Privacy policies are a best practice in today’s interactive Web 2.0 World. Regardless of whether you have a blog or a website, publishing your privacy policy builds trust with your site visitors and also tells search engines that your site is legit!
4 Steps to Planning Your Privacy Policy
Keep these four things in mind as you plan your privacy policy:
- Keep it simple and make it easy to read!
- Make it easy to find on your website! Place links to your privacy policy in places that are easy to find on your website. For example, next to your company information link, in the footer, next to any action that requests information about your site visitor etc.
- Don’t copy a privacy policy from another site! Not only is this unethical, but privacy policies are not a one size fits all proposition. Different businesses will have different information requirements for their websites.
- Make your commitment to your site’s visitor information as serious as you are about your own information. Writing your own policy also helps to insure that YOU have a thorough understanding of exactly what information is being kept and tracked.
An Excellent Tool to Create Your Privacy Policy
There are many consumer sites that offer advice in putting together your privacy policy. But one of the best tools to actually help you to do this can be found at the Direct Marketing Associations website. While not intended to replace professional guidance, it offers a sound framework that helps to insure you cover all of the key points.
The DMA Privacy tool steps you through a series of questions that lets you choose what information you want stated in your privacy policy. It then generates your policy in either plain text or html, which you can implement on your website.
In addition to the Privacy Policy tool, the site offers lots of helpful information about the critical elements of privacy policies. And it has a tool to that is specifically geared to create privacy policies for children. You can find the tools and information at the DMA Resources page!