This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I may earn a small commission at no cost to you if you make a purchase through the links.
If you treat your blog as a business, then you should start blogging legally.
Did you know that there is a legal side of blogging and that you need legal pages on your blog to start blogging legally?
I know you didn’t want to hear it, but unfortunately, yes, there is a legal side of blogging, and there are essential legal pages for websites that you need to have.
And whether you like it or not, you have to be aware of it and learn how to protect your blog legally.
As an entrepreneur, you don’t want to run the risk of having someone steal your content, or sue you because they got hurt when they followed your “advice”.
Similarly, someone can also sue you for stolen content. Not that you’ll be stealing others’ content, but sometimes we make mistakes.
However, it doesn’t need to go that far if you have the proper legal pages to protect your blog.
So, today you will learn the best practices on how to protect your blog legally using legal pages without spending thousands of dollars.
But before we begin, I am NOT a lawyer, and this information is provided for informational and educational purposes only.
It should NOT be substituted for the advice of a legal professional, and I am not liable for what you choose to do with this information.
How To Start Blogging Legally
Starting and maintaining a blog takes a lot of hard work. You invest so much time and effort that you and your blog deserve to be protected.
And in order to protect you and your blog, you need to start blogging legally.
And to do so, your blog needs legal pages. When you have these pages, you are protecting not only your blog but also yourself from being sued.
You see, people can actually sue or press charges against you based on the information or “advice” that you provided on your blog, how you collect or store data, and so much more.
What Are The Legal Pages For Websites
There are three major legal pages that should be on your blog and they are:
Privacy Policy
The Privacy Policy page discloses how your blog or third-parties like your email marketing service collect, store, and handle customer information.
It states what kind of information is collected when your customer visits your sites, signs ups for your email list or makes any purchases.
The Privacy Policy also discloses whether or not you will share the information you collected with other parties.
Terms And Conditions
The Terms and Conditions page states the terms that a customer is agreeing to with regards to the website, social media, sales, emails, etc.
It basically states that when your customers access or interact with your blog, they are agreeing to the terms and conditions you laid out on your page.
Disclaimer
A Disclaimer is also sometimes known as disclosures. It is usually a statement that you deny any responsibility for an action.
It basically means that whatever information you provide on your blog is for informational and educational purposes only.
For example, if you run a health blog on dieting, you will have a disclaimer that states that you are not a doctor. And that any information you provided on your blog is for informational purposes only and should not be taken as a substitute for the advice of a physician.
For My Worthy Penny, I have a disclaimer that states that I am not a financial advisor, and the information on the site should not be treated as such.
Also on the Disclaimer page is where your Affiliate Disclaimer should be located if you plan to sell or link affiliate products on your blog.
The Federal Trade Commission(FTC) requires all affiliate marketers to disclose that they are getting paid to promote a product. You can learn more about FTC’s rules here.
How To Get Legal Pages For Your Blog
Write Your Own Legal Pages
If you’re well versed in the legal world, then you can write your own legal pages.
However, you don’t really need to sound lawyerly when you’re crafting your pages, you just need to be clear so that your readers can understand.
To get ideas, you can simply search for top bloggers in your niche and read over their legal pages. However, DO NOT COPY other people’s legal pages because you can get in trouble for copyright infringement.
The good thing about writing your own legal pages is it’s FREE, you’ll just be investing your time.
The bad thing about it is it takes time to craft your own legal pages, and in the end, you’re not confident enough that you’ve covered everything.
Use Free Templates
If you want to save time and money, free templates are available for you online. They are easy to use, you just plug in your information, and they will generate the pages for you.
Here are some of the sites that can generate legal pages for FREE.
Although you’ll save time and money with these free generators, you’ll not be quite sure that you’re completely covered.
As a new blogger, you can start off with free templates, but as you grow and start making money, consider legal pages that cover all the bases.
Hire A Lawyer
Hiring a lawyer would be the best and ideal way to be completely confident that you’re 100% covered.
However, they are not cheap! It could easily cost you a few hundred dollars to a few thousand.
Who has the money for that?
Definitely not a new blogger, who’s just starting out.
Use Paid Templates Drafted By A Lawyer
If you want to save time and money, as well as have the peace of mind that you covered all the bases, then paid templates that are drafted by a lawyer is the way to go.
Yes, they’re not free, but they are not as expensive as hiring a lawyer. You get the same quality of legal pages and legal protection without the costly price tag.
If you want customized legal pages written by a lawyer, you can check out Amira’s Legal Bundle. Amira is a lawyer and also a blogger, so she definitely knows her stuff. She had helped over 2000+ bloggers with their legal pages.
There you have it! Those are the main pages you need for your blog. However, as you build and grow your business, you’ll find yourself exploring more options to monetize.
You might start working for others through freelancing, start a collaboration or even hire freelancers to help you out.
When that time comes, consider legal contracts such as sponsored post contract and freelance contracts to protect yourself and your business.
As a new blogger, it’s okay not to worry too much about getting into legal trouble because you’re just starting out. However, this is something that you need to be aware of so that you can prepare your blog legally as soon as you start making money.
So, how will you start blogging legally?’
Blogging Related Articles:
- How To Drive Traffic To A Brand New Blog
- How To Start A Blog And Get Paid
- How to Start A WordPress Blog Using Siteground
- Best Tips In Building A Successful Blog
- Best Online Course For Beginner Bloggers
Making sure your blog is legal is so important! Thanks for sharing this info!
Thanks for reading Jessica 🙂