The footer is the bottom section of your website and plays an important role in user experience and SEO. It's where you often find links to the privacy policy, contact details, copyright information and other useful elements. In this article you'll learn several ways to customize the footer of your WordPress site, both without and with code.

1. Customizing via the WordPress Customizer

For beginners, the WordPress Customizer is the easiest way to edit the footer.

Step-by-step instructions:

  1. Log in to your WordPress dashboard.
  2. Go to Appearance > Customize.
  3. Click Footer or a similar option such as Footer Settings (the exact name depends on your theme).
  4. Change the text, colors or background images.
  5. Click Publish to save the changes.

Many WordPress themes support widgets in the footer. This is handy for adding, for example, a contact form, social media links or a newsletter signup.

How to add widgets:

  1. In the dashboard, go to Appearance > Widgets.
  2. Find the Footer section (or a similarly named area such as Footer 1).
  3. Drag the widget you want (for example a text or image widget) into this section.
  4. Edit the content and save the changes.

3. Editing via the theme editor (footer.php & style.css)

For advanced users who want more control, the footer can be edited directly in the code.

⚠ Note: Always make a backup before you edit files!

How to edit footer.php

  1. Go to Appearance > Theme File Editor.
  2. Find and open the footer.php file.
  3. Find the text you want to change, for example the copyright line:

<p>&copy; <?php echo date('Y'); ?> Theory7.net. All rights reserved.</p>

4. Change the text or HTML and save the changes.

How to edit style.css

  1. Open Appearance > Theme File Editor.
  2. Find style.css and add, for example, this code to change the footer's background color:
footer {
background-color: #222;
color: white;
padding: 20px;
}

3. Click Update File to save the changes.

Want to customize the footer without code, but with extra options? Then you can use a plugin.

  • Elementor (free & pro): Edit the footer visually.
  • Insert Headers and Footers: Easily add code, such as Google Analytics or a cookie banner.
  • Footer Putter: Handy options for copyright and legal text.

5. Editing the footer with page builders (Elementor & Divi)

If you use Elementor or Divi Builder, you can easily drag and customize the footer.

How it works in Elementor:

  1. Go to Templates > Theme Builder.
  2. Click Add New Footer.
  3. Choose a template or create one yourself.
  4. Add elements such as a menu, social media icons or copyright text.
  5. Click Publish and choose on which pages the footer should appear.

  • Add internal links to important pages (such as contact and FAQ).
  • Use a clean HTML structure so search engines understand the content well.
  • Avoid excessive use of external links, as this can hurt your SEO.
  • Add a link to your privacy policy and cookie statement.
  • Make sure you have a correct copyright notice.
  • Add your Chamber of Commerce (KvK) number and VAT number if you run a business.

Common problems and solutions

My footer isn't updating!
 Check whether you need to clear your cache (via your caching plugin or CTRL + F5).

The footer looks strange after changes to the CSS.
Check your CSS code for errors using the browser DevTools (F12).

I don't see an option to customize the footer in the Customizer.
Your theme may not support a customizable footer. Consider a plugin or page builder.


With this guide you can customize the footer of your WordPress website exactly the way you want! Want even more flexibility? Then choose WordPress hosting at Theory7 for optimal speed and support​.

Further reading