Table of Contents
What
and
Actually Mean
1. Page-level header
2. Within an article or section
How to Use
1. Page-level footer
2. Inside an article
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Styling with CSS
Accessibility and SEO Benefits
Home Web Front-end HTML Tutorial How to use HTML header and footer elements

How to use HTML header and footer elements

Aug 04, 2025 am 01:34 AM

Use <header> and <footer> can provide semantic structure for web pages, improving accessibility, SEO and code maintainability; 2. <header> is used to define introductory content of pages or chapters, such as titles, navigation, author information, etc., which can be used in the page and article many times; 3. <footer> is used to define ending content, such as copyright information, contact information, and author information, and can also exist independently in the page and each <article>; 4. Both should be used based on semantics rather than visual layout, avoiding only for style control or incorrect nesting; 5. Correctly combining CSS and other semantic tags (such as

How to use HTML header and footer elements

Using HTML <header></header> and <footer></footer> elements helps structure your web pages semantically, making them more accessible and easier to maintain. These are not just visual containers — they carry meaning in the document outline and are useful for SEO and screen readers.

How to use HTML header and footer elements

The <header></header> and <footer></footer> elements define introduction and closing content for a section or the entire page. They are semantic HTML5 elements , so they describe the purpose of the content inside them.

  • <header></header> typically contains:
    • Page or section title ( <h1></h1><h6></h6> )
    • Logo
    • Navigation links
    • Author name, publish date (in an article)
  • <footer></footer> usually includes:
    • Copyright info
    • Contact details
    • Sitemap or related links
    • Author info (in an article)

They don't have to appear at the top or bottom visually — though they usually do — but they should represent the header or footer of a section logically.

How to use HTML header and footer elements

How to Use <header></header>

You can use <header></header> at the page level or within sections.

1. Page-level header

 <header>
  <h1>My Website</h1>
  <nav>
    <ul>
      <li><a href="/">Home</a></li>
      <li><a href="/about">About</a></li>
    </ul>
  </nav>
</header>

2. Within an article or section

 <article>
  <header>
    <h2>Article Title</h2>
    <p>Published on <time datetime="2024-04-01">April 1, 2024</time></p>
  </header>
  <p>This is the article content...</p>
</article>

Note: You can have multiple <header> elements on a single page — one for the page, and one for each <article> or <section> .

How to use HTML header and footer elements

Like <header> , <footer> can appear at the page level or within content sections.

 <footer>
  <p>&copy; 2024 My Website. All rights reserved.</p>
  <p><a href="/contact">Contact us</a></p>
</footer>

2. Inside an article

 <article>
  <h2>Blog Post</h2>
  <p>Some content here...</p>
  <footer>
    <p>Written by: Jane Doe</p>
  </footer>
</article>

Important: A <footer> inside an <article> applies only to that article, not the whole page.


Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't use <header> or <footer> just for styling. If you need a container for layout, use <div> or <section> instead.
  • Avoid putting <header> at the end or <footer> at the beginning unless it makes semantic sense.
  • Don't wrap entire pages in a single <header> or <footer> — use them appropriately within the document structure.

Styling with CSS

These elements are block-level, so you can style them like any container:

 header {
  background-color: #f3f3f3;
  padding: 20px;
  text-align: center;
}

footer {
  background-color: #333;
  color: white;
  padding: 10px;
  text-align: center;
  margin-top: 20px;
}

You might want to style nested headers or footers differently:

 article header {
  text-align: left;
  padding: 10px 0;
}

Accessibility and SEO Benefits

Using <header></header> and <footer></footer> helps:

  • Screen readers understand page structure
  • Search engines better index your content
  • Developers read and maintain code more easily

They work well with other semantic tags like <main></main> , <nav></nav> , and <article> to build a clean, meaningful layout.


Basically, use <header></header> for introduction content and <footer></footer> for closing content — whether for the whole page or just a section. It's not just about looks; it's about meaning.

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