How (and Why) to Update the Year in Your Website Footer

New Year, New Website Footer Update! That’s how that saying goes, right??

OK, compared to flashy new resolutions, updating your footer may seem like a low priority. I totally get that. But here’s a little secret: if it’s out-of-date, it can leave a negative impression on your visitors.

In this post, we’ll talk about what to include and why, and as a bonus, show you a simple bit of code that you can use to ensure that it always displays the current year.

Why Should You Update the Year in Your Website Footer?

By displaying the current year in your website footer, you show that your website is actively maintained and up-to-date. It gives visitors confidence that the information they find on your site is current and relevant. Outdated copyright information or an old year can make your website appear neglected or abandoned.

Psst, want to learn more about copyright and your website? Check out this post.

What should you include?

If you don’t already have a copyright notice on your website, here’s a sample of what copyright information commonly looks like (you can copy and paste this and add your info):

All Rights Reserved © 2024 Your Business Name Here, LLC.

TIP: Use the copyright symbol OR the word “Copyright”. You don’t need to use both.

How to add a copyright notice to your website

If you don’t have a copyright notice on your website, here’s how you would add it simply using a text block (in Squarespace version 7.1, Fluid Engine).

If you want to get fancy, here’s how to automate this update using a little bit of DIY coding magic ✨

By adding a little bit of code to your footer, you can say goodbye to manually changing the year every January. Your website will always display the correct year, giving it a professional and polished look.

I’m going to direct you to one of my all-time favorite resources for learning about customizing Squarespace using CSS, Inside the Square.

NOTE: This code will only work if you have a Squarespace Business subscription or higher. It does not work with personal plans as it requires Javascript (a coding language).

How to get rid of the extra space under the code block

After I originally posted this, one of my clients tried this out and pointed out that there is a bunch of extra space under the code block. Luckily I found a great tutorial on how to fix this issue which you can find here!