webpage footer: should it be just below the content or at bottom of visible screen?

Question

If there's empty space below the content in a web page (above the fold), should the footer be just below the content or should it be displayed at the bottom of the visible screen?

What's the consensus?

Answer 1

I'd say just below the content... keeps everything streamlined.

Answer 2

It really depends, but I think most sites I see have the bottom always stay at the bottom.

Answer 3

Footers should stay at the bottom of the page.

Answer 4

I'd vote for just below the content, but perhaps with a minimum height - sites which are 100px high look odd to me. So, if your main content is only 50px high, add some padding below so the footer's not too near the top of screen (where too near is some height that you'll need to play with to get right).

Having said all that, probably don't obsess about it too much. On most pages I've worked on I've tended find that the content on your site is long enough to be near enough the fold (or beyond it), that the decision is purely academic. The notable exceptions to this are probably error-type pages.

Answer 5

Looks like there's no standard. However a resource for when to use either case would be helpful.