First Wait!
If you are currently trying to start a blog, I would recommend you first start with my previous post:
I go over the key steps you need to follow to start a blog, even if you have no idea how.
Do not make these 3 legal mistakes with your blog.
I want to go over some items, or more like pages, that bloggers tend to overlook that can cost them big time. Which is why I want to remind you. This is the exact reason why research is a critical part of the process. Bloggers that research, tend to come across other bloggers talking about this. Others unfortunately do not come across the information to easily to realize the importance of these pages.
Knowledge is the key to success. Don’t forget to do your research.
But for this post and topic, I did the research for you.
When I started blogging, let me tell you, it was a process. I did not know these pages were legally required. Yes, Legally Required. I know how it feels to be in a position wanting to do something but not really knowing, then having to find the long way because of not having a mentor. This is why I am dedicating an entire blog post explaining the importance of the following 3 legal mistakes bloggers tend to make. This way you can blog protected and not worry about having to stay up at night researching.
The 3 pages are….
I am not a lawyer. When it comes to legal knowledge I urge you seek legal advice from an actual lawyer. This is why I am recommending the lawyer below that has the experience.
Thanks Amira.
Let me introduce you to the lawyer I partnered with.
Meet Amira.
Amira has seen her father fall victim to a lawsuit all because he did not have this contract with his contractor. This happened in her father’s second year of business, all while he was already trying to pay back his business loans worth close to $100,000…ouch. Needless to say her father and her entire family suffered due to this lawsuit.
But, after every storm there is always sunshine.
Throughout it all, Amira watch how her father worked long hours to restart his business. This is what drove her to work hard as well. She went from working as a model in her school years, to teaching, to becoming a full fledged lawyer, to now a business owner and blogger.
As business entrepreneur, Amira has helped over 30,000 bloggers comply with the laws and protect their online business with affordable legal templates and coaching services. She saw how hard her father worked to not only get their business back on track but she also noticed how happy her father was being his own boss.
After working as a model, then a teacher, she wanted to become a lawyer after her father’s lawsuit. Shocked after finding out if only her father had this contract, it would of saved her family the heartache of the lawsuit. This drove her to become a lawyer and pursue blogging to help thousands of other bloggers to legally protect themselves and their business.
In turn, during my blogging process, I discovered Amira a couple of years ago, and after seeing her journey this is what caused me to partner with her and help spread the knowledge.
Let’s be super honest. You simply can not trust those free online templates.
In partnering with Amira, I am able to provide you the templates for the following three pages every blogger needs on their website.
Why?
Because free templates do not always have or include the information or verbiage you may need to fully protect your site. So these templates help solve that issue. Amira does all the work for you and you also get updates if anything changes. Let’s not forget. A lawyer created them.
You don’t need to worry about getting the right template and your blog is protected. Win + Win. You have to invest in your business to succeed, and this is the start.
Now, let's see why it's a HUGE mistake to leave these pages out are important.
Mistake #1: Not having a Disclosure & Disclaimer page on your site. Under the Federal Trade Commission or FTC, you need a Disclosure when you share affiliate links.
You also need a Disclaimer if you want to protect yourself legally.
Why?
If readers, are under the impression they are guaranteed the same results as you, doing everything you do, it can cause issues. In times like this, Disclaimer & Disclosures come in to inform that reader of the opposite. This helps immensely if in case that reader decided to want to take you to court because they did not get the same result.
If the Disclaimer & Disclosures didn’t exist when the reader relied on everything you did and still not achieve the same results. What could that reader do? Well, now they can sue you for money damages.
Another thing. There are different types of disclaimers. Most bloggers accidentally confuse a general disclosure for an earning disclaimer for example.
See how it can start getting frustrating and confusing. Right here, this will do it for me, this is where in my own journey I stopped and said “I need a lawyer.”
From the get-go I do not trust the free stuff online, which is why in my search, I came across Amira. I rather invest money than risk pursuing the free options. The free options do not always have the verbiage you may need for your site.
With Amira, she’s a licensed lawyer that has done the work in creating contracts small business need. From the same type of independent contractor contract (her own father needed back then) to blogging page templates, thousands of bloggers have used.
I wanted to make it really easy for you by researching and sourcing these templates for your through Amira.
The legal stuff is already scary. So let Amira take care of the legal stuff. This way you know you will get the required affiliate and third party disclosures you need, from a lawyer with experience in this particular niche, in order to stay compliant with the FTC.
Best part? Her Disclaimer comes with additional bonuses! Amira provides additional disclaimers for sponsored posts, earnings and testimonials/product reviews. This way you have the disclaimers you need as you grow so your not delayed looking for it later.
Mistake #2: Not having a Privacy Policy Page. This is a big no-no. A Privacy Policy is legally required on your website.
A blog is more than just an online journal. It needs to be treated like a business. A business that has resources for readers to answer their questions.
In blogging, you will be interacting with the public.
Your legal side needs to be in place in order to protect your blog. Because your blog is your business.
Remember, to either fully educate yourself or hire a legal representative to assist you when it comes to your business. You want to make sure you are up to date on legal changes and laws governing your specific entity.
Why?
What you don’t know may cause unwanted legal issues later.That is the truth.
This is why I am here dedicating this post to you today. I want to provide you with the tools you need to assist you in your blogging journey if your serious about this.
Let’s emphasis, it’s legally required. So, extremely important.
A Privacy Policy covers many critical points like what personal information you collect and how that information is used, email marketing, third party links, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) policies, etc. This is all relevant to your blog. In the process of blogging, when readers sign up for your newsletter, they provide you their name and email.
If not you could face serious lawsuits. Just check out the lawsuit facebook was hit with here.
Even though Facebook is a big company, the fundamentals in business are exactly the same. It does not matter if a company is big or small. It’s honestly not worth the legal risk.
Luckily for you, Amira has you covered. She offers a Privacy Policy page for websites that are both CCPA & GDPR compliant.
The third mistake bloggers tend to do is not include a Terms & Conditions on their page. Also known as, Terms of Service. These pages are also needed on your site.
If in case you need to dispute any legal disputes, you want to be able to dispute it in your own state instead of having to travel to a different state for court. Ain’t no one got time for that LOL. Lawsuits are expensive as it is, imagine having to add traveling expenses as well.
This is included in your terms and conditions alongside the right to terminate, indemnification clauses, third-party links, intellectual property rights, etc.
If you plan on opening a store you need to make sure your buyer is accepting your terms and conditions prior to their purchase. Of course, these items do not prevent a lawsuit, but having these items set in your Terms & Conditions definitely helps quickly resolve the lawsuit.
Since we are NOT going to depending on free internet templates, you can get a detailed Terms and Conditions template that Amira has set up for you inorder to save you a ton of research, time, and work.
Join Amira’s Facebook Group that is open to all bloggers and online entrepreneurs. In her Facebook Community, she updates her readers, answers questions, shares all kinds of legal and business tips for free, etc.
This is why I highly suggest Amira’s templates. Amira’s goal is to help the blogging community by using her legal and business expertise by providing affordable templates that are substantive, easy to navigate, and easy to comprehend. The hard legal stuff is already done for you and with Amira’s assistance, customizing them to your blog is easy.
The best part, because these pages were in such high demand, Amira took it a step further and created a Legal Bundle with additional bonuses you need for your site. Read more about it here.
Check out my post on The Best WordPress Plugins for your Blog as a Beginner
All in all, these pages are non-negotiables when it comes to your blog. They are legally required for a reason. Get yourself a lawyer that will help you find the requirements needed in order to keep you legally protected.
A huge THANK YOU! to Amira and the expertise she provides in order to keep her readers and clients protected.I truly hope this was helpful. Please feel free to comment share and comment your thoughts or experiences.
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