In today’s digital age, having a website is vital for the success of your business. Whether you own an accountancy firm or run a local tattoo parlour, most people wouldn’t even consider your services without visiting its website. A strong online presence is the main source of generating foot traffic for your business nowadays.
Getting Started!
Setting up and starting your own website is relatively simple these days. There are a number of website builders available for the general public. They guide the users through an intuitive process, which helps them set up their online page within minutes.
However, there are certain rules and regulations when it comes to creating a website. You need to be aware of copyright laws and comply with the legal requirements of cybersecurity. Breaking these rules might result in your website getting blocked or blacklisted by search engines.
Here are some simple rules that will help you make sure your website stays out of trouble.
Be Aware of the Risks of User-Generated Content
User-generated content is a great way to add credibility and increase engagement on your website. However, hosting content from other sources opens your online presence to all sorts of risks. The content could be plagiarized, or defamatory. It’s also possible that the content is owned by someone else and by publishing it on your website you’re opening yourself to a possibility of copyright infringement.
To prevent this, make sure you have a proper list of terms and conditions for anyone who wishes to publish their content on your website. Make sure the legal requirements of your website cover all the bases and are displayed prominently.
Obtain Proper Licenses
You might be required to apply for different licenses depending on the type of content being displayed on your web pages. This is vital for avoiding plagiarism and copyright infringement. It’s also a good way of acknowledging the work of other people. For example, if you’re posting photographs in your blogs or other pages, make sure they’re free to use. It’s also good practice to mention the source from where you’ve obtained the imaged.
In case the photos are not royalty-free, make sure you have proper licenses or paid subscriptions to use them. There might be some fine print on different kinds of licenses that allow you to use the photos only in certain ways. Make sure you’ve read those points and comply with them!
Address alerts and notification promptly:
It’s entirely possible that you could get an alert for copyright infringement or not complying with the legal requirements under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act . Your liability can be reduced or completely avoided if you respond quickly and remove any offending content immediately. It can also help you avoid any legal violations in the future. If someone claims that your website is using unauthorized content, investigate it immediately to identify the validity of the complaint. This will help you authenticate the claim and act before it becomes a legal issue.
Too much to handle?
Sometimes dealing with proper website maintenance and ensuring it doesn’t violate any regulations can be difficult. It may require an expert understanding of the technical aspects of the web. If you feel that you need help with web development or revamping your website, get in touch with us at Customer Contact Solutions.
We offer professional web design and SEO services in Toronto, Ontario . Schedule a call today to make sure your website is free from any copyright violations and complies with all legal requirements
