Legal policies on websites aren’t the most glamorous thing in the world.

Oftentimes, we skip right over them, close the pop-ups, race through the “are you a robot” tests, and click “agree” without ever reading the terms of use.

We have one goal and one goal only, to accomplish what we came to the website to do, whether that be find a piece of information, snag a freebie, or purchase a product or service.

However, when it comes to building your own website, there are some key website policies you’ll want to have in place to protect yourself, your customers, and ensure your website is legally set up for success.

I was recently interviewed by design and creative strategist, Abigail Regucera, where I shared 5 reasons why you need a privacy policy and terms of use on your website. 

5 Reasons Why You Need a Privacy Policy and Terms of Use On Your Website

1. Your website and data collection is unique, therefore you need a specific privacy policy. 
   
   
2. A Terms of Use policy governs your relationship with anyone (in the general public) who visits your website. Depending on your services, your terms discuss the details about how the general public can interact with your site. This is where disclaimers should be used on your website to protect you from how your information is interpreted and used. 
   
   
3. It is an ethical business practice to let website users know about the cookie policy. Further, Canadian privacy law requires consent from your website users for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal data. Using express, informed consent is the safest way to obtain this. 
   
   
4. You need a privacy policy on your website if you collect any form of information from your site, such as visitors, personal information, location, etc. This includes any information that is collected using cookies or similar.
   
   
5. Even if your website is hosted on another platform like Squarespace, Wordpress, or Shopify, you still need a privacy policy specific to your website. These sites have their own privacy policies, but they only govern their site, not your unique website. 

While it may not be the most exciting part of having your own website, website policies and the legalities around them are essential for keeping your business, yourself, and your website users safe. 

We dove into a lot more detail in the interview, so be sure to head on over to Abigail’s blog to read the full interview and learn more. 

If you need a privacy policy for your website, and one that you can easily customize quickly to reflect your business while knowing it is legally compliant, check out our Website Terms of Use + Privacy Policy Bundle.