Month: July 2020

A lot of bloggers think a contact page isn’t necessary. But they’re wrong. Keep reading to find out why you need a contact page and how to create a stunning one for your blog.

So far we have created some very important pages for our blog including an “About” page, a “Start Here” page, a “Privacy Policy” page, and a “Disclosure” page. Today we’re going to create a contact page.

So many bloggers think that a contact page isn’t necessary for their blog. However, they are more than likely missing out on potential customers, guest writers, and collaborators.

Having a contact page is very important no matter what size your blog is. Especially if you want visitors and readers to get in touch with you.

To see all the important pages every blog should have, click here.

Why do you need a contact page?

Other than the reasons mentioned above, a contact page:

• Protects against spam: Putting your email address on your website leaves you open to receive tons of spam emails. Spambots are constantly scanning for the email address tag on websites.
• Saves time: Form confirmations can be used to send people their next steps, such as a landing page, a video, or just a simple note telling them you’ll get back with them soon.
• Potential opportunities: A lot of times, if there’s no way to get in touch on your site, people leave and don’t come back. This means you’re missing out on potential guest writers, collaborators, customers, and readers.
• Gathers reliable information: People don’t always provide you with all the details when they send you an email. However, with a contact form, you can tell them exactly what you need from them. You can require their email, phone number, and more. You can also include a dropdown box so they can choose the topic.

What should the page have?

An effective contact page should be a basic page and only include the following:

• Contact form: Obviously. This is the easiest and safest way for people to get in touch with you.
• Social media links: If you plan to have people communicate with you through social media, then include your links on this page as well.
• Photo: While this is not a requirement, having a photo on your contact page will make your blog stand out and look stunning!

Set expectations for form users

• No matter what size your blog is, you should let readers know right away that you will not be able to respond immediately. You can include this in your confirmation message, or somewhere on your page. I include a simple statement in my confirmation message that says, “I will respond shortly.”
• Make it clear which emails you will not respond to. For example, anyone that seems spammy, or anyone that is just being plain rude. You don’t have to respond to every single email.
• Have visitors check your FAQ’s page before they send you their questions.

Best Contact Page Tips

• Double-check for grammatical and spelling errors.
• Keep it simple. This is the most basic page on your blog. It’s doesn’t need to be filled up with a ton of information.
• Only require name, email address, and message on the form itself. Some people do not feel comfortable sharing all of their information with you.

How to create a simple contact form

There are a lot of different plugins that you can get for free through WordPress for contact forms. The form I use is WPForms Lite. It’s free and easy to use. It’s beginner-friendly and includes drag and drop options. If you need more features you can always upgrade to the paid version.

For this example, I’ll be using this form so you can see how easy it is.

Creating a contact form step-by-step

1. Install the plugin

The first thing you need to do is to install the WPForms Lite plugin. Go to plugins, then click add new. Search for “WPForms”, click “install now”. Once the plugin has been installed, click “activate”. (Just as an FYI: the picture for the plugin is a bear waving.)

2. Create the form in WordPress

Inside your dashboard, click WPForms on the left sidebar, and then click add new.

You’ll see a page to select a template. Choose the template you want to use. For this example, I’m going to use the “Simple Contact Form”, which just includes the name, email, and message fields. However, you can edit the fields any way you like or even change their order by dragging and dropping them.

When you’re done, click save.

3. Setting notifications and confirmations

Form confirmation is what the person sees after they submit the form. This could be a simple thank you message, or a redirect to a certain page on your website. There’s already a default message set up, which you can change if you wish.

Form notification is the email you get after a person submits the form. The notifications will go to the admin email that you have set up on your website. If you want to send the notification to a different email, change it in the “send to email address” field.

4. Add the form to a page

Create a new page in WordPress and give it a name, such as “Contact Me” or “Contact Us”. In the body of your page, you can include a short and sweet message, then add the form.

To add the form, simply click the arrow to add a new block, then search for WPForms. Click it to add it to your page, then in the dropdown menu click the form you just created. Then click Publish at the top right of your page and you’re done!

So, to recap, don’t underestimate the importance of having a contact page on your blog. You will be missing out on potential customers, collaborators, readers, and guest writers without one. There should be a way for visitors to get in touch with you with any questions or suggestions they may have. And you should want to welcome that to build a relationship with your audience.

If you are running a monetized blog, then you are required by law to have a disclosure page. I’ll cover exactly what that means in this article. And I’ll also share two different templates for you at the end of the post.

So far we’ve created a “Start Here” page, an “About Me” page, and a “Privacy Policy Page” for our blog. Today we’re going to create a “Disclosure Page” and learn more about what disclosure is exactly.

Blogging can be a lot of fun and a little bit addicting. You’re in control of what you say and do and there’s no boss to answer to. You are the boss here!

However, just because you’re deciding what you write about doesn’t mean you don’t have to include all the legal stuff. And if you live in the United States and run a monetized blog, then a disclosure page is an absolute must. It’s a legal requirement you need to stay out of trouble.

Click here to read about all the important pages your blog needs.

Disclosure vs. Disclaimer

Before we get started on your disclosure page, you may be asking yourself what the difference is between a disclosure and a disclaimer. Here’s the simple version:

Disclosures provide your readers with all the necessary information regarding a purchase or promotion. It’s giving your audience a head’s up that you will get paid if they make a purchase through your links.

Disclaimers let your readers know that you are just sharing information and it’s up to them what they do with that information. Basically, it’s a statement denying your responsibility.

What is a Disclosure Page for Blogs?

As mentioned above, a disclosure page for blogs is a written statement that lets your readers know about any relationships you have with brands, products, and partners mentioned on your site. It shares that there is a relationship between you and what you are promoting and there is money involved.

Not only is a disclosure page a legal requirement, it also creates transparency between you and your readers. This builds trust between you and your audience, which is necessary to run a successful blog.

Why is it required?

If you plan to monetize your site through ads, affiliate links, email marketing, selling products, or sponsored posts, then you are required to have a disclosure page.

Disclosures limit your liability on your content, meaning they help you stay legal and out of trouble.

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has established policies that you must follow in order for your blog to remain legal. These policies allow your readers to know and understand that you will be paid for sharing certain information.

You can read the full report here so you can understand what is required by law. I highly recommend reading it all very closely.

Types of Content Requiring Disclosures

Any time you share a product, company, or band that you will be paid for, then you must include a blog disclosure. This can be a simple statement at the top of your page, but it should link to a disclosure page that has more information.

Here are two examples of when you can add the simple statement to the top of your posts:

1. Sponsored posts

Sponsored posts are posts that you are writing for someone else, such as a brand, and getting paid for. For example, a certain brand of soap sends you their product to try and will pay you to write a post about it.

You are required by law to let readers know that this is a sponsored post. They need to understand that before they click your link to buy the soap for themselves.

2. Affiliate links

Affiliate marketing is where a lot of bloggers make money. Adding a link to a product that your readers may purchase requires a disclosure since you will get paid if they buy the product. For example, writing a post about your favorite farmhouse wall décor and adding links to Amazon for readers to purchase.

Where do you put a disclosure statement?

When you write a sponsored post or a post with affiliate links, a blog disclosure statement must be placed as close to the link as possible. Your reader has to see the disclosure before clicking the link.

A link to your disclosure page must be visible on every page. It’s best to add it to a menu or your website’s footer. I include a link to mine in the footer. Also, you need to add a link to your disclosure page in your disclosure statement.

Sponsored posts

For sponsored posts, a simple disclosure statement can be added to the top of your post before your blog content. For example: “This is a sponsored post on behalf of (company name). All opinions are my own.”

If you plan to share your sponsored post to Instagram, Twitter, or Pinterest then you also have to share a disclosure statement there. A simple way of doing this is to use the hashtags #sponsored or #ad or both. This lets readers know that you were paid to write the post before they read it.

Sharing a sponsored post to Facebook also requires a disclosure statement, but you have to go about it differently. They have policies that you must follow or your post will be removed or they can even shut down your entire account. (This is another reason I do not use Facebook for my blog.)

To share a sponsored post on Facebook you first have to apply to have branded content on your own page. To do this, you must follow these steps:

1. Visit the branded content tool page
2. Select the page you want to use
3. Click send

It takes up to 2 business days for them to respond. You can read more about Facebook Branded Content here.

Affiliate links

Affiliate links also require a disclosure statement, which should be as close to the link as possible. Just typing “affiliate links” somewhere in your post is not enough. You have to let your readers know that your content has affiliate links and you will be paid if they make a purchase through one or more of your links.

For example: On my lifestyle blog, I write a short introduction, then a header before my main content. I know my affiliate links will be in that content, so I include a short disclosure statement saying “Posts contain affiliate links. I may be compensated if you make a purchase through one of the links. To learn more about what this means for you, click here.” I include a link to my disclosure page in the word “here”.

Amazon has its own disclosure statement that you must include somewhere on your site. You can copy this statement and put it directly in your disclosure page, or put it on your site’s sidebar or in the footer. You can read about that here, under #5: Identifying Yourself as an Associate.

How to Write a Disclosure Page for Your Blog

Now that we have went over what a disclosure page is, why it is required, and where you should put a disclosure statement, let’s learn how to write one.

Here are some disclosure page examples that I love.

Example #1

“This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. We accept forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation.

Also, this blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. We believe in honesty of relationship, opinion, and identity. The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics, or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space, or post will be clearly identified as paid or sponsored content.

The owner of this blog may be compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites, and various other topics. Even though the owner of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers’ own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party in question.

This blog may contain content which might present a conflict of interest. This content will always be identified.”

Example #2

“This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions, or other forms of compensation. Any paid or compensated content will be clearly distinguished as such. All opinions are, and will always be, my own.

Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider in question.

Also, this blog also publishes affiliate links. An affiliate link means I may earn a commission if you make a purchase through my link, without any extra cost to you. (Thank you for your support!)“

You can use these as a reference, but please make your disclosure page your own. It should come from you with your writing personality. But it should include all the legal requirements and don’t forget to add in the Amazon statement if you are an Amazon affiliate.

I don’t make a full separate disclosure page for my blog. I include it at the bottom of my Privacy Page. You can do this, as well, or you can make it a full page. It’s entirely up to you how you do it as long as you do it.

A privacy policy page is a must-have for bloggers, so don’t skip this page. In this article, I’ll go over why a privacy page is so important as well as show you how to create one.

Your blog has been created and you have some posts written. You’re good to go, right?

Not so fast.

Every blog needs a privacy policy page in order to comply with state, federal, and global laws. These laws protect consumer privacy rights in every state.

Refusing to follow these laws can land you some hefty fines.

But, don’t worry. Creating a privacy policy page for your blog isn’t difficult and can be done fairly easy. I’ll show you how!

First, let’s go over what the heck this page even is.

To read about all the important pages your blog should have, click here.

What is a privacy policy page?

Whenever you visit any website, you are leaving behind pieces of information. This includes your name, email address, IP address, and more.

The purpose of this page is to disclose:

• what information the website collects
• what the website does with collected information
• who else has access to that information
• how the information is protected
• how long the information is kept

Creating a privacy policy page protects you from legal liability and protects your readers from any potential privacy breaches.

Since just about every website you visit is collecting privacy information, you need to be protected.

How blogs collect private information

Blogs are no different that other websites when it comes to attracting an audience. We all want our audiences to eventually convert to subscribers. To do that, we have to collect their names and email addresses.

However, that’s not the only way blogs collect private information from readers. The list goes on and on.

How private information is collected:

• List sign up forms (so readers can sign up for your email list)
• Contact forms
• Chat tools (require email or other personal information)
• Social sharing tools (anytime a reader shares your blog post)
• Comment form
• Ecommerce (for online stores)
• Cookies (most websites require that you accept the cookies)
• Third party services (such as ads)

If your blog has one or more of these items (and most likely it does) then you must have a privacy policy page to comply with the rules.

How to create a privacy policy page

To begin with, let’s go over what this page should have and do.

A privacy policy page should:

• be well written and easy to understand
• identify all the possible ways your blog is collecting readers’ personal information
• include information you collect directly (ex: pop-up forms) and indirectly (ex: ads)
• acknowledge your respect for and regard to all applicable laws

My favorite way to create a privacy page is with a privacy policy generator. This is so simple – just fill out some information and the generator does all the hard work for you.

The generator I use for my page is PrivacyPolicies.com. It’s super simple and the best part is that it’s free to use!

After filling out all of the required information, you have the option to download it or copy and paste it right into your page.

They also offer free clauses for analytics tools and ads. If you want anything extra, you will have to pay for it.

Where to place the page on your blog

After you’ve created your privacy policy page and published it, you want to make sure it is somewhere that it can be seen. This can include your footer, your sidebar, or in a secondary menu. A link to the page can also be placed in a sub-menu as a drop-down under your “about” section.

You must familiarize yourself with all the legalities if you are serious about running a successful money-making blog.

Favorite Resouces

GDPR – “What is GDPR, the EU’s new data protection law?”

Privacy Policy Requirements for a Blog