Safe to put a good amount of text content in footer?

[markovald]

Imagine that you have an e-commerce or a service for something (example:renting car).

You are fear to put much content on top because you think that maybe the users doesn't want to read a text that have all the "responses" to the main questions of your niche at all...the user just want to know price, conditions etc. of the product and service...and STOP.

The problem is that they search you using some keywords and concepts that you need to have...so what you can do?

I found 2 possible solutions:
1) Make a left column with some information about the product...example on <snip>
2) In the categories areas i need to put F.A.Q. and other info on BOTTOM of the list like the area on "Looking for <widgets and gizmos>? Look no further – shop online at <snip>.

My question is: this is a safe technique? This text it's not very useful to the user, often they don't even read him...so maybe is less valued than top content? What you will do in this case?

Thank you for your responses!

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 1:55 am (utc) on Sep 8, 2015]
[edit reason] removed specifics [/edit]

[Robert Charlton]

Hi markovaid, and welcome to WebmasterWorld. I've removed your examples because the Google Forum Charter [webmasterworld.com...] ...which you probably haven't seen because our nav link is hidden in the menu under Forum Options up top... doesn't allow citing examples of the type you're asking.

Let me say this to further explain the reason for our policy, and also to answer your question... The first example you cite is, IMO, so close to what I think Google would consider spam that it's possible that someone drawing attention to it might actually be doing so to out a competitor. We don't allow outing competitors here... and I don't think that's what you're doing... but that's how bad it is.

To further describe the example to members who haven't seen it... it's tiny, tiny type, barely legible but pretty close to unreadable, in the left navigation column below the product links. In the narrow column width, where product categories are one or two or maybe occasionally three words, there are eight words of descriptive text, in a light gray font, running down the left column for the full height of my browser window. It's not exactly hidden text, but it's so small that it couldn't possibly be useful to site visitors.

I should add that the prose is mostly cookie-cutter fluff, stuffed with keywords and obviously related text. You are right, no one wants to read that. I think you need to look at some of the really successful sites out there, and I won't cite examples but you can figure them out by searching in your niche, and see what on their category and product pages is useful to visitors.

Again, we don't allow specifics here... I used the words "widgets" and "gizmos" above to exemplify part of your post. Essentially, though, if information is not useful to visitors, then don't put it on your pages. Figure out what is useful. Be resourceful in adding relevant vocabulary that's useful.

You are right also about the outer edges or very bottom of the page... they are devalued to some extent by Google. Your information should be below the basic product ordering information, but above the footer.

I'll leave it to others to describe the kinds of content that might be important.

[netmeg]

This text it's not very useful to the user

That should give you your answer right there. Why would you deserve to rank for those keywords, if the way you implement them isn't very useful to the user? Answer is - you don't. You might or might not get away with it for a while, but I sure wouldn't want to build a business on it.

Find some legitimate content for those keywords, and you might have a chance.

[markovald]

Robert, sorry if i breaked the rule, i didn't want to bash competitors (the website that i've linked are not my competitor), i just wanted a feedback for a VERY VERY famous website in Europe about shoes.

And this website are VERY VERY visited....so i thought that maybe if you are a big brand you can do something "grey hat"...in my example you have for various pages 500/600 carachters (and more in some cases) placed in the bottom. And this site are very visited for many competitive keywords...

[aakk9999]

feedback for a VERY VERY famous website in Europe about shoes

Perhaps the website is ranking because it is very very famous and not because it uses grey hat technoque with a small text. In fact it could be as far as that it did not get penalised for this small text just because it is so very very famous that it can get away with it.

What I am trying to say is that the reason why they are ranking is probably completely different rather than having lots of small text noone reads.

[markovald]

Thank you very much aak, netmeg and Robert Charlton. Very helpful!