Now that you’ve decided to start your own business, it’s time to create a website so customers can find you online. But wait! Your website needs to meet certain federal requirements before it’s live...and some of these rules aren’t well-known! This helpful infographic lays out what you should and shouldn’t include on your small business website to ensure that you are compliant with the law and avoid legal trouble down the road.
Company Info
A website should have the company's name, address, and contact information prominently displayed. The site should also have a copywrite notice, a refund policy, and terms of use. easy navigation is key, so make sure to include tabs for each page on the site. Canva websites are simple and easy to create; Plus, they're free! A good website will be visually appealing and responsive, meaning it can be viewed on any device with ease. It should load quickly and be mobile-friendly. No matter what type of business you have, a website with these elements will allow you to reach more customers in order to get your message out there! If you want to find the best hosting sites for small businesses, here's a list of hosting companies we recommend: Bluehost, HostGator, SiteGround, Wix, GoDaddy, Canva, and more. You can't go wrong with those - they're all affordable options and will provide excellent service, but please evaluate your business to see which best fits your digital needs.
Contact Information
One of the most important things to include on your website is contact information. This should include your business name, address, phone number, and email address. You should also include a brief description of your business and what products or services you offer. Including this information makes it easy for potential customers to find you and get in touch with you. These days, people will not take the time to call a business if they can't find their phone number easily. It's crucial that you have an email link prominently displayed so visitors can reach out to you as soon as possible. Some businesses use a contact form where customers fill out all of their personal information before sending an email. The reason for doing this is because it reduces spam emails from people who would like to receive more information about your company.
You may also want to consider including social media links like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc., depending on which ones apply to your business type. Make sure you have at least one physical address listed (never your home address), along with at least one email and phone number.
Terms and Conditions
You may be wondering what exactly you need to include on your website to make it federally compliant. Here are 8 elements that you should definitely have:
1. A physical address - This can be your business' mailing address, or the address of your headquarters.
2. A privacy policy - In order to collect personal information from visitors, you must have a privacy policy in place that outlines how this information will be used.
3. Terms and conditions - These define the legal agreement between you and your website visitors, and should be prominently displayed on your site.
4. A contact form - This allows visitors to get in touch with you easily, and is often required by law for businesses that sell products or services online.
5. Disclaimers - Disclaimers protect your company from lawsuits when things go wrong, like if someone falls down the stairs at one of your stores because they were visiting your website while they were supposed to be working.
6. A privacy policy notice - All websites that collect personal information must display a notice explaining their data collection practices as part of their privacy policy.
7. An email address - Visitors should always know how to reach you through an email address on your site, especially if they're using it for customer service inquiries or other reasons where they might need assistance quickly!
8. Contact details- There's no excuse not to list all possible ways people can reach you: email, phone number, fax number etc., so don't forget those! What makes for a good website? Some would say that simple is best--meaning less flashy graphics and easy navigation. The most important thing to keep in mind when creating your website is simplicity. Be sure to leave plenty of white space on the page--the more white space there is, the easier it will be for visitors to find what they're looking for.
Privacy Policy
What information do we collect?
How do we use your information?
When do we share your information?
How do we keep your information safe?
Your rights over your information.
Changes to this policy.
Contact us.
Who is responsible for this website?
Our contact details.
The website’s privacy policy.
Our terms and conditions of service.
Refunds, returns and exchanges - your legal right to change your mind about a purchase under the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 If you have changed your mind about a purchase or find it's not what you expected, you can get an exchange or refund from the seller up to 14 days after delivery. Some sellers offer longer but in most cases there is no extra charge for making an exchange or getting a refund. You should be aware that some sellers may require you to return goods at your own expense if they don't offer free returns as part of their returns policy. If you're in any doubt about what is required please contact them directly. What makes for a good website?
A good website is one that has strong navigation and clear call-to-actions. A great example of this is Apple. Their navigation bar stands out and draws the eye when scrolling down to see new products on their site.
Checkout Procedure
1. You should have a home page that briefly explains what your business is and what products or services you offer.
2. Your website must have a contact page with your company’s physical address, email address, and phone number. This is required by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
3. If you sell products or services online, you need to have an About Us page that tells visitors who you are, what you do, and why they can trust you. This is also required by the FTC.
4. If your small business has any physical locations, you must include a Locations page on your website so customers can find you.
5. On your Contact page, there should be a form visitors can fill out to contact you with their questions or comments.
6. You need to make sure that all of the pages on your website are clearly labeled so visitors know where they are at all times - navigation should be intuitive and not hidden from view. The pages of your site should be in order from least important content to most important content; this way, customers will know which pages will provide them with information about their needs rather than having to search through everything for it themselves.
7. In order to stay compliant with federal law, you should include a Privacy Policy page that informs visitors about how you use their personal data and how they can access it.
8. Finally, if your small business uses cookies on its website or gathers visitor data such as IP addresses or user agent strings, then the website must have an Advertise Cookies Policy to inform visitors about these practices.
Closing
We can go further into the many needs and legalities of possessing a website, but this is a good start. This is for both consumers and business owners. You want to protect your data and information as much as possible, not leaving you open to letigations or cyber compromise.
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