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
