Mar 23
Modern Sitemap and Footer
Back in the old days, almost every website had a sitemap where they listed out all the pages. The purpose of the sitemap is to help visitors and search engine spiders to find information on the site. Now, a lot of modern websites have dropped the sitemap page, instead they place the sitemap in the footer area. I’m going to review 20 websites (from big corporation to small portfolio sites) who organized their footer cleverly to enhance usability.
Benefits of Placing a Sitemap in the Footer
- Engage user click and visit duration:
As you may know, online readers don’t read everything on the page, they scroll and scan. Footer is probably the last place they look at before exiting. Placing a sitemap in the footer may attract readers’ attention and increase page clicks and views. - Make sure your visitors are not missing out:
Sometimes your visitors might be too lazy to click on the sitemap link or miss it all together, having a sitemap in the footer can ensure your visitors are aware of every page. - Use your footer to promote links:
You don’t really have to use the footer to list out everything, you can use it as an alternative location to promote important pages. - Save readers’ time:
Having a sitemap in the footer allows users to quickly jump from page to page. - You save the visitors a click:
By placing the sitemap in the footer rather than a separate page, you save the visitors a click. - Enhance layout design:
Don’t know what to put in the footer? Perhaps a sitemap can fill up the page and make your site look bigger.
Digg
Digg keeps their header nice and clean by placing only the content categories. The header is focused on the users while the footer is focused on the company.
Mozilla - Firefox
Thanks to the footer sitemap, with just a glance, I know exactly what pages are available on the Mozilla website.
Apple
What if you have a huge website (in terms of content), putting a full sitemap in the footer may be insane? You can learn from the clever Apple.com, split the sitemap into sections. For example, go to the Mac section, you will only see the Mac sitemap.
GoodBarry
Although GoodBarry doesn’t list out every page in the footer, but it does act as a sitemap where they list the pages with the most significant content.
White House
In the recent redesign of the White House website, browsing the site has been made easier by using the dropdown menus and sitemap in the footer.
Miro
Miro separates the sitemap with a text bar “Looking for something?”.
Six Apart
You may also use the sitemap to connect to your network sites. Six Apart is a good example. In the footer, under the Six Apart Blog column, there are links to their sister sites: Typepad, Movable, and Vox.
Clearspring
In Clearspring, they split their Services section into two columns: Launchpad and WidgetMedia.
SquareSpace
SquareSpace’s sitemap tells you which pages you’ve visited already. Notice the visited pages have a tiny check mark instead of the regular triangle icon?
SugarSync
SugarSync displays only the main level of the site in the footer, the full sitemap lists all pages.
FreeAgent Central
Again, FreeAgent Central has a simplified sitemap in the footer with a link to the full sitemap.
FiveRuns
FiveRuns creatively organizes their sitemap to put the main focus on their products.
Red Nose Day
I particularly like the "red nose" figures in the footer because they make the sitemap stand out.
Tigers
Having too much empty space in the footer? Fill it with a sitemap. You don’t need to have a lot of pages to make a sitemap (Tigers is an example).
Get Satisfaction
Get Satisfaction saves their header space by placing the main navigation (which is also their sitemap) in the footer.
Flashloaded
Flashloaded sells Flash components, thus their footer sitemap only lists out the products.
Jamie Oliver
Jamie Oliver displays a simpified sitemap in the footer and also provides a link to the full sitemap.
Redbrick Health
Nice and clean 5-column sitemap.
FortySeven Media
I’ve been showing a lot of big corporation sites. What if you have a smaller site? FortySeven Media is a good example of what you do with a portfolio site. They use the footer to display the latest entries of their blog and portfolio work.
Jason Santa Maria
This one is my favorite. Not only does it look elegant, but it also attracts readers’ attention by laying out the recent activities of the blog in a beautiful way.
Tips For Designing Footer Sitemap
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Categorize - organize your links in categories.
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Use Headings - use headings or titles for each category.
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Be Consistent - the order of the links should be consistent.
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155 Attitude Design | Graphic Design Portfolio http://www.attitudedesign.co.uk
February 1st, 2010 at 9:55 am
Thanks for this post - some great site map layouts shown here.
154 vincentdresses http://www.hibridal.com
January 6th, 2010 at 1:51 am
喜欢你们的设计与技术，常来看看
153 JMC Website Design Blackpool http://www.jmc-website-design.co.uk/blog
December 14th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
I’ve seen a LOT of portfolio websites use this technique. Maybe a little too often sometimes, to the point that portfolios look the same…
152 Check http://www.rxmedspills.biz
December 4th, 2009 at 2:40 am
Hey check out the sitemap of this site. I think its pretty awesome as well.
151 Sitemap http://www.rxmedspills.biz
December 4th, 2009 at 2:35 am
Sitemap, hugely involved re-design of the lower part of the web sites are becoming an integral part of the overall design of the page
150 Souika http://www.souika.fr/
November 10th, 2009 at 4:41 am
I think this website is a good example : http://www.avenir-sante.com/ of modern footer navigation.
149 Gary http://www.newwavetelecoms.com
November 8th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Hey guys check out the sitemap of this site. I think its pretty awesome as well. Worth a pick. ^^
148 Mike http://www.comastore.com
October 31st, 2009 at 5:17 am
The fact is that this new sitemap relay, hugely participates to re-design the bottom of websites
147 bakedthemes http://www.bakedthemes.com
October 29th, 2009 at 3:38 am
Great compilation, gave me a bunch of ideas for my new themes.
146 No_limits13 http://link
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:14 pm
The gold outflow means that France must eventually contract its inflated paper francs in order to prevent a loss of all of its gold. ,