Why the Bottom of Your Website Matters More Than You Think
I was sitting down with a cabinet maker in Geebung a few weeks ago. He’d spent a decent chunk of change on a shiny new website, but he was frustrated. "People are visiting the site," he told me, "but the phone isn't ringing as much as it should."
We pulled up his site on my phone. We scrolled all the way to the bottom—the area we call the 'footer'. It was empty. Just a copyright date from 2021 and a tiny link to a login page he never used.
I told him, "Mate, you’re walking customers to the door and then locking it before they can say hello."
Most Brisbane business owners treat the bottom of their website like a junk drawer. They throw in some legal fine print, maybe a social media icon, and forget about it. But here is the reality: when someone scrolls all the way to the bottom of your page, they are looking for a reason to do business with you. They’ve read your pitch, they’ve seen your photos, and now they want to know how to take the next step.
If you get this right, you turn more visitors into customers. If you get it wrong, you’re just wasting website clicks and letting potential jobs slip through your fingers.
The "Napkin Test" for Your Website Footer
If I handed you a napkin and asked you to write down the five things a customer needs to know before they hire you, what would they be?
1. Who are you? 2. Where are you located? 3. How do I call you? 4. What exactly do you do? 5. Are you actually a legitimate business?
Your footer should answer all of these in about three seconds. In marketing circles, people talk about "user journeys," but let’s be real—your customers are busy. They’re probably looking at your site while standing on a job site or sitting on the couch after dinner. They don't want a journey; they want a phone number.
1. Make Your Phone Number Massive
This sounds obvious, but you’d be surprised how many businesses hide their contact details. Your phone number should be in the footer, in a large, clear font. On a mobile phone, that number should be "click-to-call."
I’ve seen dozens of Brisbane businesses lose jobs because a customer couldn't find the number quickly and just clicked back to Google to find the next guy on the list. If you want more phone calls, make it impossible to miss the number.
2. Show Your Local Roots
If you’re a plumber in Morningside, you want people in Morningside to know you’re local. Including your physical address (or at least your service areas) in the footer does two things. First, it tells the customer you’re not some random call centre in another country. Second, Google likes this. When Google sees a Brisbane address and a local 07 phone number, it’s more likely to show your business to people searching in Brisbane.
Stop Overcomplicating the Design
You don't need a fancy, high-tech footer to get results. In fact, the more "designed" and cluttered it is, the less effective it becomes. I often tell my clients that they might be wasting money on a new website when all they really need is to fix the basics on their current one.
A clean, professional footer should have a dark background with white text (or vice versa). It needs high contrast so it’s easy to read.
The Three-Column Rule
For most small businesses in Queensland, a three-column layout works best:
Column 1: About & Contact. Your logo, a one-sentence description of what you do, and your phone/email. Column 2: Our Services. A list of the top 4 or 5 things you actually get paid for (e.g., Emergency Plumbing, Hot Water Systems, Gas Fitting). Column 3: Trust Signals. This is where you put your QBCC licence number, your insurance icons, or a link to your Google reviews.
The "Trust Factor": Why Licences and Logos Matter
Let’s say you’re looking for someone to rewire your house. You find two websites. One has a clean footer with an electrical contractor licence number and a Master Electricians logo. The other has nothing. Who are you calling?
In Australia, especially in the trades and professional services, trust is your biggest currency. Your footer is the perfect place to "park" your credentials. You don’t want them taking up space at the top of the page where you’re trying to grab attention, but you want them at the bottom to close the deal.
Include: Your ABN Professional affiliations (HIA, Master Builders, etc.) Payment icons (Visa, Mastercard, Afterpay)—this tells people you’re a real operation.
Don't Forget the People on Phones
Over 60% of your customers are looking at your site on a smartphone. If your footer looks great on a desktop computer but turns into a jumbled mess on an iPhone, you’re in trouble.
When your website works on phones, the footer elements should stack on top of each other. The phone number should stay big, and the buttons should be easy to hit with a thumb. If a customer has to pinch and zoom to find your email address, they’ve already moved on to your competitor.
Common Mistakes That Cost You Money
I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I see the same three mistakes over and over again. These aren't just "design" errors; they are active drains on your bank account.
1. The "Social Media Trap"
Many business owners put big, colourful Facebook and Instagram icons right at the top of their site. Then they put them in the footer too. Here’s the problem: you’ve worked hard and paid money to get someone to your website. Why would you immediately give them a button to leave your site and go look at cat videos on Facebook?
Keep social media icons small and keep them in the footer. If they’ve finished reading your site and still aren't ready to call, then they can go check out your latest project photos on Instagram.
2. Outdated Information
Nothing says "I don't pay attention to detail" like a footer that says "Copyright 2018" or lists a phone number that’s been disconnected for six months. It takes five minutes to update this. If you can’t be bothered to keep your website current, a customer might wonder if you’ll be just as lazy with their renovation or their legal case.
3. Too Many Links
Some people try to put every single page of their website in the footer. It ends up looking like a mess of blue underlined text. Stick to the essentials. If you have 50 pages on your site, just link to the main categories. Remember: clarity leads to phone calls. Confusion leads to people clicking away.
How Much Does This Cost and How Long Does It Take?
If you have a modern website (like WordPress), a decent developer or marketing agency should be able to overhaul your footer in 2 to 4 hours.
In terms of cost, you’re looking at a few hundred dollars—not thousands. It’s one of the highest-return investments you can make because it improves the performance of every single page on your site.
As for results? You’ll see them almost instantly. The moment you make that phone number easier to find and add those trust logos, your "enquiry rate" will go up. I’ve seen businesses double their leads just by making it easier for people to contact them from the bottom of the page.
What Should You Do First?
Don't feel like you have to rebuild your whole site today. Start with these three steps:
1. Open your website on your own phone. Scroll to the bottom. Can you click the phone number? Is the text readable without glasses? If not, that’s your first priority. 2. Add your credentials. Find your QBCC number or your industry association logo and get it down there. It builds instant rapport. 3. Check your service area. Make sure you’ve clearly stated that you serve Brisbane, the Gold Coast, or whatever your specific patch is.
Summary: The Footer is Your "Closing Pitch"
Think of your website like a sales presentation. The top of the page is the handshake and the "hook." The middle is the proof and the details. The footer is the part where you lean in and say, "So, how can we help you get started?"
If your footer is empty or messy, you’re missing the chance to close the deal.
Most of what you read online about web design is focused on making things look "pretty." At Local Marketing Group, we don't care about pretty if it doesn't pay the bills. We care about whether your website is a tool that grows your business. A solid, functional footer is a boring, unsexy, but incredibly powerful way to make sure your website actually works for you.
If you’re not sure if your website is helping or hurting your business, let’s have a chat. We help Brisbane business owners stop wasting money on tech that doesn't work and start getting more calls.
Ready to turn your website into a lead-generating machine? Contact Local Marketing Group today and let’s get your marketing sorted.