Forget GDPR, here are 5 others you may need to think about...ā
The part where I donāt talk about GDPR Compliancy
Okay, so Iām going to keep this short. Weāve all heard enough about the new GDPR regulations recently, as we have also (ironically) received more emails than ever as a result of it!
But this has got me thinking. I wonder how many business owners arenāt even aware of what else is expected of them.Ā What do they need to do to be compliant on their website?
Youād be amazed at how often a professional will build a website.Ā Make it pretty, just like the client asked.Ā Knowing full well how to be compliant yet wonāt speak up and explain to them that their lovely website will actually not be compliant.
How does that work?!
So moving on, how do we know if we are compliant with all the rules and regs that keep popping up all the time?
Here are 5 important factors worth checking:
1. Privacy Policy
Now I know this technically comes under GDPR (which Iām obviously not talking about), but from what I gather everyone is focusing on the email side of things here. As part of these regulations, not only do you need to have a privacy policy in place but even if you already have one it still needs to be updated.
Were you aware of that? Maybe you noticed all the āWeāre updating our Privacy Policyā emails alongside the āPlease re-subscribe us!ā emailsā¦
Either way, if you donāt have a Privacy Policy in place at all please donāt fret! Iāve put together a little guide here and it really is quick and easy to do!
2. Terms and Conditions
Itās not actually a legal requirement to have a copy of Terms and Conditions on your website, only a Privacy Policy if you collect data. Which most websites do.Ā
A lot of businesses, however, donāt realise that Terms are there to protect and not be a hindrance, and whilst most people wouldnāt even ever read them, you would kick yourself if it ever came to it and you werenāt protected!
If you would like to find out more about what should be included and discover a great legal document creation tool that I stumbled across, click here!
3. Cookies Policy
I was always a little confused about this one myself ā if we already declare the use of Cookies in our Privacy Policy then why do we need to have a Cookies Policy in place too?
Well, the thing is that there are many different types of cookies, and these two are specifically excluded from the regulations:
ā¢ used for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication, and
ā¢ strictly necessary in order for the provider of an information society service explicitly required by the user to provide that service.
Of course, there is no real danger from Cookies ā they cannot damage anyoneās computer and in fact life would be quite annoying if we had to log back into a website every time we clicked on a link, but there are also a number of intrusive cookies and so for that we have to specify implicitly the nature and purpose.
–> For a simple, no strings attached free Cookie Policy Generator ToolĀ
4. Copyright Protection
This isnāt something you really have to do, just something you should do. There is a reason we build our businesses and products and websitesā¦itās so that we can get rich or die trying, right?
Well if someone steals your idea thatās not going to happen.Ā Simple as that.
Get it registered! Itās like a cooler form of insurance. Thatās all Iām saying on that oneā¦
5. SSL Certificate
This is another one where it never ceases to amaze me how many people donāt realise what an SSL Certificate is or what it does.
The fact is, it doesnāt matter if you know or even care about compliance with SSL Certificates; the truth is, if you donāt have one, you will lose leads and potential conversions.
Whether itās because they didnāt see the shiny green lock on the address bar, or whether Google actually told your visitor to turn back because youāre just not safe, is it really worth it?
There are a few different types of certificate which could be more suited to your business depending, so if you want to know whatās best for you and your business, and how to even get hold of one of these and install them, check out this article.
Summary
So, there you have it!Ā Hopefully, youāre sitting there now thinking that I’m “teaching Grandma to suck eggsā (I never really did get that expression if Iām honest!) but if so it means youāre set with where you need to be ā and congrats!
If this article has only confused you more, then please feel free toĀ drop me an emailĀ or send me a message using the contact page and I would be happy to explain further.
If you just want someone to put these together so that you can forget about it all, let me know too – we can have a chat and Iād be happy to give you a free consultation and quotation for any further action needed!
Disclaimer: This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create a lawyer-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
