October 7, 2009
Make sure your Website has a Privacy Policy
Did you know that ‘best practice’ web design is that almost every website needs to include a privacy policy? In fact, UK law also indicates that if you are collecting information about people then it is a legal requirement to let them know that you are doing it.
A privacy policy is a single page on your website that explains to users what information you are collecting about them as they arrive and move through your website.
If you have installed Google analytics then you will automatically be accumulating information about your users in huge detail. Aside from all the usual analytics stuff such as how they found your site; how long they spent on it; and what pages they looked at; you also find out other more personal data. This includes where they are; what ISP they’re using; what browser they’re using and their screen size.
Others of you might not have installed Google analytics, but may well have a feedback form that asks for email addresses.
And finally, the WebEden website building system itself uses cookies to identify individual users. For example, if someone becomes a member of your website, the system attaches a cookie to them which makes it more straight forward for them to log back in again the next time they visit.
All these mean that it’s a good idea to have a privacy policy. Aside from fulfilling your ‘best practice’ obligations, having a privacy policy is looked upon favourably by the search engines. When the Google spiders crawl your website, a privacy policy is one of the things they look for. It can help you – albeit in a very small way – get your website boosted up the Search Engine Results Pages.
If you’d like to put a privacy policy on your website, below is a template that you can use. Make sure you fill in and adapt the bits that are appropriate for your website.
You don’t need to make your privacy policy a major part of your website, just include a small link to it on the footer of your site, or from your ‘about us’ page. It doesn’t need to be part of the main menu.
Good luck finding and using one – let us know how you get on using the feedback form below.
Thank you for this! I hadn’t realised that even when you’re just running Analytics (Google’s or anyone else’s) that we were really collecting data about our users.
I never thought about a privacy policy.
Must get one added for all my clients’ sites :-)
I know that we’ve got to supply names, addresses and phone numbers for the Distance Selling Regulations *grumble* but hadn’t appreciated the privacy thing.
Thank you so much!
AX
Comment by Alison Cross — October 7, 2009 @ 4:00 pm
No worries, glad its useful! If you reckon it needs to be amended at all then lets us know and we’ll amend the template.
Ken
Comment by admin — October 7, 2009 @ 4:39 pm
A privacy policy lends credibility to your site. It’s always better to let consumers/ visitors know what information you collect and how you are going to use this information. Get a policy that is unique to your site. Privacy seals do more than just keeping your information private – they give a stamp of approval that you are a trustworthy Web site. What you do with your customers’ information can make or break a company’s reputation, and a bad reputation can make or break a company’s business. In a climate of distrust, reputation is the new currency. · TRUSTe’s privacy seal makes privacy easy and affordable.
Comment by Heather Dorso — October 8, 2009 @ 5:54 am
Thanks for the advice Heather - check out http://www.truste.com/ if you want to reassure your customers at a whole new level.
Ken
Comment by admin — October 8, 2009 @ 9:01 am