When you begin to build your email lists, you have to keep in mind the importance of having a email privacy policy. It is not just for show and tell, it is something that is required by law if you are going to collect email addresses. Most readers generally will not pay attention to this, but it is mandatory in order to comply with rules and regulations online. It is recommended that you keep a link to your privacy policy on the footer of your site as well as in your sitemap.

In addition to having a full page that breaks down the privacy policy, you will also want to add it on your opt-in email lists form so subscribers can see the link right away. Autoresponders such as Aweber have an option to add the link when creating the form.

The privacy policy that appears on the form does not have to be as formal as the main page itself. I generally just state “We hate spam just like you do, your information will never be sold, rented, shared for any reason”. This short statement gives the subscriber a little bit of assurance that you do care about their personal information.

Acquiring a privacy policy is rather simple. If you are using WordPress, there several plugins that you can use that auto generates a privacy policy that includes your website information. It is important to make sure that all the information is correct just in case somebody actually reads your privacy page. You definitely do not want to appear to be copying generic information.

If you are not using wordpress, you can always find privacy policy generators online. These are generally free to use, but once again, just make sure that you change all the necessary information.

One of the last things you need to be mindful of in your privacy policy is the amount of limitations they have. Before you add a privacy policy on your website, make sure you read it to ensure that it reflects what you actually can back up.

For Instance, I like to add that “I will not share, sell or rent” any information I collect. This statement will not work if you are a site flipper and intend to market your website with email addresses on the Flippa, Warrior Forum or Site Point marketplace. It is very important that you identify your intentions before making any statements that may cause you legal issues in the future.

An email privacy policy on your website or blog is there to protect you from future lawsuits but if you provide false intentions on that policy, it may very work against you. So if you are unsure of you future transactions, the more simple you keep the privacy policy, the easier it will be work with.

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