Website Policies: What They Are and How to Add Them to Your Squarespace Website

Creating a website is exciting, but there's an often overlooked aspect: website policies. These legal documents might not be the most thrilling part of launching your website, but knowing what you need helps protect your business and makes your visitors feel safe. In this guide, I'll walk through the essential website policies you should consider, explain what they are, and explain how to add them to your Squarespace website.

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer, and the information in this article does not constitute legal advice. Legal requirements for websites vary by location, industry, and the nature of your business. For personalized guidance tailored to your specific situation, please consult with a lawyer.

What Are Website Policies and Why Do You Need Them?

Privacy Policy

What it is: A Privacy Policy outlines how you collect, use, store, and share visitor information. It details what personal data you gather (whether through forms, cookies, analytics tools, etc.), how you use this information, and whether you share it with third parties.

Why you need it: Privacy policies are legally required in many jurisdictions worldwide, including under regulations like the GDPR (Europe), CCPA (California), and similar laws in other regions. Even if not explicitly required in your location, having a clear privacy policy builds trust with your visitors and protects you from potential legal issues. If you collect any personal information whatsoever, even just email addresses for a newsletter, you should have a privacy policy.

Terms of Service

What it is: Terms of Service (also called Terms and Conditions or Terms of Use) establish the rules, guidelines, and responsibilities for using your website. This document acts as a contract between you and your users, covering aspects like acceptable use, account responsibilities, intellectual property rights, limitation of liability, and dispute resolution procedures.

Why you need it: Terms of Service protect your business by establishing clear boundaries for how visitors can use your site and content. They help limit your liability in case of disputes, clarify ownership of content, and provide legal recourse if someone misuses your website or services. For sites with user accounts, e-commerce functionality, or user-generated content, Terms of Service are especially important.

Disclaimer

What it is: A disclaimer is a statement that limits your responsibility for the information provided on your website. It clarifies that your content is for informational purposes only and that visitors use the information at their own risk.

Why you need it: Disclaimers help protect you from liability if visitors rely on your content for making decisions. They're particularly important for websites offering health, financial, legal, or educational information. Disclaimers can help limit your liability and make it clear to visitors that your content is not a substitute for professional advice.

Cookie Banner and Cookie Policy

What it is: A Cookie Banner informs visitors that your site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. The Cookie Policy (which can be part of your Privacy Policy or a separate document) explains in detail what cookies your site uses, their purpose, and how visitors can manage or opt out of them.

Why you need it: Cookie notices are legally required in many regions, especially under the EU's ePrivacy Directive and GDPR. Even for websites targeting audiences outside these regions, transparency about tracking technologies builds trust with your visitors. The cookie banner provides immediate disclosure, while the detailed policy offers comprehensive information for those who want to learn more.

Copyright Notice

What it is: A Copyright Notice states your ownership of the content on your website and outlines how others can (or cannot) use your material. It typically includes the copyright symbol ©, the year of publication, and the name of the copyright owner.

Why you need it: While not always legally required (copyright protection exists automatically in many countries), a visible copyright notice deters content theft by making your ownership explicit. It informs visitors about usage restrictions and can be helpful if you ever need to pursue legal action against unauthorized use of your content.

Where to Get Website Policies

Before you can add policies to your website, you need to create them. You have several options, ranging from free samples to hiring a professional. Let’s look at where you can get the policies you need, and which types are available.

Samples and Templates

Sample policies and templates are a good starting place. Many legal websites offer basic versions you can tweak for your own use. Just keep in mind, samples and templates usually offer broad coverage and might not fit your site or business perfectly. It’s important to read these carefully and update any sections that don’t match your website.

• Squarespace has free sample messages for your privacy policy

• The Contract Shop offers policy templates

Policy Generators

These tools ask questions about your site, where you are located, and then build custom policies based on your answers. The policies you get are more personalized than a template. Another added benefit is that you’ll be given a code to add to your website policy pages. As regulations changes the policy generator will automatically update your website policy pages!

• Termageddon is what I use and I love how easy it is to use.

• Termly offers a free privacy policy generator plus has other paid generators.

Hire a Lawyer

For a more personalized approach, you might consider hiring a lawyer to draft or review your policies to ensure they comply with current regulations and provide the best protection for your business. This is the best choice for websites with higher risk or unique needs. Lawyers cost more than templates or generators, but the investment pays off by protecting your business long term.

How to Add a Policy to Your Squarespace Website

Once you've created your website policies, you'll need to add them to your Squarespace site. Here's how to implement each type of policy:

Adding Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Other Policy Pages

In your Squarespace website, create a new page for each policy:

• Go to Pages > click the + icon next to “Not Linked” to add a new page without it appearing in your site’s main navigation menu.

• Name your page appropriately (e.g., "Privacy Policy" or "Terms of Service").

• Add your policy content to the page:

• If copy and pasting your content use a text block.

  • Make sure to format as needed with headings, paragraphs, and bullet points for readability.

  • Consider adding a "Last Updated" date at the top or bottom of the policy.

• If using a policy generator you will be given a code. You’ll want to copy and paste the code into a code block.

  • Double click into the code block and delete the placeholder text "<p>Hello, World!</p>" and replace it with the code from your policy generator.

  • Ensure that you do not enable the "Display Source" option, so the policy is rendered as intended rather than displaying the raw code.

  • Click out of the code pop-up and you should see your policy appear in the code block. Feel free to stretch and move the code block around until it fits in the page how you'd like.

• Check mobile view and hit “Save.”

Link the Policies in Your Footer:

• Go to your website's footer section. Go to any page to edit > scroll to the bottom of the page and hover over the footer > click the “Edit Footer” button

• Add a text block and link your policy pages

Adding a Cookie Banner

Squarespace does have a cookie banner that you can turn on and edit.

• Enable the Cookie Banner

  • Go to Settings > Cookies and Data Privacy > Toggle on “Banner”

  • Edit any of the Banner Text areas.

    • If you have explained cookies in your Privacy Policy or have a Cookies Policy, then link to that page in the Disclaimer Text.

  • Click “Save.”

• Customize the Cookie Banner

  • If you’re still in the “Cookies and Data Privacy” area click on “Customize banner style” or go to Styles > Miscellaneous > Cookie Banner (note you’ll only see this option in Styles if the cookie banner is turned on).

  • You can edit the colour theme, position and text size. Once finished remember to click “Save.”

Adding a Copyright Notice

You can simple write the copyright in the footer area of your website.

• Go to any page to edit > scroll to the bottom of the page and hover over the footer > click the “Edit Footer” button

• Add a text block, add your copyright notice, and click “save.”

  • For example: © [Current Year] [Your Business Name]. All Rights Reserved.

• I’d suggest putting the copyright at the very bottom of your footer and use the smallest size body font.

Conclusion

Website policies serve important functions for both website owners and visitors, they provide clarity, set expectations, build trust, and offer legal protection. As your website grows and evolves, remember to review and update these policies regularly to ensure they remain accurate and compliant with changing laws and business practices.