalism. 

To remove or edit this message, you can modify the footer.php file in your theme. Before making any changes, it’s a good idea to back up your WordPress website files to avoid any accidental issues. 

Once you’re ready, go to your WordPress dashboard and follow these steps: 

• Head to Appearance > Theme Editor in the admin panel. 
• On the right side, under Theme Files, find and click on Theme Footer (footer.php). 
• In the code, look for the section that displays the “Powered by WordPress” message. For example, in the Twenty Twenty theme, it might look like this: 

You can delete this part or replace it with your own branding. Once done, hit the Update File button to save the changes and the footer message will be updated on your site. 

How to add code to the WordPress footer 

Sometimes, you may need to add custom code to your WordPress footer, whether for design tweaks or to connect with external services. There are a few ways to do this, depending on what you’re trying to achieve. 

If you’re making simple design changes, like adjusting the footer’s color or spacing, you can use the Additional CSS option in Customizer. For example, to change the footer’s background and border color, add the following code snippet: 

.footer-widgets-outer-wrapper, .footer-top { 
border-color: #000; 
} 
.footer-nav-widgets-wrapper, #site-footer { 
background-color: #D7BDE2; 
} 

Or, to adjust the footer’s margins and padding, you could add: 

.widget .widget-title { 
margin-bottom: 1rem; 
} 
.footer-widgets a { 
padding-left: 5rem; 
} 

Once you’ve added your code, just hit the Activate and Publish button to apply the changes. 

For more complex additions, like inserting custom scripts, the Insert Headers and Footers plugin is the easiest option. After installing and activating it, go to Code Snippets > Header and Footer from your dashboard. Scroll to the Footer section, paste your code there and click Save Changes. 

If you’re familiar with coding, you can also manually edit the footer by modifying the theme’s PHP files. This approach requires knowledge of HTML, CSS, JavaScript and basic web development but gives you full control over what’s added to the footer. 

Add HTML script to the footer in WordPress 

You can customize your WordPress footer by adding HTML. This lets you include elements like code, images or social media icons. Using HTML, you can easily add essential details such as contact info, copyright text or links to your privacy policy and terms of service. 

HTML lets you insert tracking codes for analytics. It also lets you make visual changes to your footer. You can adjust font sizes, add images, change colors or modify the layout to match your site’s design. 

To add HTML to your footer, go to your WordPress dashboard and navigate to Appearance > Customize. Once in the Customizer, look for the footer section that matches your theme. Select the widget area where you want to place your HTML content. 

Next, click Add a Widget, choose Custom HTML from the options and drag it into the selected widget area. Then, paste your HTML code into the widget’s content box. Once you’re done, save your changes and preview your site to see how the new elements look in the footer. 

Conduct a site check 

After updating the footer on your WordPress site, check the site and make sure everything is working properly. It doesn’t need an in-depth audit. But please review key areas like links, design, layout and site responsiveness. This is to confirm your edits didn’t disrupt anything. 

Editing the footer could affect other parts of your site. So, check any important features, like forms and the checkout process on eCommerce sites. It’s smart to check site performance after changes. Some edits might affect a plugin or your site’s theme. 

Footer updates rarely cause problems. But a quick double-check ensures your site runs smoothly and gives you peace of mind. 

Creating custom WordPress footers 

To create custom footers for different sections of your WordPress site, you need more than simple tweaks in the Customizer or Widgets. It requires custom page templates and conditional logic. This will show a unique footer design for specific pages or categories. 

To get started, you’ll need to create a new page template. First, create a new PHP file in your theme’s directory. Add the following PHP code snippet at the top of this file: 

<?php 
/* 
Template Name: Custom Footer 
*/ 
?> 

Replace “Custom Footer” with a name that describes your template. Now, you can add your custom footer code, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript to design it. If you want the default footer to appear as well, include the `get_footer()` function. You can also use `wp_nav_menu()` to display custom menus. 

Once you’ve finished coding, save the template file and upload it to your theme’s directory. Next, go to the WordPress editor for the page you want this custom footer to appear on. In the Page Attributes section on the right, select your “Custom Footer” template and save your changes. 

You can create multiple custom footers by following the same process. To show different footers based on specific conditions like the page type or category, use conditional logic in your template. For example: 

<?php 
if ( is_front_page() ) { 
// Code for front page footer 
} elseif ( is_page( 'about' ) ) { 
// Code for about page footer 
} else { 
// Code for default footer 
} 
?> 

Replace “about” with the slug or ID of the page where you want a custom footer. You can use WordPress conditional tags to create footers for categories, tags or other page types. This gives you full control over your footer’s appearance and behavior across your site. 

Common mistakes when editing a footer in WordPress 

Directly editing theme files 

Modifying the footer.php file or similar theme files can lead to issues when the theme is updated. Updates will overwrite your changes, causing you to lose customizations. It’s better to use child themes or a plugin to avoid this. 

Ignoring Theme Limitations 

Some WordPress theme customizers don’t offer much flexibility in the footer and adding unsupported elements or scripts can break the design, especially with drag-and-drop editor like Elementor. Before making changes, always check what your theme allows or consider using full site editing with the site editor for more customization options. 

Overloading the footer in WordPress 

Packing the footer with too much content can overwhelm visitors and negatively impact the user experience. Footers should provide essential links and information in a clean organized way. Limit the number of items to avoid clutter. 

Neglecting mobile responsiveness 

Many users forget to test how their footer looks on different devices. What works on a desktop may not translate well to mobile or tablet screens. Always ensure your footer remains readable and functional across all screen sizes. 

Not Backing Up Before Changes 

Making major changes to your site without backing it up is risky. A misstep in the code or settings can break your entire WordPress website. Always back up your site before making any edits, whether you’re adding custom CSS or altering the footer structure. 

Misusing widgets and plugins 

Over-relying on widgets or using too many plugins can cause conflicts or slow down your site. Some plugins may add unnecessary bulk or scripts to the footer, affecting load times. Choose lightweight solutions and use widgets strategically. 

3 Best WordPress footer plugins 

Header footer code manager 

This plugin lets you add code to the header or footer of your WordPress site. It supports JavaScript, CSS and tracking pixels. Normally, you would have to manually edit your theme’s files to do this, which can be tricky and risky for beginners. With this plugin, you can add this code without touching your site’s code directly. 

How it helps with footers: 

• You can place important tracking codes (like Google Analytics or Facebook Pixel) in the footer. This helps to track visitors without slowing your site. 
• If you want to add custom styles (CSS) or JavaScript to the footer, you can do it quickly without editing theme files. 
• The plugin provides a clean interface to manage all your codes, so it’s easy to see what has been added and where. 
• It saves time, reduces errors and keeps your changes after a theme update. 

WP custom footer 

WP Custom Footer is a simple plugin. It lets you add custom content to your website’s footer. You can add text, images, links or HTML. It’s user-friendly and doesn’t require any coding knowledge. 

How it helps with footers: 

• This plugin lets you add a copyright notice, links or social media icons. 
• You can customize the footer to match your branding. For example, add a logo or a mission statement. 
• You don’t need to edit the theme’s footer code or stylesheets. The plugin’s interface does everything. 
• It makes footer customization easy for beginners. You won’t risk breaking your site’s layout by touching the code. It’s a great option for adding basic but important information to your footer. 

Insert header and footers 

This plugin lets you easily add code to your WordPress website header and footer. You can use it to add scripts, like Google Analytics, Facebook Pixels or verification codes for third-party services. 

How it helps with footers: 

• You can easily add scripts and code to load in the footer. This will improve your WordPress websites performance. Putting these codes in the footer makes your site load faster. This is great for user experience. 
• It supports all kinds of code, from HTML to JavaScript, making it very flexible for various needs. 
• It is especially useful for adding SEO code or ad and analytics scripts. 
• This plugin is lightweight and easy to use. It’s perfect if you need to quickly add footer code. You won’t have to edit your theme’s files or worry about losing changes when updating it. 

Final thoughts

Editing the branded footer of your business website is essential for enhancing user experience and site performance. Whether adding important links, updating contact information or inserting code for SEO and analytics, your footer plays a key role. Using WordPress widgets, the WordPress Customizer or footer-specific plugins can make the process smooth and user-friendly. 

Plugins like Header Footer Code Manager, WP Custom Footer and Insert Headers and Footers offer simple solutions to customize your footer without coding knowledge. By keeping your footer updated and well-organized, you boost SEO and improve navigation, making your site more accessible and engaging for visitors. 

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