This week, Gary Illyes, a Google Webmaster, shared that Google didn’t punish sites that used sticky footers.
Illyes revealed this news via a response to a question asked on Twitter. Illyes tweeted back to the user that Google doesn’t demote sites that employ the use of sticky footers.
The purpose of a sticky footer is to have a page attribute that remains at the bottom of the screen of a website page. Sticky footers can be added by adjusting a web page’s code to allow for this constant information.
Illyes did warn that those who decide to use sticky footers should be careful to ensure they are not overly obtrusive. The potential negative of a sticky footer is that it can be annoying for a user who doesn’t need the constant accessibility. These types of footers can take away from the general user experience because they can take up precious screen space.
However, sticky footers that include ads may not be allowed per Google’s rules.
This news comes from the better ads standards, which states that a sticky footer ad will be labeled “obtrusive” if the advertisement covers more than thirty percent of the web page. Because large sticky ads remain at the bottom of the page, the ad can take up more than the 30% allotted.
Marketers can and should expect Google to block ads they deem obtrusive starting next year in their Chrome browser. This rollout will affect both mobile and desktop ads.
Were you previously unaware of sticky footers? Are you curious as to how they can positively or negatively impact your business? Reach out to Hall Analysis today and the team can answer any and all questions you may have about how sticky footers can work to your advantage or hurt your momentum.