Small Business Website Legal Checklist

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Last reviewed: October 15, 2026 by the Smart Savings Guides editorial team. How we research and update articles.

Not legal advice: this is a plain-English summary to help you ask the right questions. Which laws apply depends on where you and your visitors are, what data you collect and how big your business is. For anything high-stakes, talk to a lawyer licensed where you operate.

Item	When it applies	Where to learn more
Privacy policy, linked in the footer and near forms	Any collection of personal info (forms, orders, analytics)	Privacy policy guide
Cookie consent banner and cookie policy	EU/UK visitors and non-essential cookies	Cookie banner guide
Terms of service or terms of sale	Selling, bookings, accounts, user content	Terms basics
Refund, return and shipping policies	Online sales	Consumer law where buyers live
"Do Not Sell or Share" link and privacy rights handling	Businesses covered by CCPA/CPRA or similar state laws	CPPA FAQ
Email marketing rules: honest subject lines, a physical postal address, working unsubscribe honored within 10 business days	US commercial email (CAN-SPAM)	FTC CAN-SPAM guide
Consent before marketing emails	EU/UK and Canada (CASL) generally require it	National regulators
Affiliate and endorsement disclosures	Paid links, sponsored posts, reviews	FTC Endorsement Guides FAQ
Children's data (COPPA)	Sites directed to, or knowingly collecting from, under-13s in the US	FTC COPPA guidance
Accessibility (WCAG)	All sites; US ADA claims, EU accessibility rules for many e-commerce sites	W3C WCAG
Licensed images, fonts and text	Always	Keep license receipts
Business identity / imprint	Germany and some other EU countries require an "Impressum" with legal name and contact details	Local rules
Domain in your own name, auto-renew on, registrar lock	Always	Start-a-website guide
Secure site (HTTPS), updated software, backups	Always	Your platform's docs

Review this list whenever you add a new tool (a chat widget, analytics, an ad pixel or a booking system), since each one can change what your privacy policy and cookie banner need to say.

Sources

Official sources this article relies on, checked October 15, 2026. Rules and prices change, so confirm details at the source.

Recommended generator: Termly

We may earn a commission if you buy through these links, at no extra cost to you. This is a sponsored link.

Termly walks you through a questionnaire and builds a privacy policy (plus cookie, terms and other policies on paid plans) from your answers. Its free plan covers one basic policy and a cookie consent banner with up to 10,000 banner views a month. Paid plans are billed per website and add more policies, editing and automatic updates when laws change. Termly offers a 30-day money-back guarantee on paid plans.

Try Termly's policy generator

Opens Termly's privacy policy generator. The free plan covers one basic policy; paid plans are listed on Termly's Pricing page (Starter from $10 and Pro+ from $15 per website a month, billed annually, checked October 15, 2026). A generator only reflects your answers and isn't legal advice.

The honest catch: a generator only describes what you tell it, so the policy is only as accurate as your answers, and it isn't a lawyer reviewing your business. Free alternatives exist too; see our generator vs lawyer guide. Our Termly partner link is set up for readers in the US. If you're outside the US, you can go to Termly's website directly.

Selling online? Read does a Shopify store need a privacy policy? and does GDPR apply to a US small business?

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