Legal pages for any website: privacy, terms and cookies, and which ones you need

The short answer: almost every site needs a privacy page, because almost every site collects something (a form, a visit counter, an e-mail). Terms are only needed if you sell or provide a service. The cookie notice depends on what the site uses and where the visitors are. Rules vary by country, so this article says what each page contains, not what one place’s law requires.

What each page is, and when you need it

Page What it says When it is needed
Privacy policy What data you collect, what for, for how long, who you share it with and how a person asks for access or deletion. When the site collects any personal data: contact form, comments, sign-ups, purchases, statistics.
Terms and conditions The rules for whoever uses the service: prices, payments, delivery, cancellations, liabilities. When you sell or provide a service. For a shop, see The legal pages an online shop needs.
Cookie policy and notice Which cookies you use, what for, and how a person accepts or refuses them. When there are cookies that are not strictly necessary (statistics, advertising). See The cookie notice.
Legal notice / about us The company’s identification: name, address, tax number, contact. In many countries, for company sites. Check yours.

How to do it

1 Find out what the site collects before writing. Go through the form, the plugins, the statistics, the embedded videos and social buttons: each one may collect data.
2 Write in plain language, in your visitors’ language. A text nobody understands protects nobody.
3 Link the pages in the footer, on every page, and next to form boxes.
4 Keep them true. If you start using a new service that collects data, update the text.
Do not copy another site’s legal pages. The text may not match what your site does, and another country’s rules may differ from yours. For cases with consequences (health, minors, payments), get advice from a professional in your country. See Personal data protection.
A model is a useful starting point, as long as you review it line by line and delete what is not yours. And think about who writes to the site: A contact form.

Want help understanding what data your site collects? Open a ticket with the address.

Open a support ticket

SEE ALSO

Personal data protection: what applies to your website

The cookie notice and consent: what your site collects without you knowing

The legal pages an online shop needs: terms of sale, returns and privacy

Building an e-mail list legally: consent, sign-up forms and unsubscribing

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