You’ve worked SO hard on your website. After hours upon hours of tech mishaps, revisions, and maybe the odd round of cursing at your computer (okay, okay… maybe a few rounds) you’ve finally got it exactly how you envisioned it.
The color scheme, the photos, the glowing testimonials…you’ve got it all, right?
Except probably two little things.
Two little things that actually happen to be *incredibly* important.
Now, before you start pulling out your hair because you’ve got to change your website (yet again!) bear with us. These two changes are simple fixes. They won’t add hours and hours to your already busy schedule, and they certainly don’t require you to be a techie (or have any special coding or design knowledge) to make them.
Let’s get into the two legal website pages we see many professional service providers (including coaches, consultants, freelancers, and agencies) missing from their website, so you can finally get that gorgeous site of yours finished once and for all (and legally legit, while you’re at it!) 👇
1. Terms and Conditions
What a website needs is a clear Terms and Conditions page. The number one thing you need to include on your website is a clear terms and conditions policy. The Terms and Conditions Agreement, commonly referred to as the Terms of Service, informs visitors about your website policies. It addresses the policies and guidelines of your services and content. You can talk about intellectual property disclosures, copyright ownership, your refund policy, links to other websites you oversee, and any disclaimers or guarantees you provide.
These agreements become *extra* important when you sell digital products on your website, especially if the purchase process is automated.
So if you sell courses, digital downloads or even physical products in your online store, it’s important that your terms and conditions outline things like:
- Your refund policy
- The guarantees and warranties that you offer
- Any policies or notices that relate to the products or services that are being sold on your website
Remember: just because someone buys a low-ticket product/offer doesn’t mean you can neglect defining the relationship. Just like you’d send your high-ticket group coaching clients a written contract, make sure you take the time to spell out your policies and make them easily accessible on your website’s terms and conditions page.
By making your policies clear from the moment your client lands on your website, you and your clients will be #RelationshipGoals 👯♀️
2. Customized Privacy Policy
A privacy policy is one of the most important pages on a website. Every website needs to include a page with its privacy policies & practices. Visitors will understand how you manage any private information they disclose on your website. You can inform them of how you manage personal data for emailing, cookies, advertising, and other purposes, with whom you share your data and how they can opt out.
When your website collects information from visitors, such as their email, name, address, and credit card. The law requires us as business and website owners to inform users of a few different things, such as:
- How you store that information
- What kind of information you’re collecting
- How they can contact you about accessing the information that you have about them
- How you’re using their information
You may use a Coaches & Company Privacy Policy Template that suits your needs, or you can work with a lawyer to have one custom created for your business.
These days, nearly everyone running an online business has some sort of freebie or download. It’s just not enough to pop up a form to collect addresses without informing users how this information will be used. You need to define your policy and make sure users know their data is safe with you!
For both of your terms and conditions AND your privacy policy, it’s important to make sure each of these web pages are custom to your business and website.
We’ve seen far too many cases where business owners pulled from a random template or copied someone else’s verbiage, and it wasn’t even accurate or applicable to their business. Lying to your customers (even by accident!) isn’t a good look y’all 😳
Are you ready to ditch the default Shopify or Squarespace terms and conditions/privacy policy you’re using and level up your legal language?
We have a handy bundle which includes both Privacy Policy and Terms and Conditions templates for one affordable price. Shop your downloadable, lawyer-created contracts now.
How do I include this on my website?
Now that you’re up to speed on the finishing touches needed for your website, here’s how you can implement these changes straight away 👇🏽
Tip #1: Have both your Terms and Conditions and your Privacy Policy clearly available and at the bottom of your site, in the footer menu. This is the most common spot for businesses to link these pages, which makes it super easy for users to know where to look when they’re searching for that information.
By placing them in the footer, it won’t crowd your top menu/navigation while still making them easily accessible. The last thing you want is for users to go searching through your entire website just to find your Privacy Policy!
Tip #2: Whenever someone is purchasing something or creating an account on your website, you’re going to want to make sure that they check a box that says they agree to the terms and conditions. This is a simple way to get customers to agree, without having to send every single customer a contract because that would take for-e-ver. Including this little step at checkout gives them a chance to go over what to expect from your service one last time before going ahead with sharing their information with you.
Trust us, it will be SO worth it
Don’t let these two important legal aspects of your website get overlooked! By adding these two things to your already *ahhmazing* website, you’ll be able to cover all your bases and show up as the confident business owner that you are. Plus, your website visitors and customers will appreciate your commitment to transparency…and love you that much more, right from the get go!
Check out our ready-to-use, lawyer-approved, plug-and-play legal contract templates! So you can upgrade your client contract while staying Profitable & Protected™✨
Not sure where to begin? We’ve got you. Grab our FREE Legally Launch Handbookto get the legal lowdown on everything in entrepreneurship, without the confusing mambo jumbo. We’re serving it up straight & to the point. (Heads up: It’ll forever transform the way you view your client relationships!) Grab your copy now.
*The information presented in this blog post is for educational & informational purposes only. This should not be a substitute for customized legal advice from a licensed professional in a private setting. If you need legal advice, please consult with an attorney. This is not a law firm.
