subject: 4 Must-have Website Pages Add Security For Websites [print this page] Security for websites is an important factor in creating your business website plan. In addition to traditional security considerations (like being hacked and processing secure transactions), conveying trust in your website among visitors is an equally important goal. A professional website is like a contract between you and your visitor, and it must reassure visitors within 3-5 seconds that the site they are on (your site!) is a safe and secure place for them to be.
There are many ways to convey trust, but one of the first and easiest to implement is contained within your website pages themselves. In fact, there are 4 pages commonly used by professional web designers for adding some quick and easy security to websites. If you dont already have these pages, you should consider adding them immediately. These 4 pages will increase your business reputation and add needed security for websites big and small:
The Site Disclaimer
Adding a Site Disclaimer page to your website is important whether you are an individual or a business. In short, the site disclaimer is your all-encompassing CYA web page. It is a simple way to protect yourself from legal action against your website, its claims, its information accuracy, and you personally. A good site disclaimer should cover you on 3 major issues. First, it should maintain that your website is an informational site with no guarantees of accuracy. Second, it should hold you unaccountable for any of your affiliates or any of the sites to which you link. Finally, if you sell products or make product recommendations for commission, your site MUST provide a disclaimer to this effect, in order to abide by current FTC regulation. You can see the Site Disclaimer for NewWebsiteIdeas.com here. You can also get a fast, free Site Disclaimer for your site from EasyRiver.com.
The Privacy Policy
The Privacy Policy is the place that your site ensures your visitor that their information is private and wont be used for any unscrupulous reason. It is also where a visitor can obtain information about how their information is collected and used by the site. And, yes, it is also a place for you to cover yourself from any charge of legal misdoings. To see an example, check out this sites Privacy Policy here. In your Privacy Policy, you need to basically specify what information is collected from your visitors and how you use that information.
Terms of Use
Your websites Terms of Use page is like a Disclaimer for your users. The role of this website security page is to provide your user with a written description of exactly what she is accepting by using your website. This spells out the rules: things like forbidding reproduction of information or materials by visitors; releasing the site owner (you) from any liability associated with a visitors acceptance or use of your information, and other items stated in your Site Disclaimer. An example of NewWebsiteIdeass Terms of Use page provides a good example of what needs to be included.
Site Map
Although a Site Map is generally thought of for its SEO benefits, it is also a page that can contribute security for websites. Many WordPress themes have built-in Site Maps in their page templates so creating this page for your website is as easy as choosing it from a pull-down menu and clicking Publish. A good sitemap not only tells Search Engines how to crawl your site so all of your valuable content can be indexed and found, but it also helps guide a user through your site. Ease of navigation is a big factor for increasing a users confidence in using your site and in your sites security. Remember, the longer a visitor stays, the greater chance of converting that visitor to a lead, a prospect and eventually a customer.
