I see really large footers on some popular sites with a lot of internal navigational links in them.
Are there usability studies or at least authoritative opinions on this topic?
Should I use large navigational footers in my future projects?
Footer links pro's & con's
Pros: 1. Shortcut to pages 2. Navigation source on scrolling pages 3. Can give site overview (like site map)
Con's: 1. Too many links are a waste of time & create clutter i.e. 7 +- 2 chunks is the limit 2. Indicates poor navigational structure (usually depth of navigation) - if users cannot find it with the main menu easily, you have bigger issues than footer links! 3. Very few users look for these links - usually only advanced users who are conscious of the purpose of these redundant links. Novices and newcomers to the site just wonder "do the links go to the same page?"
I would suggest use them as short cuts to key pages & frequently navigated pages. Limit to approx 7 links.
Some supporting literature:
Better literature is available in usability papers & research. So if you researching this issue have a look at some academic output.