One of the worst things that can happen to you as a website owner is to break the law.
If your website doesn’t comply with laws intended to protect consumer rights, you’re breaking the law.
Being non-compliant puts you at risk of suffering serious financial losses and the cost to your reputation. Why risk your money and your business reputation, when you can protect yourself so inexpensively?
In this article, we look at a simple and very inexpensive solution for WordPress users that can help make your site compliant in minutes.
Does Your Website Or Blog Comply With The Law?
As the internet continues to grow at breakneck speed and the rules are constantly changing, it’s vitally important that you stay on top of what’s going on and to make sure that your site remains compliant, especially if your online presence is a fundamental aspect of your business strategy.
If there are no legal pages on your web site (e.g. terms and conditions of use, privacy statement, legal disclaimers, etc.), many third-party sites like Google won’t let you advertise, sites like ClickBank will not allow you to list your digital products on their network, PayPal could close down your account and withhold payment of your funds, Facebook and other social networks will suspend your apps, and you won’t be allowed into many other advertising or merchant networks.
If you are not compliant, you could also face a number of penalties, including fines, having your website shut down, even jail time!
At the very least, if you are not in compliance, it could impact on your visitors trust and confidence in doing business with you in the future.
(In addition to legal and regulatory compliance, almost all third-party websites require you to comply with their terms of use and policies!)
Disclaimer: We are not lawyers and we offer no legal advice on this website.
The purpose of this post is to make you aware that:
- Your website could be subject to numerous legal requirements in accordance with the laws and regulations that govern your business,
- The importance of being compliant with the terms of service of third-party providers whose products or services you are promoting or endorsing online, and
- There are cost-effective solutions that can help your website become compliant, such as the tool that we discuss in this post.
If you suspect that your website is lacking in areas of compliance, here is a simple plugin for WordPress users that you should know more about.
Presenting …
Compliance Bar Plugin – WordPress Plugin For Website Compliance
Plugin Description
Compliance Bar Plugin is a simple WordPress plugin with over 20 customizable compliance disclaimers for your online business …
For more details, visit the plugin site here: Compliance Bar Plugin
Compliance Bar Plugin Benefits
Here we have listed just a few of the benefits of using Compliance Bar Plugin to make your site instantly compliant:
Very Easy To Install
Compliance Bar Plugin installs like any plugin. Simply upload the plugin file to your Plugins folder via your dashboard and activate.
Easy To Edit Page Templates
Easily make changes to the built-in legal page templates inside the plugin from the settings menu with the WYSIWYG editor.
Dedicated 24/7 Support
The plugin developers provide dedicated plugin support to help you.
Additional benefits of using this plugin include:
- Customized Compliance Pages: Compliance Bar creates your legal pages in seconds and customizes them to your business and website.
- Video Training Library: Compliance Bar is not complicated to use - a complete library of training videos is provided if users need help.
- Use Anywhere In The World: As long as you consult someone who is qualified to give you legal advice to ascertain if the templates provided with Compliance Bar are suitable and satisfactory for your business, country and website, you can use the plugin wherever you are located.
- Can Be Used On All WordPress Sites: If your website is powered by WordPress, you can use the plugin for all kinds of websites. Just select the pages you need to include in your site and leave out irrelevant pages.
Features
Compliance Bar Plugin provides many features to web site owners. Here are just a few of these:
- Quick and simple to install and configure. Be up and running in very little time.
- Display Attractive Icon Bar – Display links to your legal pages using attractive icons that can be positioned on different locations in your page. You can also upload your own icons.
- Show Sensitive Information – If your website contains content that may be restricted to certain age groups (e.g. content related to alcohol, ecigs, adult, etc.), the plugin can display popups that require users to accept your website’s terms or disclaimers.
- EU Cookie Compliance – If your business is based in Europe or display your content to EU visitors, you need to make users aware of your user cookies and notify them of how you use them. The plugin displays an attractive bar that notifies visitors and protects your business from non-compliance issues.
- Records & Stores IP Addresses – Compliance Bar records and stores the IP addresses of your visitors for future reference, just in case someone accepts your terms or disclaimers and then claims they didn’t.
- Shortcode Driven – The plugin uses shortcodes to populate legal pages with your personal information. These shortcodes also allow you to place information anywhere on your site, (including the pop-ups).
- Mobile Friendly – The plugin has settings for displaying on mobile devices and tablets and displays mobile optimized icons automatically based on the browser being used.
Using Compliance Bar Plugin
Once the plugin has been installed, a section where the plugin’s settings can be configured gets added to your WordPress admin area.
Let’s review these settings briefly …
User Profile
There are a number of default fields in this area where your business details can be input (e.g. “Contact Name,” “Registered Business Address,” “Company Phone Number,” “Refund Duration (Days),” etc.). Not all categories are compulsory, but some are (e.g. “Business Name,” “Registered Address,” etc.)
(Compliance Bar User Profile Page – Image source: plugin documentation)
The plugin uses shortcodes to automatically populate and display the information you have input into your User Profile fields inside your legal page templates …
(Compliance Bar Plugin User Profile Page: Shortcodes – Image source: plugin documentation)
Once the minimum required (i.e. compulsory) information has been input into the user profile fields, users can then access the other areas of the plugin.
Compliance Pages
The “Compliance Pages” screen lists all of your legal pages …
(Compliance Bar Plugin: Legal Pages – Image sourced from plugin documentation)
Last time we checked the Compliance Bar plugin website, there were over 20 legal pages available, addressing all areas of compliance:
- About Us
- AdSense Disclaimer
- Affiliate Agreements
- Affiliate Disclosure
- Amazon Affiliate Disclaimer
- Anti-Spam Policy
- Contact Us
- Copyright/DCMA Notice
- Disclaimer
- Double Dart Cookies
- Earnings Disclaimer
- External Links Policy
- FTC Statement
- Legal Disclaimer
- Linking Policy
- Medical Disclaimer
- Privacy Policy
- Returns/Refund Policy
- Support
- Terms
- Terms & Conditions
- Testimonial Disclosure
- XXX Disclosure
You can create legal pages for your blog or website quickly and easily simply by selecting checkboxes and clicking the “Save” button at the bottom of the “Create Pages” area …
(Compliance Bar Plugin: Legal Pages – Image source: plugin documentation)
Your legal pages will then be created and added under the “Pages” section of your site.
Compliance Bar Icons
The plugin comes with a default set of icons for referencing your legal pages …
Icons are customizable. You can purchase additional icons from the plugin developer, or create/upload your own to match the style of your theme …
(Compliance Bar Plugin: Compliance Page Template Icons – Image source: plugin documentation)
Edit / Delete Legal Pages
You can easily edit and delete your legal page templates in the “Compliance Pages” area, just as you would any other page in WordPress …
(Compliance Bar: Edit Legal Templates – Image sourced from plugin documentation)
Tips
- Customizing is recommended, as the pages contain generic content.
- The plugin indicates if it detects existing similar pages on your site (e.g. legal pages created before you installed the plugin).
Compliance Bar
You have many options to customize the Compliance Bar, including position, whether to display links or icon images, background colors and images, icon size, specifying which pages to include an icon for in the Compliance Bar, whether or not to display the Compliance bar on your home page, which pages the Compliance Bar will display in, mobile settings, etc. …
(Compliance Bar Screen: Create Bar – Image source: plugin documentation)
Notes:
- You can create more than one Compliance Bar to show different icons on different pages, or to cover various uses throughout your website.
- The plugin lets you display the Compliance Bar on the front page of your website, even if you are using particular themes (e.g. Genesis, Thesis or WooThemes), where the home page is specifically configured through the theme itself as a built-in template, and not as a normal “static” page.
- Due to the smaller size of mobile device screens, there is a limit to the number of page icons you can display if you turn Mobile Settings “on.”
Once you have configured your Compliance Bar settings, it will display links to your legal using dynamic icon bar on your site …
You have full control over the location on your pages where you would like to feature your compliance icons …
PopUps
If your website publishes content that should be restricted to certain age groups (e.g. content related to alcohol, ecigs, adult content, etc.), you can display popups that require users to accept your website’s terms and disclaimers.
The “Create Pop Up” screen lets you fully customize your pop ups …
(Pop Ups Section: Create Pop Up – Image source: plugin documentation)
You can create a number of Pop Ups for different pages, or to cover a multitude of uses throughout your website …
You can also set a delay time if you don’t want a Pop Up to display as soon as visitors arrive, set cookie durations to prevent Pop Ups from appearing again within a specific time period, and store the IP addresses of visitors who accept your terms and disclaimers for future reference …
(Pop Ups Screen: IP Log Details – Image source: plugin documentation)
EU Cookies
If you are based in the EU or display your content to EU visitors, you must make users aware of your user cookies and notify them of how you use them …
The plugin lets you manage the settings for compliance with EU Cookies requirements, including the wording of your notification message and link text in the “EU Cookies” area …
(EU Cookies Screen: Manage Settings – Image sourced from plugin documentation)
Compliance Bar has a non-intrusive way of notifying your visitors and covering you from non-compliance.
Page Templates
The “Page Templates” tab, lists all of your legal page templates and shortcodes, and lets you edit the page content …
General Settings
The “General Settings” screen, gives you access to general information, such as promoting and sharing the plugin and receiving plugin updates …
Testimonials
Below are a few of the testimonials and feedback plugin users have submitted for Compliance Bar:
”One of the Best Plugins I Have Used” Ray Lane – (The Video Guy)
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”You wouldn’t drive a car around without insurance…so don’t RISK your online business by neglecting a simple, but important detail: website compliance. Grab your copy of Compliance Bar & protect yourself today!” Mike Thomas (The Mike From Maine Show)
Plugin Tips
Below are some additional ways to use The Compliance Bar Plugin:
- Protection against content theft by spelling out terms of use of your website.
- Display compliance icons on specific pages of your website only.
- End refund disputes by clearly spelling out your refund terms before purchase.
- If your site published content for adults only, you can force visitors to click to confirm that they are of legal age to access your content.
Product Support
Plugin Developers provide users with a dedicated team to assist users if they experience any difficulties. You also get access to full video training manuals.
Additionally, your purchase is backed by a risk-free, thirty day, 200% refund guarantee. If your edition of Compliance Bar does not work within 30 days of purchase and it cannot be fixed within 48 business hours (Monday to Friday), your cost of purchase will be refunded in double.
Software Pricing
- Single Edition – Install the plugin on a single site. Cost = $47 (Normally $127)
- Business Licensing – Can be installed on twenty-five sites that you own. Cost = $67.00 (Normally $197).
- Developer Edition – Install the plugin on multiple of your own domains. Can be installed on all client sites for payment or part of a paid service. Price = $97.00.
Note: Price details for Compliance Bar Plugin can vary, depending on whether there are any promotions or limited-time specials being offered. When we last checked, the product is selling for the amounts shown above. This may not be the actual pricing set by the software author when you visit the product site and there may be additional upsells or one-time offers after purchasing.
Check the plugin’s website for current pricing details: Compliance Bar Plugin – WordPress Plugin For Website Compliance
Additional Information
Templates Reviewed By Lawyers – The plugin developers assert on their website that all legal templates have been reviewed and approved by a lawyer. Nonetheless, we strongly recommend that you get professional advice from a qualified legal expert in your area for peace of mind.
For demo videos showing how the software works, including help documentation and tutorials, FAQs, support helpdesk, contact details and more, visit the Compliance Bar Plugin website.
Get This Plugin
Compliance Bar is an easy-to-use, simple and cost-effective solution for WordPress-powered websites and blogs. We recommend downloading and installing this plugin for WordPress users if you want immediate peace of mind and legal protection.
For full details, check out the plugin here: Compliance Bar Plugin – Compliance Bar – WP Website Compliance Plugin
Legal Disclaimer: Once again, please note that we are not lawyers and we offer no legal advice on our website. You must do your own due diligence and consult a legal expert about the best way of ensuring that your website fully complies with all legal requirements wherever your business is based.
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