diff --git a/messages/de.json b/messages/de.json
index 63e2160..eea1396 100644
--- a/messages/de.json
+++ b/messages/de.json
@@ -14,5 +14,11 @@
 	"blog_empty": "Noch keine Beiträge.",
 	"blog_all": "Alle Beiträge",
 	"blog_latest_heading": "Aus dem Blog",
-	"blog_back": "Blog"
+	"blog_back": "Blog",
+
+	"footer_overview": "Übersicht",
+	"footer_home": "Startseite",
+	"footer_legal": "Rechtliches",
+	"footer_imprint": "Impressum",
+	"footer_privacy": "Datenschutz"
 }
diff --git a/messages/en.json b/messages/en.json
index 56c957c..b5f2e0b 100644
--- a/messages/en.json
+++ b/messages/en.json
@@ -14,5 +14,11 @@
 	"blog_empty": "No posts yet.",
 	"blog_all": "All posts",
 	"blog_latest_heading": "From the blog",
-	"blog_back": "Blog"
+	"blog_back": "Blog",
+
+	"footer_overview": "Overview",
+	"footer_home": "Home",
+	"footer_legal": "Legal",
+	"footer_imprint": "Imprint",
+	"footer_privacy": "Privacy"
 }
diff --git a/src/components/Footer.tsx b/src/components/Footer.tsx
index aa46e4d..54eb2c7 100644
--- a/src/components/Footer.tsx
+++ b/src/components/Footer.tsx
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { getRouteApi } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import type { NavigationLink, NavigationSection } from "@/lib/cms";
+import { m } from "@/paraglide/messages";
 import Section from "./Section";
 
 const rootApi = getRouteApi("__root__");
@@ -7,24 +8,33 @@ const rootApi = getRouteApi("__root__");
 export default function Footer() {
 	const { footer } = rootApi.useLoaderData();
 	const sections: NavigationSection[] = footer?.sections ?? [];
-	const tagline = footer?.tagline?.trim();
+	// Fall back to the site tagline when the CMS footer has none, so the footer
+	// is never an empty bar.
+	const tagline = footer?.tagline?.trim() || m.site_tagline();
 
 	return (
 		<footer className="bg-neutral-accent">
 			<Section>
 				<div className="flex flex-row flex-wrap gap-12 w-full pb-8">
-					{sections.map((group, gi) => (
-						<div key={group.id ?? gi}>
-							{group.title && <h3 className="mb-2">{group.title}</h3>}
-							<div className="flex flex-col">
-								{(group.entries ?? []).map((item: NavigationLink, i) => (
-									<a key={item.id ?? `${item.to}-${i}`} href={item.to}>
-										{item.label}
-									</a>
-								))}
+					{sections.length > 0 ? (
+						sections.map((group, gi) => (
+							<div key={group.id ?? gi}>
+								{group.title && <h3 className="mb-2">{group.title}</h3>}
+								<div className="flex flex-col">
+									{(group.entries ?? []).map((item: NavigationLink, i) => (
+										<a key={item.id ?? `${item.to}-${i}`} href={item.to}>
+											{item.label}
+										</a>
+									))}
+								</div>
 							</div>
-						</div>
-					))}
+						))
+					) : (
+						// The unom tenant's CMS footer isn't populated yet — show a
+						// sensible default so the footer is meaningful. Populating the
+						// footer in the CMS (tenant=unom) overrides this.
+						<DefaultNav />
+					)}
 					{tagline && (
 						<div className="ml-auto mr-0 self-end">
 							<div className="flex flex-col">
@@ -37,3 +47,36 @@ export default function Footer() {
 		</footer>
 	);
 }
+
+function DefaultNav() {
+	const groups = [
+		{
+			title: m.footer_overview(),
+			entries: [{ to: "/", label: m.footer_home() }],
+		},
+		{
+			title: m.footer_legal(),
+			entries: [
+				{ to: "/legal/imprint", label: m.footer_imprint() },
+				{ to: "/legal/privacy", label: m.footer_privacy() },
+			],
+		},
+	];
+
+	return (
+		<>
+			{groups.map((group) => (
+				<div key={group.title}>
+					<h3 className="mb-2">{group.title}</h3>
+					<div className="flex flex-col">
+						{group.entries.map((item) => (
+							<a key={item.to} href={item.to}>
+								{item.label}
+							</a>
+						))}
+					</div>
+				</div>
+			))}
+		</>
+	);
+}