WordPress Privacy Policy Guide: How to Create One

July 1. 2020

Privacy and online safety have always been an important issue for website owners all over the world. Your website is your business (or an integral part of it), so it goes without saying that you would go to extra measures to protect it. In regards to that, a lot of people have been left with many questions about the process of adding a WordPress privacy policy on their websites. And it is for that reason that we have decided to compose a comprehensive WordPress privacy policy guide that will contain an answer to your most pressing questions.

But before we start, we would just like to remind you of the importance of online safety. Performing regular security scans shouldn’t be an option – it should be a necessity. Just like creating a privacy policy should be high up on your to-do list.

A three-step WordPress privacy policy guide

Before we give you a rundown of the process, we would just like to tell you that we aren’t here for giving any legal advice. We can tell you how to create a privacy policy, but it would be best if you consulted a lawyer. They can tell you which details to include so that you really end up with good use of your time.

1. Creating a new page for your WordPress privacy policy

The great thing about WordPress is that it gives you options – and many of them. That’s why when creating a privacy policy, you can do it in one of two ways. For starters, you can create a new policy from scratch by opening a new page and starting to write. However, what we recommend you do is find an existing page to designate as your privacy policy. You can find this option under Settings > Privacy and then choose a page that you want to change and update. But there is a small catch with this option – you need to have your site updated to the latest version in order to use it. And we here at WP Full Care always find it to be good to have your site updated and functional.

If you start by selecting the Create New Page option, you will see the WordPress editor which you are already familiar with open up. You can use this as a template for your WordPress privacy policy and just go ahead to fill in the blanks.

2. Filling in website-specific information

If you are using the template as we suggested, then you already have a number of already finished sections in front of you. The first thing we advise you to do is to thoroughly familiarize yourself with the entire template and the pieces of information it contains. And once you spot the parts that need to be changed, then we suggest you provide as much information as possible. As we mentioned before, this is probably the part where you will want to consult with a professional team. But what we can tell you is which pieces of information definitely need to be covered.

• The type of data that your website collects from its visitors
• The reason behind you collecting this data and what you use it for
• If data is shared with any third parties, such as payment processors
• The rights visitors have over their data
• The precise way you protect the visitor’s data

We understand that you might feel overwhelmed just by looking at all these pieces of information that you need to include. But our WordPress privacy policy guide would not be complete had we not shared these details with you. While still on this step, we just feel the need to warn you not to forget to include important information – no matter how much obvious it might seem. Get everything in writing – that’s the golden rule.

3. Displaying the privacy policy on your website

Creating a privacy policy that you think is great doesn’t mean much if your website visitors can’t see it. Clearly, publishing the page will make the policy appear on your website. But that won’t do the trick. You can’t expect your visitors to go on a hunting trip just to be able to find the information they need. Instead, the path to your privacy policy should be just within their reach.

There’s a handy trick most WordPress owners use – they display a link to the policy on every page of the website. And they do that by editing the footer of the site or by using the main navigation menu or a sidebar. And if there are any places where you deliberately collect user data, such as forms and sign up pages, we suggest you also include a link to your WordPress privacy policy.

With that, our WordPress privacy policy guide is complete

Once you display the policy for everyone to see, our part of the job is done. However, you need to remember that your WordPress policy is a living document. That means that it should be updated and changed in accordance with the other changes on your website. If you are familiar with even the basics of being a WordPress owner, then you know that theme, plugin, and software updates are a necessity. So any time you add a new form or install a new plugin, you should first make sure that your policy is updated and relevant soon after. Not to mention making any major updates to your WordPress website, since these can change the way you collect data.

For the very end, you’ll be able to uncover just one more tip in our WordPress privacy policy guide – keeping it simple yet comprehensive. Make sure everything is included in a way that makes sense and you won’t have any problems. You will have a privacy policy that all of your users will fully understand.