4 Legal Pages Your WordPress Site Needs

There is a lot of content you need to have in place when first launching your WordPress site. In your rush to put together an appealing homepage, write a compelling About section, and make sure your blog or product categories are navigable, it’s easy to overlook the need for legal pages.

While they may not help you land conversions, these key pages can provide vital protection for you and your brand. If you implement them correctly, they can save you from minor fees and major lawsuits alike.

In this post, we’ll introduce you to four standard legal pages for WordPress sites. We’ll explain what each should contain, what types of websites need them, and how to craft your own. Let’s dive right in!

1. Privacy Policy

A Privacy Policy informs users how you collect and utilize their data on your site. There are several regulations that require this legal page, most notably the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If you’re running a small blog or business site, you might not think much about user data. However, at the very least you’re probably gathering some information on your site’s visitors through Google Analytics using plugins such as Monster Insights.

You may also collect comments for spam filtering, gather email addresses for your newsletter, use cookies to speed up your site’s login process, or even store payment information for e-commerce purposes. Users need to know all of this.

The most assured way to create any legal page for your WordPress site is to work with a lawyer. However, there are many Privacy Policy templates available online. In fact, WordPress comes with one included. You can find it by going to Settings > Privacy:

You can also use a platform such as Iubenda to generate the necessary content.

2. Terms and Conditions

You’re likely familiar with Terms and Conditions pages from various services you’ve signed up for. Social media platforms, app stores, and many other websites across the internet have them and require you to acknowledge that you’ve read (or at least scrolled to the bottom of) them:

The Apple Media Services Terms and Conditions.

In short, this is a contract between you and your users. Two of the most basic pieces of information to include are any registration requirements (such as fees and password policies) and guidelines for the use of your website (for example, not allowing users to post anything illegal in the comments section).

A Terms and Conditions page is important for protecting you from liability issues and abuses of your services. Any website will benefit from having one, but they’re especially important for Software as a Service (SaaS) brands, membership sites, and online marketplaces.

To create yours, you may want to look into Terms and Conditions templates or utilize a service such as Iubenda to generate personalized content for your brand. If you’re able to work with a lawyer, that’s always preferred. A legal professional will ensure you’re using the proper language to make your contract binding.

3. Disclaimer

Users come to your site for information and advice. In the event that they don’t achieve the results they expected after consulting your content, it’s helpful to have a statement to limit your liability.

That’s exactly what a disclaimer does. You can use yours to protect yourself from various situations, including:

Customers who injure themselves while using your products.
Users who injure themselves while using third-party products you recommended.
Readers who follow suggestions on your blog and aren’t pleased with the outcome (for example, someone who follows your recommended fitness plan but doesn’t lose any weight).
People pursuing legal action due to errors or accidentally incorrect information on your site.

Essentially, your disclaimer is a way of saying that you’re not responsible if something happens to your users as a result of something they read on your site. There are many templates online, but remember to always personalize pre-written content to fit your brand.

4. Affiliate Link Disclosure

Affiliate links can be a profitable way to monetize your site. However, your users have a right to know when you receive compensation for recommending certain products and services.

An Affiliate Link Disclosure page is necessary for complying with the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC’s) Endorsement Guidelines. Failing to include one on your WordPress site could result in hefty fines. Brands may also end their partnerships with you.

It’s important to note that you should include individual short disclosures wherever you post affiliate links, including blog and social media posts:

An example of a short affiliate link disclosure in a blog post.

However, you also need a full-length Affiliate Link Disclosure page where you detail which brands you work with, how you chose them, and how you’re compensated for promoting their products or services:

This page can be relatively short, and you can find templates online to help you get started. As with any legal page, remember to personalize your Affiliate Link Disclosure content.

Conclusion

It may seem like pouring a lot of time and effort into creating legal pages is a waste, since many of your visitors will never read them. However, having the proper safeguards in place will protect you from a variety of troubles should they arise.

In this post, we shared four important legal pages you need to be aware of:

Privacy Policy: Share how you gather and use data from people who visit your site.
Terms and Conditions: Spell out the rules and requirements of your site.
Disclaimer: Limit your liability for how users implement your suggestions and advice.
Affiliate Link Disclosure: Inform users of how your site generates revenue.

Do you have questions about creating legal pages for your WordPress site? Ask away in the comments section below!

Featured Image Credit: Helloquence.