How to ensure website compliance

The advent of the GDPR in 2018 was the first major change in a number of years, which sought to protect the privacy of web / app users and raised some serious questions in how we become the product.

However as a business owner, you want to be able to track behaviour and interaction on your website to be able to fine tune services, your overall offering, and automations to help engage better with your clients and prospects.

What do they all mean?

Privacy Policy

Fundamentally, it’s down to your overall Privacy Policy. This governs how you store personal data as a business, not just from your website. Technically, your GDPR policy is part of your overall Privacy Policy, though it can be useful to separate them.

GDPR Policy – for UK and EU businesses

Even though the UK has left the EU, it is best to err on the side of caution and ensure compliance – and indeed the The Data Protection Act 2018 is the UK’s version of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). You may have EU residents browsing you website, so best to have it covered.

To comply with GDPR, you need to have a Privacy Policy.

International Laws

As the conversation widened, different countries, and even different US states have added their own: the more notable Californian CCPA, Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA), Colorado Privacy Act – and many more. Technically these only apply if you are trading in and/or have users in those

Cookie policy

This is the notice that *should* pop up on a reputable website. Cookies are essentially snippets of data that log actions, functions and also track interaction, for example:

• keeping you logged in
• remembering you’re logged in
• noting if you have deactivated a pop up
• tracking performance
• tracking interaction

They are grouped typically as

• Functional (for smooth operation of a website)
• Essential (even the notice itself stores a cookie!)
• Preferences (tailoring your experience on the site)
• Statistics (monitoring)
• Marketing (tracking etc)

A good cookie tool will guide you as the website owner through the process. Examples are CookieBot and Termageddon (more on this later).

So where do you start?

There are three main ways you can approach this:

1. DIY – there are ‘basic/free’ templates out there, but you’re on your own there! We have heard of clients using ChatGPT and the like to generate them, but please remember that they will NOT necessarily cover you in the case of a breach. Tread with caution!
2. Bespoke – ahead of the GDPR, we partnered with BEB Contract & Legal Services, who offer a website compliance package that covers all bases. They offer an initial consultation and then draft the policies for you. We did our own through them, however for our Cookie policy we used a tool for ultimate compliance. This is really the belt and braces approach – being a web business that handles data, we wanted to make sure we had it ALL covered effectively! We also had our T&Cs done with them – essential!
3. Compliance tool – we have recently switched to using Termageddon for handling this process for clients. It has a super simple process, walking you through each section, and we can also access and verify for you. They also offer Terms of Use and EULA, should you need them.

Why use a managed platform like Termageddon?

The appeal is threefold: it’s part DIY, it’s dynamic to incorporate law changes as they happen, and it’s very reasonably priced. In their own words:

“Set it & Forget it”
When you incorporate a Termageddon policy into a website, it will automatically receive updates with any newly required disclosures whenever the laws change.

Straightforward Pricing
All the policies your website or application requires – £12 per month or £119 annually.

Unlimited Revisions
Whenever you introduce a new feature or functionality, you can make limitless revisions to your website policies without incurring extra charges.

Simple Configuration
Answer a few questions to swiftly generate any policy tailored to your specific business practices.

Notifications and Alerts
Receive notifications whenever new privacy laws are enacted in Canada, North America, Europe, and Australia, enabling you to remain current with compliance requirements.

Customisable
Effortlessly customise any policy to your preference. We won’t alter the sections you customise, but we will inform you if new disclosures affect your personalised version.