2 Column Theme with 3 Column Footer
ADVERTISEMENTSThese days I find an increasing number of bloggers using 2 column themes with 3 or 4 column footer. They have used the footer to place links for Categories, Recent Entries, Del.ico.us, Flickr, Blogroll, etc.
Seriously I feel placing links on the footer is big mistake as your readers may not notice them. How many readers do you think will scroll all the way down to notice them? Not all of them…that is why I have placed my links on the header.
The following is a screenshot of a theme by UtomBox:
The Fresh WordPress Theme also has a similar 3 Column Footer:
I am not saying that these themes are bad, just that I feel placing important links on the footer is a bad idea. What do you think?
Search JohnTP.com or view a random post
Related Articles
Find out what I am doing currently by .
Posted on November 17th, 2006 | Category: WordPress |
Peter
November 17, 2006 at 11:54 pm
I don’t think so, nice footer make page design very unique. In this designs footer looks amazing that is the reason why people will use it, well i use it
JohnTP
November 17, 2006 at 11:57 pm
Well, everyone has a different opinion
Andrew Grant
November 18, 2006 at 1:36 am
For blogs, the design of your site should take into account where your traffic is coming from.
For the majority of people, incoming visitors will be going directly to an article they’ve been referred to by Google, Technorati or an RSS feed. These are the casual or first time visitors. Your single-post page is more important because this is what they first encounter, and this is what can guide their navigation to other pages on your site.
People who land on your top page will usually be there because they have searched for you on google, or navigated there directly via an external or internal link. These people chose to visit your main page and are more likely to explore the site. The main page will give them an overall impression of your site.
In my opinion that theme by UtomBox is very good. The frontpage contains a lot of clearly presented information and looks great. The single-post page also looks great, and has recent posts clearly listed beside the main article.
fuad
November 18, 2006 at 1:51 am
i think john’s concept(paling links in the top bar) is better than in the footer. people will know what the blog is all about/capable of and such way will leave a good impression to them.
Justin Shattuck
November 18, 2006 at 4:48 am
I agree that links should be placed somewhere in the first fold of the page. This taking into account that most users come from a feedreader as mentioned. I believe David Pearsons from Pearsonified went over the theory in a recent entry discussing reverse-chronologically designed blogs as being incorrect.
I feel John has a great idea, however, so many users have integrated multi-column footers that, by default, I believe users look for them. I know I am always paying attention to the objects on the page I am viewing.
This also being that I am a very experienced “page viewer.” I would be curious what the opinions of some total newb viewers would be, brand new to viewing blogs etc.
Any takers?
Utom
November 18, 2006 at 7:54 am
Well, you say is great!
JohnTP
November 18, 2006 at 8:15 am
I strongly feel that important links such as Recent Entries and Categories should not be placed on the footer. They are best placed on the sidebar so that your readers notice them.
But I don’t mind having less important links such as Del.icio.us and Flickr being placed on the footer.
And I hate it when people place Subscribe buttons on the footer. They are supposed to be placed top most on your sidebar (or wherever your readers will notice them easily).
CypherHackz
November 18, 2006 at 5:14 pm
john, as far that i can see is most of these theme used at personal blog. so you know that almost personal blog doesn’t need to browse all of their archive posts.
Bong
November 18, 2006 at 6:02 pm
You are right John. I first saw links at the top on ur site and I must say it is really practical. How did u do that, by the way? Can we expect any tutorial?
siong1987
November 19, 2006 at 5:17 pm
Ya… Bong, I also hope that John can tell us how to add three columns at the top of the blog.
JohnTP
November 19, 2006 at 6:48 pm
If enough people are interested I may put this theme for download after I finish with the new design.
vibhash
November 23, 2006 at 10:20 pm
yep those links at the top can really help in increasing the pageviews….
But i like your new theme john