{"id":21138,"date":"2020-07-19T08:33:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-19T13:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?p=21138"},"modified":"2020-07-28T10:17:28","modified_gmt":"2020-07-28T15:17:28","slug":"legal-requirements-small-business-websites","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/","title":{"rendered":"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Are you ready to set up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u2019re clear on the laws you\u2019ll need to follow. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We\u2019ve written before about the <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">permits or licenses your business may need to operate online<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In this post, we focus on website-specific legal issues. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">First, our disclaimer: I\u2019m not an attorney, and you should check in with a business lawyer if you have questions.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/website-builder\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-20109\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/create-your-website.png\" alt=\"build your website\" width=\"470\" height=\"60\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/create-your-website.png 470w, https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/create-your-website-300x38.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 470px) 100vw, 470px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Fine Print: Terms of Services<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure your site complies with your web host\u2019s <\/span><b>terms of service<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (TOS) and acceptable use policy. For example, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HostGator\u2019s TOS<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> requires-among other things&#8211;that site owners be at least 18 years old and not be in a country under sanction by the US government. The <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">acceptable use policy<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meanwhile, prohibits using the service for gambling, bitcoin mining, live sporting event broadcasts, and other &nbsp;heavily regulated or resource-intensive businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next, it\u2019s time to create some fine print of your own. Display <\/span><b>your business terms and conditions <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about pricing, returns, shipping, and billing so customers know what to expect. This is especially important if you\u2019re selling products or digital goods directly from your site.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security and Data Privacy<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your customers want to know they can trust you with their information. Data breaches can wreck your business with financial losses, lost trust, and legal penalties. And with the EU\u2019s far-reaching <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/gdpr\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> now in effect, even the smallest businesses need to step up their security compliance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDPR applies to <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">all businesses that offer goods and services to people in the EU<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, no matter where those businesses are located or how many people they employ. GDPR is a huge law, but the basics for small business owners are:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must have clear consent to collect consumer data. For example, you can add a <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDPR-compliant cookie consent banner<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to your site.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must delete customer data on request.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You need to keep customer data safe or face fines. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/ssl-certificates\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">HostGator&#8217;s SSL certificates<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> encrypt data to and from your site, making it compliant with privacy laws and PCI-DSS security standards. HostGator\u2019s Security and Privacy Bundle protects your website from viruses, malware, hackers, and spam by automatically scanning your website to detect and remove threats. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You must report serious data breaches to law enforcement within 72 hours of discovery.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-Spam Laws<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">No one likes spam emails, and lawmakers around the world are serious about stopping it. How serious depends on the region-US anti-spam laws have looser restrictions and lower penalties than those in Canada and the EU. If your new company will do cross-border business with Canadian and European customers, or if there\u2019s a chance you will do so in the future, your best move is to follow the strictest anti-spam protocols.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the US<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CAN-SPAM law, which stands for Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing, only deals with business-to-consumer marketing emails. CAN-SPAM requires recipients to opt out of messages they don\u2019t want to get, and the unsubscribe process can be a multi-step hassle. CAN-SPAM violations can result in fines of as much as $40,000 per incident. This law doesn\u2019t clearly address marketing emails sent to US residents from outside the country.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Canada<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/canadas-anti-spam-law\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Canada\u2019s Anti-Spam Law (CASL)<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> created an opt-in system, which means people must sign up to get your marketing emails (or texts, voicemails, and other direct marketing digital communications) unless they already have a recent business relationship with you. CASL applies to emails sent to Canadians from outside Canada. Unsubscribing must be easy and fast. CASL violations can result in fines up to $10 million. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One more potential penalty for CASL violations hasn\u2019t taken effect yet: the right of individuals to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lawtimesnews.com\/author\/marg-bruineman\/fate-of-controversial-casl-section-unknown-15466\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sue companies that spam them for as much as $1 million per day<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. That part of the law is under review.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the EU<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">GDPR covers spam<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and its provisions are stricter than the US and Canadian laws. Not only does GDPR require recipients to opt in to marketing messages, there\u2019s no implied consent by people who are already your customers. To add people, you need to make a separate, specific request, with no pre-checked boxes, and parental consent for anyone under the age of 16. GPDR fines are roughly $11 million per incident.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Brazil<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Brazil passed its own privacy law in August 2020. The law, which is called Lei Geral de Protecao de Dados (or the LGPD), is similar in scope and effect to the European Union\u2019s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Like the GDPR, the LGPD requires businesses handling personal data to be accountable for collecting, using and managing that information appropriately. It also provides individuals with new rights. You can learn more about the basics of the LGPD <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/help\/article\/lgpd-brazils-new-privacy-law\">here<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Anti-Spam Best Practices to Follow<\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For your existing list, only send marketing messages to people you\u2019ve done business with within the past two years.&nbsp;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For all new sign-ups, create a separate opt-in form that includes a tick box for recipients to indicate whether they\u2019re age 16 or older. <\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Identify your business clearly in all your marketing messages.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Include an easy-to-use opt-out tool with every message you send.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Comply with opt-out requests quickly.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Intellectual Property<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Technically speaking, you hold the copyright to the stuff you create as soon as you create it, but a <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/copyright-wordpress-blog\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">copyright notice on your site<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is always a good idea. It accomplishes the obvious goal of letting visitors know that the content on your site belongs to you. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have registered trademarks for your business name, products, or services, include a <\/span><b>trademark notice<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on your site. We talk about trademarks in our <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">article on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/license-permit-online-store\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">small business permits and licenses<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your Website&#8217;s Accessibility<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that most businesses make their websites accessible for people with vision, hearing, and other impairments. The <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessnewsdaily.com\/10900-ada-website-requirements.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ADA requirement<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> may not apply to your business if you\u2019re very small or just getting started. Businesses that operate at least 20 weeks each year *and* have 15 or more full-time employees must maintain accessible web sites. 'Public accommodation'\u009d businesses like transportation and hotels must also comply. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even if you\u2019re not required to make your website accessible, it\u2019s a good idea, because more than 12% of Americans have <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/fact-tank\/2017\/07\/27\/7-facts-about-americans-with-disabilities\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">some form of disability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Not only that, accessible features like larger fonts, clear contrast between fonts and backgrounds, transcripts of videos, and written descriptions of images can be useful to everyone-think about how many people watch videos with the sound off and you\u2019ll see why captions or transcripts are a smart move. UC Berkeley has a great <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/webaccess.berkeley.edu\/resources\/tips\/web-accessibility\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">guide to making your site accessible<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>Make Your Small Business Website Legally Compliant<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creating a compliant site takes some work, but the payoff is a safer business web site, stronger customer trust, and a lower risk of privacy and security related fines and losses later on. <\/span>If you&#8217;re a HostGator customer, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/contact\">contact us<\/a> to add the<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&nbsp;Privacy and Security Bundle to your website now.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you ready to set up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u2019re clear on the laws&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":162,"featured_media":21147,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-startup-small-business"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v23.2 (Yoast SEO v23.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Legal Requirements for Small Businesses | HostGator<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"629\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Casey Kelly-Barton\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@HostGator\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Casey Kelly-Barton\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4c68d74801037eb3f313d8a456d6506a\"},\"headline\":\"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\"},\"wordCount\":1180,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Startup &amp; Small Business\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\",\"name\":\"Legal Requirements for Small Businesses | HostGator\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00\",\"description\":\"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":629,\"caption\":\"Legal requirements for small online businesses\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"HostGtaor\",\"description\":\"Web Hosting and Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"HostGtaor\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png\",\"width\":1092,\"height\":215,\"caption\":\"HostGtaor\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/HostGator\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hostgator\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hostgator-com\",\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hostgator\/\",\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/hostgator\"],\"email\":\"support@gator.com\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4c68d74801037eb3f313d8a456d6506a\",\"name\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton\"},\"description\":\"Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance B2B content marketing writer. Her specialty areas include SMB marketing and growth, data security, IoT, and fraud prevention\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\/\/caseykellybarton.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/author\/caseykb\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Legal Requirements for Small Businesses | HostGator","description":"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?","og_description":"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/","og_site_name":"HostGator","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator","article_published_time":"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":629,"url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Casey Kelly-Barton","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@HostGator","twitter_site":"@HostGator","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Casey Kelly-Barton","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/"},"author":{"name":"Casey Kelly-Barton","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4c68d74801037eb3f313d8a456d6506a"},"headline":"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?","datePublished":"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/"},"wordCount":1180,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png","articleSection":["Startup &amp; Small Business"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/","name":"Legal Requirements for Small Businesses | HostGator","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png","datePublished":"2020-07-19T13:33:00+00:00","dateModified":"2020-07-28T15:17:28+00:00","description":"Setting up your online store or small business website? Make sure you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re clear on the laws you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll need to follow.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/12\/Legal-requirements-for-small-online-businesses.png","width":1200,"height":629,"caption":"Legal requirements for small online businesses"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/legal-requirements-small-business-websites\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"What Legal Requirements Apply to Your Small Business Website and Online Store?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/","name":"HostGtaor","description":"Web Hosting and Marketing Tips for Entrepreneurs","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"HostGtaor","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/cropped-HG-Logo_default-default.png","width":1092,"height":215,"caption":"HostGtaor"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/HostGator","https:\/\/x.com\/HostGator","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/hostgator","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/hostgator-com","https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/hostgator\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/user\/hostgator"],"email":"support@gator.com"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/4c68d74801037eb3f313d8a456d6506a","name":"Casey Kelly-Barton","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/65d330a9fbb7308264432649d5324f2b?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Casey Kelly-Barton"},"description":"Casey Kelly-Barton is an Austin-based freelance B2B content marketing writer. Her specialty areas include SMB marketing and growth, data security, IoT, and fraud prevention","sameAs":["http:\/\/caseykellybarton.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/author\/caseykb\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21138"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/162"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21138"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21138\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26428,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21138\/revisions\/26428"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21147"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}