Footer

The term "footer" has many uses in the computer world. However, the two most common are 1) a document footer, and 2) a webpage footer.

1. Document Footer

A document footer is a small section at the bottom of each page within a document. It is often used to display company data or copyright information. In longer documents, the footer may be used to specify the current section of the document as well. By default, changes made to the footer on one page will change the footer on all other pages in the section. If no sections are defined, modifying the footer will update all the pages in the document.

Most word processors allow you to view and edit document footers by selecting View → Headers and Footers. This enables you to edit the content of both the header at the top of the page and the footer at the bottom. Some word processors, like Microsoft Word, allow you to simply double-click within the footer section to edit the content. If you want to change the height of the footer, you can modify the margins in the Document Properties window.

Since page numbers are often placed at the bottom of each page, they are generally considered part of the footer. However, unlike most footer content, page numbers are different on each page, since they are automatically incremented. Additionally, changes made to the footer will not affect the page numbers.

2. Webpage Footer

The bottom section of a webpage is also known as a footer. This area typically contains the name of the company or organization that publishes the website, along with relevant copyright information. Some websites may also include basic navigation links, such as "About Us," "Contact," and "Help." Corporate website footers often include additional links to "Terms of Use," "Privacy Guidelines," and "Advertising" pages as well.

While footers are not required on webpages, they are found on nearly all major websites. HTML 5 even includes a <footer> tag, which is designed specifically for placing footer information at the bottom of a webpage. Additionally, visitors often expect to find certain information about a website when they scroll down to the bottom of a page in their web browser. Therefore, most web developers include a footer as a standard part of their website template.