Is your website secure and compliant?  

If you have a website, there are a few legal considerations and compliance obligations that you need to discuss with an industry expert or legal professional. No matter what sort of business service you offer.

Australian businesses need privacy policies and the ACCC and the Australian Government are vigilant on how you present your trading – financial terms and conditions.  Insurance and financial planners also need to ensure that I have documents visible.  If you are marketing internationally, countries such as the United Kingdom, European Union and New Zealand have distinct rules around GDPR too.

No matter what business you are in, make sure you do your research. You must ask yourself the question, is your website compliant? The following points cover some of the legal requirements your business should consider for your online presence to ensure it’s secure and compliant.

1. Do you offer any form of advisory services?

If you offer advice on your site or publish blogs or vlogs, no matter how sincere or honest your intention is, it is always best to include a disclaimer. This is especially important in financial advice but can crossover to any business. To be safe and compliant, you must ensure you have a disclaimer and cover all legal obligations. Consult a legal professional for advice on what to say in your disclaimer.

2. Do you have a contact form?

A contact form is one of the most common ways people will interact with your business online. As soon as somebody completes a form and submits it, they are willingly handing over their contact details and trusting your business.

You must treat your client’s details – potentially highly personal information – with the utmost care and respect – this is not only a courtesy but also to be compliant.

3. You must ensure that your website shows a privacy policy.

If you are collecting data, such as contact details in a contact or discovery form, your website must display a privacy policy – check local laws for your state and country and always seek the advice of a legal professional to ensure you have all bases covered

4. Your website must be secure and safe for website compliance.

Your website must be secure and safe, with on-site security and hosting security. Ask your hosting supplier what they have in place. Security plug-ins and settings on your website need to be updated regularly, which can be a time-consuming and daunting task for business owners, not only due to the time involved but the necessary skills.

Talk to the team from CKP about our website maintenance plans; you’ll never have to worry about out-of-date plug-in security and compliance. Our team will take care of that for you. Our hosting partner has security protocols in place which can be requested at any time. If you’re not sure if your web host is looking after you, please also ask our team about hosting security.

5. Do you sell anything on your website –  products or services? 

If you offer a service or sell a product, you must have a visible “terms and conditions” document on your website.

To comply with Australian Consumer Law, your terms and conditions must include how you operate your business with regard to refunds, terms for collecting money from clients and much more. Thoroughly read the ACCC website (Australian Competition & Consumer Commission) and the Australian Government guidelines and also get advice. Make sure you are abiding by your responsibilities as a business operating online.

As a business with a website, you have legal obligations. Whether you operate as an online store ​(eCommerce)  – offer a subscription service, you must include what happens if the business relationship breaks down. Always seek the advice of an industry specialist or legal professional with experience in digital business to ensure you have everything covered.  Your terms and conditions must be compliant and you should research to see if you need to display further policies. Connect with policy professionals such as Sentinel Safety Services.

Can we help you?

To make sure you have all the bases covered, after reading this blog, ask yourself is your website secure and compliant from legal requirements to compliance, speed and sales optimisation; please reach out and get in touch with CKP – we would love to help!

We regularly run website audits and road mapping sessions. Our audits and sessions can reveal many opportunities to grow and evolve your business. Contact us today to learn more!

PLEASE NOTE: The information provided in this document should not be taken as legal advice, just information to be considered. (See what I did there, that was a disclaimer!)

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