Last updated on November 29th, 2018 at 11:06 am
So you’ve started a new blog on Genesis, but you can’t change those darn footer credits..
In this tutorial I am going to walk-through with you on how to edit WordPress footer credits using the Genesis Child theme.
Why You Should Edit The WordPress Footer Credits
It’s important to make your blog look as professional as possible. When people come to your blog, you want to make it as friendly and inviting as possible.
This is one of the reasons it’s important to pay attention to small details such as creating a gravatar and uploading a favicon to your blog.
Your footer credits should clearly state your Copyright information for your blog.
This is how the default footer credits look like on the Centric Pro child theme.
The last thing you want to do is use the default out-of-the-box copyright. Instead, you want to add your own copyright to your footer.
Let’s get started…
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I am going to show you 2 different methods you can use to edit your WordPress footer credits. One will require you to add a plugin to your blog. On the second method, we’ll be adding some code to our functions.php file to get the job done.
Related: Style Your WordPress Footer Widgets On Genesis
Watch Over My Shoulder As I Edit My WordPress Footer Credits On Genesis
I’ve created a video in case you’d rather watch me do this live. I realize that some of you would rather watch a video that follow my step-by-step tutorials.
It doesn’t matter which method you choose to use. The important thing is that you change out the default copyright on your blog.
Option 1: Using Genesis Custom Footer Plugin
Log into your WordPress blog and head on over to the plugins section. We are going to be installing a plugin called Genesis Custom Footer. If this is your first time installing a plugin, I’ve written a great tutorial that will help you understand how to work with them.
Here is an image of what the plugin looks like on the plugins install dashboard.
Once you’ve installed and activated the plugin you want to head on over to Genesis >> Theme Settings
Scroll down until you see the box that says Genesis Custom Footer.
You can use any of the existing Genesis shortcodes or you can use HTML to create an awesome looking copyright for your blog.
If you need any help using the plugin, you can contact the developer.
This is how my footer looks like with the new plugin.
Once you get your copyright text changed, you may want to consider adding some styles to it. I was able to edit the footer without any hiccups and this was my first time using it.
On my personal blog, I chose to customize my footer copyright using code. The great thing is that it really doesn’t matter if you don’t know PHP, you can always find help online regarding the Genesis Framework.
Option 2: Using Code to Edit Your WordPress Footer
For this option, you will need to access your WordPress files via your FTP client. I highly suggest setting up your blog on local host so you can test out your code. I love using Desktop Server to help me play around with WordPress. Adding the wrong code to your functions.php site can bring down your site in a flash.
If you don’t feel comfortable using this method, I highly suggest you stick with the first method.
Once you’re in your child theme folder, open up your functions.php file.
We will be adding this code to our footer. I am not a true PHP developer, but I can find code online and get what I need accomplished. If you’re looking for some code to add to your footer, check out this site.
Add the code to the bottom of your functions.php file. Save the file and refresh your page, you should now see your new footer for your site.
This is what my code looks like on my site.
I am a big fan of trying to do a lot of things without a plugin, whenever possible.
Here’s what my footer looks like with my footer text changed.
As you can see, it looks totally different than the footer I created in the first method. I’ve used CSS to style my footer the way that I want.
This tutorial does not go over how to style your footer credits. I just wanted to walk you through the process of how to change your footer credits.
Final Take Away
I’ve tried to make this tutorial as easy as possible to follow. As I mentioned, I am not a PHP developer, so please don’t ask me questions regarding PHP. I just find code online and am able to get what I want to be accomplished and share it with you.
That’s one of the great things about using WordPress. So many people are willing to share their code. While I don’t recommend testing code out on your live blog. I do however recommend setting up a testing site on your localhost.
If you need PHP help for your Genesis child theme, I suggest you visit the Genesis forums. They will be able to get your questions answered.
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Genesis Quick Links
Once you become a Genesis user, it’s important to know how to find the help you need quickly. I’ve put together this list to help you find everything you need quickly.
A Beginner’s Guide: This guide will help you learn the ins and outs of using the Genesis framework. The best part is that it’s free.
Child Themes: Take your time and browse all the available child themes you can choose from. If you’re buying an individual theme, you won’t get access to all their themes.
StudioPress Pro Plus All-Theme Package: You understand that your blog is your business. It’s important for you to have access to over 90 child themes you can use in your business without paying another penny.
Genesis Features: Read through all the features before you make a buying decision. There’s nothing wrong with taking your time to do some research before you make a buying decision.
Visual Hooks Guide: Visually see the hooks in your Genesis theme. (this is for the advanced users or people who want to get more indepth with Genesis)
Genesis Specific Plugins: Created by StudioPress specifically for Genesis. I have used Genesis Simple edits (need to know how to work with plugins)
StudioPress Sites: Use this to get free migration to their managed WordPress hosting.
StudioPress Forums: Need help with a specific child them? Don’t hesitate to ask for help in the forums. I’ve used the forums to get answers to several of my questions.
Become a StudioPress affiliate: Love Genesis so much, make money any time someone uses your link to purchase Genesis.
Don’t forget to let me know if you were able to edit your WordPress footer credits. Which method did you use? Did you find it difficult to do or did you blaze through it?
Fabulous tutorial, Susan! I’m a huge fan of Genesis Simple Edits and Simple Hooks to do editing on my themes. I’m glad to see that there is another for just the footer. Knowing how to edit the coding is probably the best way to go, as you know, too many plugins can wreak havoc on our blogs.
Thanks for sharing! Passing it along!
B
Hi Bren,
Totally agree, anytime you can make a change using code, I am all for it. I am not a huge fan of using a bunch of plugins either.
However, it’s nice to know that there are plugins available that will help us accomplish pretty much anything we want.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment, have a great day π
Susan
Hi Susan,
I am big fan of Genesis framework it easily modify thanks
Hi Willie,
So glad to hear that you like the Genesis Framework. You’re right, it is easy to modify once you get the hang of it.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment.
Have a great day π
Susan
This is a great tutorial Susan! Thanks for putting this together for us. I love how detailed it is. π
I remember how scared I was touching the codes – now I go in there and play around with it like nothing. Grant it I still mess stuff up – that’s how I learn ;). My dummy blog sure has been through the ringer. π
Thanks for telling us about the plugin. It’s good to know there’s something available.
Passing this along! Hope you’re having a great day!
Cori
Hi Cori,
I laughed when you said your dummy blog has been through the ringer. So has mine, in fact, I’ve broken my dummy blog more times than I can count.
So glad you liked the tutorial. I used to be scared to touch code, but I think getting in there and playing with it is the only way we learn.
Thanks for taking the time to stop by and thanks for sharing.
Have a great day π
Susan
Wow, a great walk through tutorial Susan. You make it look so simple.
This is the first time I had landed on your blog, and feel sorry for myself. Now I will be a regular reader π
Your blog looks great specially the landing page and has some great stuff (posts).
Hi Navin,
So glad you liked the tutorial ad even happier you found my blog, welcome.
Thanks for the compliments, I appreciate it.
Have a great day π
Susan