If your website has an email newsletter signup form or even a contact form, you MUST have a privacy policy. So boring, I know. But thankfully it’s really easy to generate a privacy policy and get your site legally compliant.

Why you need one:

If you’re gathering information from users on your site, and information includes names and email addresses, then you’re legally obligated to have a privacy policy. The policy will tell your users what you’re doing with the information that they’ve entered onto your site. No, no one will probably read it. But you don’t want to be caught without one should anything happen legally with your business and specifically your website. They also can add some credibility and legitimacy for users, even just seeing the link on the bottom of a website.

Step One: Create the privacy policy

I use this free online generator. You’ll fill out step by step according to what your website does and voila, a free customized privacy policy. Another option is to have an attorney draft one for you.

Step Two: Add the page to your website

After you’ve created the policy, you’ll need to add the page to your site. Call the page “Privacy Policy” and copy everything over.

Step Three: Link the page

The page is required to be clickable from the home page. The easiest place to add it is to your footer menu or your copyright info, then it’ll be on the bottom of every page.

Extra Credit: Add a Terms of Service page too

Terms of Service pages aren’t technically required like a Privacy Policy is, but they’re a smart thing to have. The goal of a terms of service page is to limit your liability should you ever be sued over anything with your website. Here’s a free generator, or consult an attorney.

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