How to Create a Privacy Policy For a Blog or Website
Does my blog or website really NEED a privacy policy? You bet it does!
I know…the legal side of blogging can seem a little overwhelming. But in this post, I’m going to make it as easy as possible to understand what you need and how to do it!
This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I may receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you. All opinions are my own. Read my full disclosure here.
It’s a common question. What privacy policy is required for websites? You’re in the right place!
Maybe you are building your site from scratch. Or maybe you’ve already launched but have been putting off the legal side of things.
I get it. I was there too.
Legal jargon just does not hold my attention. And I didn’t really know exactly what was necessary.
I put it off for a while. Then used a free privacy policy generator I found online. I filled out my info, copied and pasted it onto a new page of my blog, and patted myself on the back for being a responsible adult.
Ha! Such a newbie mistake.
More on how I fixed it a little later. First, let’s have a look at what a privacy policy actually is and why you need one on your blog or website.
DISCLAIMER: Let me start by saying, this post is simply legal information and does not qualify as legal advice. I am not a lawyer. This post is to inform my readers about certain laws that may affect their blog. For legal advice specific to your blog, website, or business, please consult a lawyer such as Lucrezia Iapichino.
What IS a Privacy Policy?
To put it simply, it’s the privacy policy’s job to let your audience know what personal data you are collecting and how you plan to use it. Also, it should explain how you store and keep that information safe.
If you use contact forms, comment systems, cookies, or Google Analytics, you are collecting people’s personal info.
Your privacy policy is the most important legal page to have on your site. Take it seriously.
Why do you need a Privacy Policy?
• You’re required by law to have one
• It makes you look professional and trustworthy
• Many affiliate programs and advertisers won’t work with you without a privacy policy in place
How to Write a Privacy Policy
Remember how I said I just used a privacy policy generator online for free?
Yeah, don’t do that.
For one thing, you have no idea who created it. Was it even a lawyer?
Plus, your privacy policy needs to be customized specifically for your site. The details of your policy will depend on what your site is about, who and where your audience is, and what services you offer.
Stay away from the generic, free privacy policies at all costs to avoid issues down the road. It’s just not worth the risk.
Don’t stress though. You don’t have to hire an expensive lawyer in your area. These days there are easily accessible, fully legal, and very affordable templates available online, created by trustworthy lawyers.
My go-to lawyer/blogger is Lucrezia Iapichino from Blogging For New Bloggers. Without her easy-to-use templates and courses, my site would not be legally compliant.
She offers a popular Privacy Policy Template + Workshop.
It’s so easy to use you can have your policy created within 10 minutes!
P.S. All legal templates and courses are 40% off for Black Friday week. Check out at their school and use coupon code: BLACKFRIDAYWEEK for 40% off.
Additional Legal Pages
If you only need a privacy policy for your site, the template above is a great way to go. It will help you understand what you need to include in your privacy policy, how to implement it, and where to place it on your actual website.
However, there are other legalities you need to take care of as well.
Your site should also have:
• Disclaimers
• Terms and Conditions
• Disclosures
And then there are things to consider like GDPR and CCPA Compliance, Affiliate Disclosures, FTC Guidelines, and MORE.
Lucrezia also offers templates for each of these individual policies. Have a look at what’s available to help you decide what your website actually needs HERE.
But before you do, read on for more info!
Making Your Entire Blog Legal
So back to my personal legal story. I was using the crummy, free privacy policy, disclaimer, terms and conditions templates and felt ok about it, but really knew I’d have to look into it further in the future. I was just so eager to start churning out content!
It wasn’t until I heard about the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act) coming into effect that I really learned just how bad my legal pages were!
Since the CCPA is largely focused on your Privacy Policy, I knew I had to make sure my policy was legal before I even tackled the CCPA side of things.
I knew I had to do it right the second time. And since I truly wanted my blog to be a thriving business one day, I invested in Lucrezia’s Legal Bundle Value Pack and put it into action on my site.
And I gotta say, it made it so simple and straightforward!
With the Legal Bundle Value Pack I got:
• Privacy Policy Template
• Cookie Policy Template & recommended Cookie Plugin
• Terms & Conditions Template
• Disclaimer/Disclosure Template
• Affiliate Disclaimer Template
(These templates make things amazingly simple!)
Also:
• Requirements to make your blog CCPA Compliant
• Privacy Policy Requirements under the GDPR
• FTC guidelines and other requirements
• Requirements for the Amazon Affiliate Program
Bonuses
Included in any of the courses are several bonuses. The best may be the coupon code that gives you 25% off on any other legal course you may need.
There is also access to a helpful Facebook group and an opportunity to become an affiliate.
Related Reading: The Best Facebook Groups to Grow Your Blog
Another great thing to note is that once you purchase these templates, you have them to use as many times as you want/need.
If you start another blog or website in the future, you’ll already have access to the courses and the templates.
Learn From My Experience
If you want to learn what kind of privacy policy is required for your blog. AND make sure every aspect of your blog is legal, the Legal Value Pack is the best place to start and the best bang for your buck.
No matter what policy your blog is lacking, the Blogging For New Bloggers School has a course or bundle for you.
There are many options including individual classes and many different bundles to choose from.
Final Thoughts on Privacy Policies
What did we learn?
Is it a legal requirement to have a privacy policy on a website? YES!
What does a privacy policy need to include? Every policy is different. Depending on your niche, readers, advice, services, etc., your privacy policy requirements will need to be tailored to reflect you and your site.
Neglecting the legal side of your blog is a pretty common theme amongst new bloggers. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and put it off. But I strongly advise you against that.
If you truly want to take your blog seriously, you’ll want it to look professional.
Your privacy policy is the single most important legal page on your blog. Do not put off creating a fully legal policy to protect yourself and your readers.
It’s a small investment to pay to avoid possible fines down the road. Check out the courses HERE and get your blog or website fully legal!
P.S. If you KNOW you need to get your blog legal but don’t know where to start, try the Legally Blogs Free Legal Course to get your feet wet.
Related Reading:
Is Your Blog Legally Compliant With The CCPA Law?
How to Meet ADA Blog & Website Compliance
The Easy Way to Make Your Blog Legal
Free Legal Course for Bloggers
Like This Post? Pin it for Later!
Do I Need A Privacy Policy On My Blog or Website?
Blogging Resources I love and recommend:
SiteGround – I use SiteGround as my web hosting platform and I love it. They are trusted by the owners of over 1,900,000 domains! It’s secure, fast, reliable, and the customer service is AMAZING! I’ve contacted them for help for a few reasons and received outstanding support. Learn more about SiteGround HERE.
Sendowl – I use Sendowl to sell my own digital products. Sendowl acts as the middle man between buyer and seller. They deliver your product and handle the payments for you. If you’ve got an eBook, printable, or service to sell, Sendowl makes it really easy and affordable. Learn more about Sendowl HERE.
ShareASale – If you are interested in monetizing your blog through affiliate marketing, ShareASale has got to be one of the easiest ways to do it! They’ve got merchants for every niche looking for affiliates to promote their products. Learn more about ShareASale HERE.
Grammarly – I saw a huge improvement in my writing after installing Grammarly. It’s the World’s leading checker of spelling, grammar, punctuation, and plagiarism. The better your writing, the more credible you will seem to you readers. Did I mention they have a FREE version? Check it out HERE.
Happy to say that my legal policies are from them also, as a newbie this is a must and foundation before fully going on board with blogging. Many will find this really useful.
I’m glad you found Blogging for New Bloggers legal templates helpful too! I found them to be so straightforward and easy to follow! Thanks for the comment Jeannie!
This is so good! It’s not easy “just” running a blog or an online business today. There is so many laws and rules to follow and it’s impossible to know about everything. I mean, we are just humans trying to follow our dreams!
Perfectly said! I’m sure many people have a dream to get into blogging and have no idea there’s a legal side to this business. I know I hadn’t thought about it when I first started! It feels so great to check the daunting legal part off your blogging to-do list though. I found it made my blog feel so much more professional once it was done.
Such an important article! I just started my website a few weeks ago so this has helped me a lot! Thanks!
You’re welcome, Sarah! I’m so glad you found it helpful! My goal was to make blogging legally simple and straightforward to those who are just starting out 🙂
I fell into the same category as you did for a long time. At first. I didnt know I needed a privacy policy, then I put it off, then I used a template I found online before finally securing my blog. Excellent tips here.
Totally the same scenario! And I think a lot of newer bloggers find themselves in similar positions when it comes to the legal side of blogging.
This is super helpful, thank you for breaking it down like this! I think a lot of times we get told to do something for our blogs – but we have no idea why, so we keep putting it off. But breaking down the “why” is very impactful x
Thanks Karen! That’s what I was going for – taking the confusion and frustration out of making a blog or website legal 😉