We construct a lot of websites at Programming Expertz. They all have various styles and functions, but most of them share five behind-the-scenes aspects that we recommend putting on every site. They aren’t glamorous, but they are essential. Here’s an explanation of what they are and why we include them.
Policy on Personal Information Protection
A privacy policy is necessary by law if you collect any personally identifiable information from your site visitors. A privacy policy outlines the types of personal data you gather, such as first and last names, credit card numbers, email addresses, and Social Security numbers. Your privacy policy should also include the following information:
- How is information gathered?
- What it’s used for
- Whether or if the data obtained is shared, sold, or rented to a third party.
- What security procedures are in place to safeguard the data?
- The options are open to consumers regarding personal data usage, such as whether and how they may opt out of sharing data.
- What third-party services your site uses to collect, process, or retain personal information, and how users may edit, amend, or delete any personal information gathered
Conditions of Use
While it is not legally essential to have terms of service or terms and conditions page, it is a good idea to have one. The restrictions and conditions that users must observe when using your website are detailed on a terms page. It should contain disclaimers that restrict your legal liability for mistakes, inaccuracies, connections to other websites, and third-party assertions made on your site. It should also mention the location of your website’s operation, generally the firm name and address so that viewers are aware of the site’s legal jurisdiction.
Sitemap
A site map is a hierarchical list of all the pages on your website. A site map not only helps site visitors find a page but also ensures that Google and other search engines can crawl and index all of your site’s content. A site map, according to Google, is handy for huge sites, were just established, contain internal pages that are not linked to each other, or employ rich media content.
A site map is created automatically for websites established with our proprietary Programming Experts CMS (content management system). We manually construct site maps for the WordPress sites we design.
Copyright
Any unique content on your website is immediately protected by copyright law. While it is not required, including a copyright notice on your website is a good idea. Copyright can strengthen your legal rights and help you obtain more damages if someone steals your online work, and it can discourage infringements.
A copyright notice should include the following information:
- The copyright sign, as well as the words “Copyright” or “Copr.”
- The year(s) in which the work was published, either as a list (2017, 2016, 2015) or as a range (1996–2017).
- The copyright holder’s name
In most cases, posting one copyright notice at the bottom of the main page is sufficient to cover the whole site’s content. For added security, connect the copyright notice to a dedicated copyright page on your site, or include a copyright section in your terms of service page declaring that you own the material, design, and visuals on your site and that nothing on the site may be replicated without permission.
Statement of Accessibility
An accessibility statement or policy informs your website visitors that you are dedicated to making your website’s content accessible to all visitors, including those with disabilities. W3C’s Web Content Accessibility Principles provide the most up-to-date accessibility best practices and guidelines (WCAG).
The following information should be included in the accessibility statement:
- A declaration of intent to provide an accessible website.
- An outline of the website’s accessibility principles and requirements.
- Instructions on how to improve readability by adjusting text size, typefaces, and background colors.
- A list of known exceptions to the website’s accessibility.
- Contact information for any users who have accessibility recommendations or need assistance with your website.
