What are website terms and conditions?
Sometimes called a “website terms of service” or “website terms of use” website terms and conditions are either the rules a website’s users must agree to in order to make use of the website, a disclaimer that limits any liability on the pats of the website businesses’ owners, or both. Well written website terms and conditions are legally binding and can be updated over time as necessary.
Typically terms and conditions will define important and recurring words and explain the website businesses’ policies regarding the rights and obligations of users. For example, the terms might set out how website visitors can use the website or service, what payment (if any) must be made, and they may or may not include opt out language for users who stop using the service, depending on what the website does.
Why are website terms and conditions important?
Your website terms and conditions are important for two main reasons, first they affect how customers/users view and make use of your businesses’ website and second because they can give you certain legal rights and protections.
Your terms and conditions are important to your customer base, and your bottom line, because the terms let customers know what they are agreeing to when they make use of a businesses’ website. A good set of terms will clearly tell your customers what they will gain when using your businesses’ website and what that gain will cost them. The sense of security that clear terms convey to potential customers can help you attract their business, keep that business, and potentially lead to more business through referrals.
Your terms are also very important from a legal security perspective because they can limit any legal liability on the part of you or your business, and in the event that your website is ever in a legal hot water they can provide you with several legal protections and advantages. For instance disclaimers in your terms can limit your liability and make it difficult to sue you, and arbitration clauses can mandate that instead of a lawsuit all parties agree to have disputes mediated by an arbitrator relatively quickly and inexpensively, out of court and in a place of your choosing. These and other legal protections make website terms of use very important to any business with a website.
How do you get your own website terms and conditions?
You could of course always pay an experienced internet lawyer to create your own custom website terms and conditions, but you should know that you will probably be charged quite a lot, typically in the hundreds of dollars, for just this one document.
What if you can’t pay those kinds of lawyer’s fees? There is an affordable alternative to quickly make your own website terms and conditions quickly without the expense of hiring a lawyer: Website Legal Forms Generator Software.