Need to know exactly what legal pages your business website needs and why? Read on to find out how to protect your business when it comes to your website AND where to find the best fill-in-the-blank legal templates that help make your life a whole lot easier (spoiler: they’re a lot cheaper than an attorney)
I’m just going to say it – legal topics can be overwhelming and pretty dull for most business owners. If you’re nodding right now, this article is for you! But I’m guessing you’re here because you want to make sure that you tick all the business website legal requirements boxes, right?
So, which legal website pages do you need, and why?
What are website legal pages?
Legal pages are designed to give transparency and protection for both the business and its customers.
They come in the form of policies, terms and conditions, and disclaimers that outline your responsibilities as a business and the rights of anyone using your website.
From explaining how customer information is stored and used to protecting and limiting the liability of your online content.
Why do website legal pages matter?
Considered one of the Essential Pages Every Website Needs for very good reason, website legal pages ensure that:
- Your business website is compliant with your country’s online legal requirements.
- You have protection for your business online.
- Customers and their information are protected when using your website.
Not having these legal pages not only means you could be breaking the law but also opens you up to potential complaints, lawsuits and fines.
And I’m sure you have much better things to do than finding yourself knee-deep in unnecessary legal drama.
What are the must-have legal pages my website needs?
We’ve established that legal pages are a non-negotiable requirement for staying on the right side of the law and protecting everyone involved. But what legal pages should you include on your website?
Let’s look at the most important pages you need..
Privacy Policy
The purpose of a Privacy Policy is to explain how and why website visitors’ personal data is collected and stored.
Do I need a privacy policy on my website?
The Federation of Small Businesses in the UK states that:
‘Failure to have a privacy policy will leave you in breach of UK GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and open to both fines from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and legal action by data subjects.’
So yes, if you collect personal data from visitors to your website, you are legally required to have a privacy policy.
Personal data is collected in several ways:
Email and Newsletter sign-ups
Contact Forms
Online Payments
Analytics Tools (like Google Analytics), etc
So, if you use any of these tools on your website, you’re collecting personal data.
What information should I include in a privacy policy?
When putting together a privacy policy, be as thorough as possible with the information you provide regarding website visitors’ data:
What data do you collect? (name, address…)
Why do you collect it? (targeted marketing…)
How do you collect it? (contact forms, sign-ups…)
How do you protect the data that you collect?
Do you share the data with anyone? Who?
Where do I put a privacy policy on my website?
Anywhere you collect personal data on your website, there should be a link to your privacy policy, i.e. sign-up or contact forms, checkout on a sales page, etc.
Also, remember to include a link in the footer of each page on your website.
Transparency is key, so make it clear and easy for users to find.
Terms and Conditions (T&CS)
Your terms and conditions are where you lay out the rules for using your website, specifying what’s acceptable and what’s not.
Why are terms and conditions important on a website?
- They set clear expectations of user behaviour while on your site. (No copying content!)
- Protect your business from any misunderstandings, reducing its liability.
- Define ownership and protect the copyright of any digital products (images, website templates, etc) you sell online.
- Outline your responsibilities as a business to the consumer.
- Offer clear guidelines on your business processes (delivery times, returns and refund policy, etc).
A solid set of terms and conditions protects ALL parties involved – your business and the user.
Offering complete transparency and clarity will help foster a sense of trustworthiness with customers. As a brand, this is invaluable for building a loyal base of returning customers.
Why would you part with your hard-earned cash if a business doesn’t come across as upfront and honest about how it works, right?
Disclaimer
A disclaimer is a website legal notice that protects you by stating the limits of your responsibility as a business.
This means that once a client buys your product or service, you are not responsible for how they use it.
Similarly, if you have a blog, you will want readers to know that you publish content in good faith. BUT, the information isn’t personalised advice, and you are not responsible for what they do with that information.
Affiliate Link Disclaimer
Honesty is the best policy when it comes to affiliate links, where you earn financial gain by recommending a product or service.
While it’s good business practice, it’s also a legal requirement in the UK and the US to include an affiliate disclaimer for complete transparency.
Third-party Content
It’s also worth covering yourself from any repercussions if you use external links to third-party content.
Let people know the link may offer helpful information, but you are not responsible for anything they read.
Cookie Policy
Similar to a privacy policy, a cookie policy is another legal page on a website that outlines how personal data is collected and used. This time, it’s the tracking data collected by cookies (small text files) that you drop onto their device when they access your site.
A cookie tracks and stores users’ actions on your website, and according to the ICO, you must:
- Tell people the cookies are there
- Explain what the cookies are doing and why, and
- Get the person’s consent to store a cookie on their device.
We’ve all sighed after encountering another cookie consent pop-up on a website (guilty!), but now you know why they’re there. And their importance..
Our top recommendations on where to shop legal templates for your website
If you’ve used one of Our Showit Templates, you’re in luck. They come with a Legal Page ready to simply pop in your Privacy Policy, Terms & Conditions, etc.
And if you’d rather bungee jump off Mount Kilimanjaro than write your own website’s legal pages from scratch – dramatic, but understandable 😉 – the talented businesses below specialise in legal templates to make your life so much easier:
For UK-based legal templates
Lucy has not only created an incredible template shop filled with contracts, website policies and program terms but she has also helped me personally with filing trademarks and giving advice on legal situations (the ones that make you want to have someone like her on speed dial). I have such great things to say about her and her products and would absolutely recommend you check out her website legal templates if you’re in the UK as well as her courses.
As she personally said to me: “Protect what you build from the very beginning”.
For USA-based legal templates
If you’re not a DIY kind of gal (or you don’t want to fork out your life savings for an attorney), then I strongly recommend taking a look at The Contract Shop pre-written templates!
They have multiple templates for different industries and an incredible Website Policies Bundle which includes all the essential pages we just mentioned as well as templates for affiliate program, blogging, courses and e-commerce which they specifically created for people like you and me in the online space.
Let me also introduce you to The Legal Paige template shop. Paige has made the life of my website clients soooo much easier with her knack for making the law effortless and approachable (so you can protect yourself from all the ‘what ifs’…and get back to doing what you love).
And her contract templates?
They are easy-to-use and fill-in-the-blank (aka you don’t need a law degree to figure them out).
Shop the templates here and sleep in peace knowing that you’ve protected your livelihood and become a more legally legit entrepreneur.
Protect yourself from the start
Avoiding these all-important website legal pages could land you in legal turmoil. And, while they won’t prevent unexpected problems from arising, they will provide protection if something does go wrong. And that’s a win.
You’ve spent time and money on a spectacular website for your business. So, get your legal pages sorted and rest easy knowing that you can focus on growing your incredible business rather than dealing with legal battles that could have been avoided.
