Managing an online space will require you to be cautious. Specifically, when your website is programmed to collect private information from your online audience. You have to make sure that your website viewers feel safe whenever they visit your website and share their personal information with you. You, as the owner, are required to keep your audience feel at ease and give their trust in you. One best solution to help you do that, is to master the art of how to write a privacy policy page.
What is a Privacy Policy?
A privacy policy can be defined as a form of legal statement which specifies what an online business or company owner does with the information they received from their customers. Mastering how to write a privacy policy lets businesses explain to their viewers how the collected personal data from them are well-protected and safely processed by the online business. The privacy policy page can also be referred to as a privacy statement, privacy notice, or simply privacy information.
With the widespread use of the internet, fraud, and illegal use of personal data are more possible. This made the Council of Europe conduct a study concerned with threats brought by internet expansion. During the year of 1968, they did a thorough research on how to protect human rights and privacy from the dangerous effects of technology. This study led to the creation of an online business website policy that aims to protect human personal information. Since then, businesses learned how to write a privacy policy and use this on their online businesses.
Image taken from The Grand Tour Florence
Another idea you need to understand on how to write a privacy policy is that it can be used for both your online website and even on mobile applications. Once adapted, you can start to use this sample privacy policy you created in showing your website viewers how you collect, manage, use and even disclose every information you get from them. If you do not have any idea on how to write a privacy policy page on your online website, you could be considered as someone breaching the law and if you are unlucky, you may even be sent to court by a dissatisfied website visitor.
One thing about understanding how to write a privacy policy is that making one connects you to several different federal regulatory systems. This group of people exists to protect internet users and every personal data they send online. Some of them are listed below:
- Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) - US
- California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) - California
- General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) - EU
- Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) - Canada
Aside from the fact that knowing how to write a privacy policy is required by the law, having an online privacy policy also helps you to maintain transparency. Understanding the different effective tips on how to write a privacy policy gives you a more solid connection towards your online community. When it comes to having a goal of cultivating complete trust and confidence from your audience, valuing how to write a privacy policy page is one great help.
Image taken from Residence & Restaurant San Michele
What Should You Include in Your Privacy Policy Template?
Now that you’ve understood what a privacy policy is, let’s now move on to the next step of understanding how to write a privacy policy page—knowing what to put on your free privacy policy template.
A sample privacy policy template is among the most important pages you could have on your online website. And before you could even perfect how to write a privacy policy template that rocks, you must first need to know what are the necessary data to include. To lessen your worries on mastering how to write a privacy policy, we’ve done our efforts in collecting them for you.
There are a number of elements you must never forget to disclose in a detailed and effective sample privacy policy template. These include:
- Specified Information
This first sample privacy policy template element answers the question, what specific type of information about website visitors do you collect? It is essential to list exactly the specific types of personal information that your website is collecting from your users. This includes the user’s first name or both names, personal email address, physical address/location, contact details, credit card information, bank account data, PayPal account details, IP addresses, and any other relevant information you get during transactions. When doing this part of understanding how to write a privacy policy, always remember to be as detailed as possible to prevent some misconceptions.
- The Reason
Another essential idea you should always remember on how to write a privacy policy is to include your reason for collecting such information. This part of your sample privacy template gives consumers the idea of where their personal information given to you is going. Through the presence of this section on your sample privacy policy page, you can explain to them where you are going to use the information you’ve collected for your website. To give you a better grip of this tip on how to write a privacy policy, we’ve listed few examples of how consumer’s personal data might be used by your online business:
- To give your website users an improved notification about important website updates
- To easily contact your customers for product marketing
- To share with third parties for website analytics or for an advertising purpose
- To help your website improve the content
- To serve as a display and help to measure ads and services
- Data Collection Methods
The next idea you should never forget on how to write a privacy policy is to include your data collection methods used in your platform. This includes adding elements on your free privacy policy template tactics like how you use contact forms that your website uses in collecting personal data.
- Contact Information
A contact clause added on your online privacy policy page is another juicy level of online website transparency towards your users. To get a tighter grip on your customer’s trust, provide them with a list of ways on how they can contact your business website whenever they need to. Give them an idea of how they can smoothly ask questions or concerns about their privacy. One pro-tip, it is much better if you can assign a specific email address or contact number handled by a specific group of people who can immediately manage privacy concerns and respond to your customer’s queries.
- Website Cookies Policy
Though your online business may not be using cookies to collect information from users, there are still chances that some of your website’s third-party software, plugins, or mobile applications do employ cookies. One great idea you should consider on how to write a privacy policy is to create a cookies policy section. Here are a few ideas we’ve listed which you can include in your Cookies Policy section:
- Briefly and clearly explain what cookies are and what they do
- Describe how cookies are used in your website and the reason why they are necessary
- Classify which specific type of cookies are used by your online business
- Detect the specific function performed by each type of cookie within your online website
- Access to Your Information
Understanding how to write a privacy policy includes accessing information you’ve collected from your users. To not give doubts to your website viewers, include a section on your sample privacy policy template where you would be discussing who can access the information you’ve collected from them. This may include specific email newsletter services, analytical software, and other different third-party tools.
Image taken from Habit House
Quick and Easy Tips on How to Write a Privacy Policy Page
Aside from the fact that understanding how to write a privacy policy page is required by the law, adding it to your online website is just another good business. Help create a safer and more effective eCommerce world by securing an online privacy page on your business website. To start creating your free privacy policy template, here are the simple steps we’ve provided for you.
- Always remember to write your privacy policy page in a simple and easy-to-understand language. Make it user-friendly and straightforward. Avoid being too flowery with your words.
- Do regular updates on your online privacy policy page. Changes in the law and protocols are usual in the field of business. Let your users be aware of this and always notify them regarding your website’s updates. You can also include the effective date within your sample privacy policy template.
- Be a truly committed service provider and always be transparent to your online users regarding their privacy and how you use them. This is another how to write a privacy policy hack on maintaining a stronger bond between you and your website users.
- Remember to make it clear and easy for your website users to do updates, change, or even delete their personal data given to you whenever they want to. You can also provide them tutorial information on how to opt out of different marketing communications.
- Always make your online privacy policy page accessible. Put your free privacy policy template on a section within your online website where users can easily spot them.
Create Your Online Privacy Policy Page with Strikingly
Working with us in Strikingly secures a stronger and safer connection between businesses and consumers. With most countries requiring a "Terms & Conditions” page or a "Privacy Policy" section on business websites, we’ve created a way on how to write a privacy policy page on your website easily.
To add a Terms and Conditions/ Privacy Policy page on your Strikingly website:
Step 1.Simply go to your Settings panel on the left sidebar of your website editor.
Image taken from Strikingly
Step 2. Select Advanced, and then click Legal. After clicking, you will see the option "Show Terms & Conditions".
Image taken from Strikingly
Step 3. Now, copy and paste your created sample privacy policy template into the text field and then click on Update. Your created Terms & Condition/sample privacy policy template will be displayed in your website’s footer and in your Simple Store's checkout flow.
Step 4. One pro-tip, always do one quick check to ensure that you have checked off the "Display footer at the bottom of the page" option, or else your created free privacy policy template will not show up on your website.
Image taken from Strikingly
Image taken from Strikingly
Step 5. Publish your created online privacy policy page changes and check your live website.
There are lots of website builders that can help you create your own online privacy policy page document. But, to ensure that you will master the art of how to write a privacy policy page, you must know how to properly choose them. After all, it is not just about you and your business, but most importantly your website user’s safety. So to avoid headaches, choose someone who knows how to do it right. Someone you can rely on when it comes to website building—just like Strikingly.
Want to know more about website building? Chat with us, and let’s start working together.
