A website disclaimer is a statement that reduces legal liability for your company. It helps protect the services you provide and the information you share on your site. It identifies areas of your business that may be misunderstood by users, and lets them know you won’t be liable for any misunderstandings, or for damages incurred through the use of your information or services.
What Should You Include in Your Disclaimer?
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer here: it depends on the type of website or business you’re running. A health blog’s disclaimer will look very different from an e-commerce site selling multiple products. Here are some common clauses to consider:
- Consent: a statement that continuing to use your website means the user agrees to the disclaimer.
- Educational and informational clause: states that the content on your site is for educational or informational purposes only.
- Not legal or financial advice: important if you provide any information relating to finances or legal topics: make clear the information doesn’t constitute professional advice.
- Personal responsibility: lets users know you’re not responsible for how they use the information on your site, or for actions they take as a result.
- Third parties: most websites link to other sites; you don’t want to be held responsible for the content or legitimacy of those external sites.
- Children’s products: if you sell children’s products, state what age they’re suitable for, and flag any small parts included.
- Medical disclaimer: if your site contains medical information, make clear it’s for informational purposes only and shouldn’t be taken as medical advice.
- Fitness disclaimer: similar to a medical disclaimer, warn readers they use fitness information at their own risk, and that it doesn’t replace professional advice.
- Legal disclaimer: if you offer legal information, make clear there’s no attorney-client relationship, and that the content is for informational purposes only.
Why You Need a Disclaimer for Your Website
A website disclaimer greatly limits your risk of liability. You’ve done your best to provide accurate, up-to-date content, but no matter how careful you’ve been, there’s always a chance of errors. A disclaimer informs users that errors may exist.
By stating that the information on your website is for informational purposes only and doesn’t constitute professional advice, anyone who acts on it does so at their own risk. A disclaimer that makes clear the information isn’t intended to replace legal or financial advice helps mitigate your risk and potential liability.
Any website without a disclaimer is leaving itself vulnerable to legal issues and possible lawsuits. Having a disclaimer won’t stop legal action being taken against you, but it will certainly help mitigate the risk.
Where to Display Your Disclaimer
There are a few common approaches. The most popular is a hyperlink in your homepage footer, taking users to a dedicated disclaimer page. You can also incorporate it into your Terms and Conditions, which users need to agree to before using your website or service. Whichever approach you choose, make sure it’s easily visible to your users.
Where to Get a Disclaimer
Now that you understand the importance of a website disclaimer, you’re probably wondering where to get one. You have a few options: research and write one yourself (time-consuming, and you may still feel under-covered), pay a lawyer to draft one (costly), or use a disclaimer generator: cost-effective and quick. Use our free, easy-to-use website disclaimer generator to get started.
Final Words
Although a disclaimer isn’t a legal requirement, it makes good sense to limit your liability by including one on your website. Make sure your disclaimer is visible, covers the clauses relevant to your type of website or business, and is fair. Not having a disclaimer leaves your business and website vulnerable to legal action; do everything you can to safeguard your investment.
The information in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice on any matter, and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
