WooCommerce: How to Change Your Footer – A Beginner’s Guide
Your WooCommerce store’s footer is prime real estate. It’s at the bottom of every page, making it a consistent place to add important information like contact details, copyright notices, quick links, and even a call to action. Think of it as your store’s handshake, a final touch that can solidify the customer experience. A poorly designed or outdated footer, on the other hand, can look unprofessional and even confuse potential customers.
This guide will walk you through several ways to change your WooCommerce footer, even if you’re a complete beginner. We’ll cover everything from simple theme customizations to more advanced coding methods, so you can choose the approach that best suits your skill level and needs.
Why Bother Changing Your WooCommerce Footer?
Think about the last time you visited a website and scrolled to the bottom to find their address or a link to their FAQs. The footer is often the *first* place people look for that kind of essential information. Here’s why customizing your WooCommerce footer is crucial:
- Improved User Experience: A well-organized footer helps customers find what they need quickly, leading to a better overall shopping experience. Imagine a customer trying to find your return policy. If it’s easily accessible in the footer, they’re more likely to complete their purchase.
- Enhanced Branding: Your footer should reflect your brand’s personality. Using your brand colors, logo, and tone can reinforce your brand identity and build trust.
- SEO Benefits: Including relevant keywords in your footer can subtly improve your website’s search engine ranking. Think about keywords related to your products or niche.
- Increased Conversions: You can use the footer to promote special offers, highlight popular products, or encourage newsletter sign-ups. A strategically placed call-to-action button can significantly boost conversions. For example, an “Join our VIP email list for exclusive discount” button in the footer.
- Legal Compliance: Including copyright information, privacy policy links, and terms and conditions in your footer is Explore this article on How To Exclude Categories On Shop Page Woocommerce essential for legal compliance and builds customer confidence.
- Footer Widgets: Many themes use widgets in the footer. You can add, remove, and rearrange widgets to display different content, such as:
- Text: Add custom text, links, or HTML.
- Navigation Menu: Display a footer menu with important links.
- WooCommerce Products: Showcase your best-selling products.
- Contact Information: Add your address, phone number, and email.
- Social Media Icons: Link to your social media profiles.
- Footer Bar: Some themes have a separate “Footer Bar” area for copyright information and theme credits. You can usually edit the text in this area.
- Footer Mega Grid: Create complex and visually appealing footers with multiple columns and elements.
- Header Footer Code Manager: Insert custom HTML, CSS, or JavaScript code into your header and footer. This is handy if you want to add Google Analytics tracking code or custom styling.
- Visual Footer Builder: Some page builders like Elementor and Divi allow you to design custom footers using their visual drag-and-drop interfaces.
- Snippet Name: Copyright Notice
- Snippet Type: HTML
- Display On: Entire Site
- Location: Footer
- Status: Active
- You can access the `footer.php` file through the WordPress Theme Editor (Appearance > Theme Editor) or using an FTP client. *Note: Editing files directly through the theme editor is generally discouraged due to security risks.*
- Using an FTP Client (like FileZilla) connect to your web server and navigate to the `wp-content/themes/[your-theme-name]/` directory. Find and download `footer.php`.
- Open the `footer.php` file in a text editor.
- Locate the code that generates your footer. This will vary depending on your theme, but it often involves HTML and PHP code to display widgets, menus, and other content.
- Carefully modify the HTML and PHP code to make your desired changes.
- If you used an FTP client, upload the modified `footer.php` file back to the `wp-content/themes/[your-theme-name]/` directory, overwriting the original file.
- Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure your footer looks good on all devices (desktops, tablets, and smartphones). Use responsive design principles or a mobile-friendly theme. Test your website on different devices after making changes to the footer.
- Theme Check out this post: How To Find Purchase History In Woocommerce Updates: If you’ve directly edited your theme’s files (like `footer.php`), your changes will be overwritten when you update the theme. Always use a child theme to preserve your customizations.
- Accessibility: Make sure your footer is accessible to users with disabilities. Use proper HTML semantics, provide alternative text for images, and ensure sufficient color contrast.
- Performance: Avoid adding too many large images or unnecessary scripts to your footer, as this can slow down your website’s loading time.
Method 1: Using the WordPress Customizer (The Easiest Way!)
The WordPress Customizer is your best friend for simple footer customizations. This method doesn’t require any coding knowledge and is perfect for beginners.
1. Access the Customizer: From your WordPress dashboard, go to Appearance > Customize.
2. Look for Footer Options: The specific options available will depend on your theme. Look for sections like “Footer,” “Footer Widgets,” “Theme Options,” or something similar. If your theme offers footer settings, it will be located inside the customizer panel. *Every theme offers a customizer panel, but the features and settings are highly dependent on how developers programmed.*
3. Customize Your Footer:
4. Publish Your Changes: Once you’re happy with your changes, click the Publish button at the top of the Customizer.
Example: Let’s say you want to add your address and phone number to your footer using a Text widget.
1. In the Customizer, find the “Footer Widgets” section.
2. Choose a footer widget area (e.g., “Footer 1”).
3. Click “Add a Widget” and search for “Text.”
4. Drag and drop the Text widget into the “Footer 1” area.
5. Enter your address and phone number in the Text widget’s content field.
6. Save and publish your changes.
Method 2: Using a Footer Plugin
If your theme’s customizer options are limited, a footer plugin can provide more advanced features and flexibility. There are many free and paid plugins available on the WordPress Plugin Repository.
Popular Footer Plugins:
Example (Using Header Footer Code Manager):
Let’s say you want to add a custom copyright notice to your footer using the Header Footer Code Manager plugin.
1. Install and Activate: Install and activate the Header Footer Code Manager plugin from the WordPress Plugin Repository.
2. Add a New Snippet: Go to HFCM > Add New Snippet.
3. Snippet Details:
4. Snippet Code: In the “Snippet / Code” field, enter your copyright notice HTML code. For example:
© 2023 [Your Store Name]. All rights reserved.
* Replace `[Your Store Name]` with the actual name of your business.
5. Save: Click the Save button.
Method 3: Editing the `footer.php` File (For Advanced Users Only!)
This method involves directly editing your theme’s `footer.php` file. This is the most technical method and requires a good understanding of HTML, CSS, and PHP. Making mistakes in this file can break your website.
Important: Before editing any theme files, always create a backup of your website! You should also use a child theme to avoid losing your changes when the parent theme is updated.
1. Access the `footer.php` File:
2. Edit the File:
3. Upload the Modified File:
Example: Let’s say you want to add a simple text link to your “About Us” page in the footer using the `footer.php` file.
1. Open `footer.php`: Access and open the `footer.php` file.
2. Locate Footer Code: Find the section in the file that generates the footer content.
3. Add the Link: Add the following HTML code to the footer section:
* Replace `/about-us/` with the actual URL of your “About Us” page.
4. Save and Upload: Save the changes to the `footer.php` file and upload it back to your server (if using FTP).
Warning: Incorrectly editing the `footer.php` file can cause errors on your website. Always back up your website before making any changes and be extremely careful when editing code. *Testing changes in a staging environment before implementing on a live site is always a good idea.*
Important Considerations:
By following these steps, you can easily customize your WooCommerce footer to create a more professional, user-friendly, and engaging online store. Choose the method that best suits your technical skills and needs, and always remember to back up your website before making any changes!
