4 Legal Components Your Website (Probably) Needs
There are many joys that come with owning a business.
We get that legal things (and taxes) are not on that list, but they’re necessary for protecting yourself and your business.
Today, we’re talking about the LEGAL STUFF you should be aware of when it comes to your website.
Don’t freak out! It’s not as difficult or overwhelming as it sounds, and we’re going to break it down for you. Let’s go!
But first…
A disclaimer:
This is not legal advice. Go ask your attorney if you want some. 🙂 We’re also located in the United States, so this information won’t be applicable to those in other countries.
And a note:
This blog was written by Mara, one of our unicorn website copywriters, designers, & developers, in collaboration with Lane Hoffbeck, who has an MLS (Masters in Legal Studies) from Pepperdine Law. Boom. We got you!
Legal Things Your Website (Probably) Needs
1. Privacy Policy
A Privacy Policy is a legal document that explains how a website collects and uses the personal information of its visitors.
Do I really need a Privacy Policy on my website?
Ever asked yourself this question?
The answer is simple – if you’re collecting any kind of information from your website visitors, you probably need a Privacy Policy on your website. It’s a legal best practice to have one as it will reduce your risk of potentially breaking the law as well as give some guidance to your users on how your website treats personal information. A great resource we found here is from Mailchimp, which gives a thorough breakdown of what a privacy policy is and why you may need one. They point out, “Websites aren’t legally obligated to have a privacy policy in the United States. However, many state and federal regulations protect digital consumer data.”
This applies to you if:
You’re collecting email addresses on your website
You have any kind of website analytics set up (you probably do – and should!)
You’re selling anything on your website
So, the vast majority of websites would benefit from having a Privacy Policy.
Where do I get a Privacy Policy?
Squarespace
If you need something really basic and free, Squarespace offers some basic Privacy Policy language that you can edit to suit your needs. Remember that one size doesn’t fit all, but this might give you a good starting point.
A Privacy Policy Generator
You can also use a Privacy Policy generator like Termly. It’s a FREE Privacy Policy generator – all you do is input your business name and a few other bits of information and the website will generate a Privacy Policy that you can copy and paste onto your website.
Professional Privacy Policies
Want something a little more custom and bulletproof? You can purchase a Privacy Policy template from an attorney and customize it to fit your business. We like this affordable one from Sprout Law. (Bonus: It also includes a Terms and Conditions template, which we’ll talk about next.)
Some other favorite template providers are:
Of course, if you want to protect your business as much as possible, you can work with your attorney to draft up a Privacy Policy that is tailor-made for your business and your website. This is the best option if you can afford it. If you need a great small business attorney that can help you with this, we recommend Framework Law.
Where do I put my Privacy Policy on my website?
You’ll want to create a page on your website dedicated to your Privacy Policy. Then, you’ll link to it in the footer of your website so that it’s visible on every page.
If you have an ecommerce shop on your website, you can also add your Privacy Policy to your checkout page.
2. Terms and Conditions
Think about your Terms and Conditions as a contract between your business and your website visitors. It’s a legal document that outlines the rules and guidelines that your website visitors agree to follow while they’re on your website (think: disclaimers, intellectual property, and limitations of liability).
Do I really need a Terms and Conditions page on my website?
Like the Privacy Policy page, the Terms and Conditions page is about protecting yourself and your business from sticky situations. So, why not add that extra layer of protection? This is especially important if you’re selling things on your website. You can use your Terms and Conditions page to outline rules for returns, exchanges, shipping, and all that good ecommerce stuff.
Where do I get a Terms and Conditions document for my website?
A Terms and Conditions Generator
For a basic Terms and Conditions document, you can use a Terms and Conditions generator. (Termly also does these, but there are several others that do the same thing).
If you are selling things on your website, though, we’d recommend that you use something a little less generic.
Professional Terms and Conditions Documents
Just like we called out above for the Privacy Policy, the same would apply here. There are some great template options out there from each of the links we provided for the Privacy Policy, but if you have the budget, we would recommend that you work with an attorney.
Where do I put my Terms and Conditions on my website?
Just like your Privacy Policy, you’re going to want to create a new page for your Terms and Conditions and link it in the footer of your website. You’ll also want to link it on your checkout page if you have an ecommerce site.
3. Copyright Designation
This one is simple, free, and takes just a few seconds to do – and protects the content on your website!
You’ve likely seen something like this at the bottom of most websites:
Copyright © 2021-2024 Hoffbeck + Co, LLC. All rights reserved.
Adding this in your footer notifies users that you own the content on your website and that you intend to protect it from unauthorized use.
Just add the copyright symbol, the year you created your website to the current year, and then your official legal business name, followed by “All rights reserved.” Super easy!
So, if you don’t have one of these, add this to your website right now before you forget!
If you are really paranoid about protecting your website intellectual property, you may even want to consider registering the copyright with the US Copyright Office. When you register your copyright it gives enhanced protections. Yet, as identified here by Legalzoom, due to the nature of a website, applying to register a copyright for a website can be tricky. This is due to the artistic, technical, and consistently changing nature of your website. Consult your attorney if you are considering registering your copyright.
4. Cookie Banner
GDPR (A.K.A. General Data Protection Regulation) is a European privacy law that regulates how individuals and organizations may collect, use, and retain the personal data of individuals.
Here’s ours (the black banner with white text at the bottom of our footer):
Do I really need a cookie banner on my website?
If people from Europe visit your website (which in today’s world is highly likely), then you’ll need to add a cookie banner to your website to be compliant.
If you want to read more information about GDPR, Squarespace has a great guide that you can find here.
How do I add a cookie banner to my website?
If you have a Squarespace website, adding a cookie banner is super simple.
In your Squarespace dashboard, click on Website > Pages > Website Tools > Cookies & Visitor Data.
Switch on the toggle beside Cookie banner.
Choose “opt-in” or “opt in & out” if you want to give users the option to opt out.
Choose between the Bar or Pop-up view.
Click Save, then click Customize to edit the banner theme, call to action, and text.
Choose whether you want to restrict analytics cookies.
Protect Your Business and Your Website
That wasn’t so bad, right?
We know legal stuff isn’t fun, but you know what’s really not fun?
Getting into a legal pickle!
So, add these four legal components to your website today to protect yourself from potential sticky situations with the law.
P.S.: Want more website tips before you hit publish on your new website? Check out our 10-Step Website Pre-Launch Checklist to make it look polished and 100% dialed in.
More soon,
Mara
WEB DESIGNER + SEO SPECIALIST
P.P.S.
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