Short answer: YES!
Picture this…
Your website is ready to go and your launch is planned out for your new business. All the hard work you have put into it is finally turning into what a business ready to soar looks like.
Your feeling good, confident and generally pumped to get it going. Then you receive an email from your website developer asking you for your website legals, the trinity headache for most new businesses, your Terms and Conditions, a Disclaimer and a Privacy Policy.
Those three legal terms would be enough to stop anyone in their tracks and move that email into the “I will deal with this in an alternate universe where I can pretend that it is exciting” folder.
We’ve all been here at some point in our business journey.
But they are actually three very important documents for you, your clients, and your business. And, they don’t have to be complicated. In fact, it’s better if they are easy to understand so that they can be used as a communication tool.
You can use your website legals to communicate to clients about how you’re using your online content and how you intend to use data related to interaction on your website. These documents build trust between you and your clients.
I know you would rather attend a dentist appointment than work on your website legals, but I want you to know why it’s so important to have your website legals sorted.
Here are the four most important reasons why you need website legals in your business:
1 – Without these policies in place, there is a gaping hole in your business credibility.
2 – If you are collecting personal data on your website, by law you need to have a privacy policy in place. That includes newsletter subscriptions, opt-ins, memberships, contact forms and the like.
3 – Website legals written and quality assured by a legal professional will protect not only you but also your business in case of a future dispute with a client or third party.
A clearly defined relationship in your website legals between you and your customer will be considered by the court in case of any legal action, so you want to make sure you get that right. Hence the importance behind having website legals in place.
4 – Cancellation policies and refunds are about as much fun as bookkeeping, but it’s good business practice to have them. Making this part of the sales process clear with customers will streamline your clients buying experience, and make handling disputes easier to manage.
Now, after all of this I can hear you saying, “but I have no idea where to even start with this!”
You might even think that you could just knock off website legals from another online business similar to yours.
Researching what others are using for their legals is one thing, in fact, it can be a good thing, but copyright infringement applies. Not only that, but I can guarantee that your business processes and policies are NOT the same as anyone else’s. You and your business are unique. At least I hope so anyway.
Instead of stepping into someone else’s shoes, (eww right?) and copy and pasting those legals into your email reply to your website developer, it’s easy as pie to have your website legals created to match your exact business needs.
Whether you are a complete newbie to website legals or you already have a set of those borrowed” disclaimers, privacy policies or terms and conditions, you will not only look professional by having them created just for you and your business, but you also ensure that you and your business are protected. Not to mention your clients as well.
Need someone to look over your existing legals or create website legals customised to your business?
Work with me to create your website legals so that you can know that they represent your beautiful business’s policies, procedures and within your jurisdiction. Book in a free consultation with me to talk about how this works, or start with a $97 Power Session to get you on the right track.
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