A web page layout refers to the structural design of a web page being served up on the World Wide Web. There are various key sections or components that make up the core layout of a web page: the header, body, and footer. Other sections that contribute to the web page layout are the channels (or rails) and ankle.
Header
The web page header represents the heading of the web page. The header usually contains some sort of graphical element such as a masthead, corporate logo, or web site title. Other elements such as utility navigation, a search form, or even site navigation can also be included in the header.
Body
The web page body contains the primary content of the page. The body is usually positioned between the page header and page footer.
Footer
The web page footer contains ancillary content usually comprised of official notices (such as legal policies and copyright declarations) and auxiliary hyperlinks to internal page content.
The footer is normally the last rendered bit of content on a page by the web browser.
Channel/Rail/Side Bar
The web page channel or web page rail contains meta links or other auxiliary content that supports the web page body content. Subnavigation or submenus may also be displayed in the channel.
Ankle
The web page ankle contains additional internal hyperlinks and other relevant content to the web site. With the increase in popularity of the AJAX driven content and menuing systems, the ankle servers as a redundant method to guarantee critical hyperlinked web content is indexed by search engines and Internet spiders.
The ankle is usually positioned between the web page body content and the web page footer.