How to Create a Website Privacy Policy
Make your privacy policy reader-friendly., Keep it brief., Don’t hide it., Visit other web sites., Write your privacy policy to cover all the bases., Include a cookie policy., Include a limitation of liability clause., Create a privacy policy for...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Make your privacy policy reader-friendly.
Use the same language and writing style in your policy that you use throughout your web site. , If you want people to read your privacy policy—and discerning web site visitors do read private policies—you should keep it short.
However, don’t abbreviate the policy so much that you exclude important information.
Your goal is to provide all the information your reader needs in order to understand that his or her privacy rights are being respected and managed in a way that is agreeable to them. , Make your privacy policy easily accessible and use a font that is readable.
A policy that is difficult to find, and written in tiny print is considered suspect by many people.
It doesn’t have to be the focal point of any page on your web site, of course, but visitors to your site should be able to find and read it easily.
Consider creating a tab at the top of the first page on your site that links directly to your policy.
The tab should be clear and concise.
Here are some suggested wordings:
Our Privacy Policy How We Protect Your Privacy Your Privacy is Important to Us Privacy and Security , If you are unsure of what to say in your policy, or where you should place it on your web site, try visiting at least 3 web sites to look for their privacy policy.
If you find the process easy and satisfactory, then use their policy location and language as a guideline.
While you are checking out each site, ask yourself the following questions, and use your answers to define how you want your users to experience finding—and reading—the privacy policy on your website:
Where is it located on the site? How long did I have to search for it? Did I have to click more than 1 link to access it? Is it written clearly? Do I understand it? Do I trust it? , While all privacy policies should be specific to the site, policies and disclosures need to be more detailed on commerce sites.
The more information you gather, and the more other companies have access to it, determines how extensive your policy should be.
People aren’t willing to give you their financial information unless they believe their information is protected and secure.
Make sure your policy addresses any questions a consumer may have about doing business with you.
Examine your business carefully and include in your policy any issue that might be of concern to your customers.
You may want to include assurances about any of the following:
What kind of customer’s personal information is collected.
You may want to offer a detailed explanation about why you collect the information in the first place, such as it is needed to communicate with the customer or to ship goods.
How the customer’s information is securely stored.
Include the name of the provider you use.
For example, “XYZ.com uses ABC’s state of the art software to securely store your data.” How any or all of the information is shared.
Include an opt-out option.
Inform your customers that you might send information about hem to third parties, and allow them the choice of opting out: you will not be allowed to convey their information without their consent.
Third-party advertisers on your site and links to their websites.
Explain why you are sharing the information with third-party advertisers; perhaps those advertisers need your information to fulfill orders or to send an email confirmation.
Customers are not as skittish about sharing information if they understand that it is necessary and beneficial to them. , (A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns.) Although cookies are not rocket science, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation and misunderstanding about them concerning privacy.
Read about how to create a web site cookie policy that will dispel any apprehension visitors to your site may have. , This is a contractual clause that restricts the amount of damages a visitor to your web site can recover. , This is a fast and simple way to generate a privacy policy that complies with industry standards.
You enter the basic information about your web site, provide the URL, and a policy is generated which you can put on your web site.
The site is user-friendly and can quickly generate a policy specific to your web site. , TermsFeed made available a free Privacy Policy generator that can customize your agreement specific to your business. , For example, Word Press (WP) offers a Legal Pages plugin.
If you have created your web site using WP, you can quickly generate your privacy policy with their plugin. , If you would prefer to write the entire policy yourself, or to include wording that isn’t standard on other web site policy generator’s sites, you can do so at Free Privacy Policy.com. -
Step 2: Keep it brief.
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Step 3: Don’t hide it.
-
Step 4: Visit other web sites.
-
Step 5: Write your privacy policy to cover all the bases.
-
Step 6: Include a cookie policy.
-
Step 7: Include a limitation of liability clause.
-
Step 8: Create a privacy policy for free at Online Privacy Policy Generator.
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Step 9: Use the free generator from TermsFeed.
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Step 10: Use a plugin from your web host for blog sites.
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Step 11: Create a customized policy.
Detailed Guide
Use the same language and writing style in your policy that you use throughout your web site. , If you want people to read your privacy policy—and discerning web site visitors do read private policies—you should keep it short.
However, don’t abbreviate the policy so much that you exclude important information.
Your goal is to provide all the information your reader needs in order to understand that his or her privacy rights are being respected and managed in a way that is agreeable to them. , Make your privacy policy easily accessible and use a font that is readable.
A policy that is difficult to find, and written in tiny print is considered suspect by many people.
It doesn’t have to be the focal point of any page on your web site, of course, but visitors to your site should be able to find and read it easily.
Consider creating a tab at the top of the first page on your site that links directly to your policy.
The tab should be clear and concise.
Here are some suggested wordings:
Our Privacy Policy How We Protect Your Privacy Your Privacy is Important to Us Privacy and Security , If you are unsure of what to say in your policy, or where you should place it on your web site, try visiting at least 3 web sites to look for their privacy policy.
If you find the process easy and satisfactory, then use their policy location and language as a guideline.
While you are checking out each site, ask yourself the following questions, and use your answers to define how you want your users to experience finding—and reading—the privacy policy on your website:
Where is it located on the site? How long did I have to search for it? Did I have to click more than 1 link to access it? Is it written clearly? Do I understand it? Do I trust it? , While all privacy policies should be specific to the site, policies and disclosures need to be more detailed on commerce sites.
The more information you gather, and the more other companies have access to it, determines how extensive your policy should be.
People aren’t willing to give you their financial information unless they believe their information is protected and secure.
Make sure your policy addresses any questions a consumer may have about doing business with you.
Examine your business carefully and include in your policy any issue that might be of concern to your customers.
You may want to include assurances about any of the following:
What kind of customer’s personal information is collected.
You may want to offer a detailed explanation about why you collect the information in the first place, such as it is needed to communicate with the customer or to ship goods.
How the customer’s information is securely stored.
Include the name of the provider you use.
For example, “XYZ.com uses ABC’s state of the art software to securely store your data.” How any or all of the information is shared.
Include an opt-out option.
Inform your customers that you might send information about hem to third parties, and allow them the choice of opting out: you will not be allowed to convey their information without their consent.
Third-party advertisers on your site and links to their websites.
Explain why you are sharing the information with third-party advertisers; perhaps those advertisers need your information to fulfill orders or to send an email confirmation.
Customers are not as skittish about sharing information if they understand that it is necessary and beneficial to them. , (A cookie is a string of information that a website stores on a visitor’s computer, and that the visitor’s browser provides to the website each time the visitor returns.) Although cookies are not rocket science, there is a tremendous amount of misinformation and misunderstanding about them concerning privacy.
Read about how to create a web site cookie policy that will dispel any apprehension visitors to your site may have. , This is a contractual clause that restricts the amount of damages a visitor to your web site can recover. , This is a fast and simple way to generate a privacy policy that complies with industry standards.
You enter the basic information about your web site, provide the URL, and a policy is generated which you can put on your web site.
The site is user-friendly and can quickly generate a policy specific to your web site. , TermsFeed made available a free Privacy Policy generator that can customize your agreement specific to your business. , For example, Word Press (WP) offers a Legal Pages plugin.
If you have created your web site using WP, you can quickly generate your privacy policy with their plugin. , If you would prefer to write the entire policy yourself, or to include wording that isn’t standard on other web site policy generator’s sites, you can do so at Free Privacy Policy.com.
About the Author
Cheryl Hamilton
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in pet care and beyond.
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