What Is A Website Disclaimer? Everything You Need To Know

Do you know what is a website disclaimer and why it is so important?

A  disclaimer is an essential document for a website, irrespective of its contents. It protects the sites from many legal issues.

The moment you publish a disclaimer, it automatically increases the safety of your website. However most of the people are not clear about what is a website disclaimer and how to create it.

In this article, we will discuss in detail what is a website disclaimer and give you some important tips about how to add a legal disclaimer to your WordPress website.  

What is a Website Disclaimer? 

A website disclaimer is a formal notice to the visitors. It clarifies that the site is not responsible for any damages caused by using the site’s content. A disclaimer is a statement of denial about anything on the website.

The disclaimer should be placed on the website’s footer, where users can easily find it. All the websites have disclaimers on their website, and you should have one, too.

Disclaimer is not limited to the website’s content; it goes beyond and can cover copyright issues.

A disclaimer cannot help to eliminate the possibility of any court hearing. Anyone can file a lawsuit against you even if you have a disclaimer on the website.

Disclaimer vs Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions:- Terms and conditions are the general rules of use between you and your users on the website. It is also known as terms of use. It helps the online store determine what will happen in terms of sales, how the return policy will work, and what the refund policy is. Other essential clauses to be agreed upon between the customer and the website owner.

Disclaimer: – Disclaimers are more specific and address a particular liability. This document helps to protect your business against any legal proceedings. It usually reminds users of the limitations of the services provided. Disclaimers may depend on the nature of your business. Professionals:- Lawyers, doctors, and online store owners must have a disclaimer on their website.

What Are The Types of Disclaimer? 

There are many types of disclaimers, but here are some popular types of website disclaimers that you will find on the websites.  

1. Medical Disclaimer

A medical disclaimer is a statement that generally declares any medical information provided on a website or other platform. It states that the information should only be used for educational and informational purposes and must not be considered professional advice.

2. Testimonial Disclaimer

A testimonial disclaimer is a general notice on a website, app, or social media informing readers that their experience may not be the same as described in their review or endorsement. It also states the promoted reviews of the product are promotional and reviewers are compensated.

3. Affiliate Disclaimer

An affiliate disclaimer is a statement disclosing the affiliate links and commissioned earnings of the website. It informs website visitors that they get compensation from their affiliate partners for mentioning their product in website content.

4. Youtube Disclaimer

A YouTube disclaimer is a disclosing statement that reduces liabilities and establishes intellectual rights on a YouTube video. It also expresses its fair purpose of usage of copyrighted content. The disclaimer can be disclosed either verbally in the video or mentioned in the description. It discloses the source of the content and the video’s sponsors.

5. Views Expressed Disclaimer 

A views expressed disclaimer typically states that the website does not take any responsibility for the views or opinions published on the site. It is useful for sites that publish guest articles or blogs. If you let your user give their reactions in the form of comments or feedback on your site, you should go for the views expressed disclaimer.  

Best Disclaimer Examples

Here are some examples of website disclaimers that you can refer to while creating one for your website. 

No Responsibility or Limited Liability  Disclaimer 

Here is an example from Twitter 

Use at Your Own Risk Disclaimer 

The following example is from Wikipedia

Errors And Omissions Disclaimer 

The example given here is from PWC 

Views Expressed Disclaimer 

The following example is from Fox News 

What Should a Disclaimer Include? 

The following are the clauses a website should include in a disclaimer.

• Consent: A notice advising visitors that they must accept the disclaimer in order to use your website for going forward.
• A clause on education and information: This clause specifies that the information on your website is only intended for educational or informational purposes.
• Financial advice: If you provide any information on finances or legal matters, you should definitely include this on your website. You should not use the content on your website in place of professional guidance as it does not represent such advice.
• Personal accountability: Make it clear to visitors of your website that you bear no liability for the use of the content on it. You bear no responsibility for the decisions users make for using your website.
• Third parties: Links to other websites are found on the majority of web pages. You don’t want to be held accountable for the content on these other websites.
• Products for children: Make sure to specify in your disclaimer the age range for which the products are appropriate if you are selling any products for children. Inform your clients as well if the products include any tiny fragments.
• Medical disclaimer: Make sure your website has a disclaimer stating that any medical content on it is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as medical advice if it does.

The above points are considered while creating a disclaimer on the web pages.

How To Write a Website Disclaimer?

Here are the steps you need to follow to write an effective website disclaimer – 

Identify The Type of Disclaimers You Need 

The first step towards creating a disclaimer is always to find out why you need it. The type of disclaimer you need always depends on what kind of website you have. For example, if you own a medical website, you should go for a medical disclaimer. If you are a product reviewer, you may have to go for use at your risk disclaimer.   

Mention Business-Related Liability 

Websites must mention the liabilities relating to the business. For instance, if you are a beauty expert and share beauty advice on your blogs, you may face trouble if any of your advice causes any skin problems to your readers. In this case, you have to state it clearly that you don’t take any responsibility for any damage caused by your tips. 

Find Out The Rights You Want To Protect 

Once you are clear about the issues you may face and the types of disclaimers you should have, know about the rights you want to protect. For example, if you are a musician and publish your own compositions, you have to go for copyright to protect these intellectual properties.  

Limit Responsibility For Third Parties 

In case you refer to any third-party website, state clearly the possibility of a refund or exchange. If you are using any third-party service, for example, shipping in case you run an online shop. Do clearly state the responsibility in case of inconvenience caused by the service.  

After you get clear about what are the points you need to add to your disclaimer. Keep in mind the following tips to make your disclaimer effective – 

• Know your target group:- Your disclaimer should always be target-specific. You should know about their expectations and what they want to hear from you and then accordingly frame your disclaimer.
• Keep it short and simple:- Though the purpose of a disclaimer is your safety, your visitors should read it. Try to keep it short. It will save your space as well.      
• Define terms and conditions:- You should clearly state for what you take responsibility and for what you don’t. There should not be any ambiguity. Otherwise, you may face trouble. 

Now that you know how important it is to have a disclaimer on your website, you must be wondering how to create one.  In the next section, we will provide a solution that will help to create a disclaimer for your websites in no time.

Best Website Disclaimer Generator

Among various website disclaimer generators we recommend you to use WP Legal Pages.

WP Legal Pages is a WordPress plugin that helps you create legal documents for your website with just a few clicks. It offers you tons of ready-to-use legal templates.

This plugin provides a number of disclaimers, such as General Disclaimer, Earnings Disclaimer, Medical Disclaimer, and Newsletter: Subscription and Disclaimer.

You may create many different disclaimers with this plugin on your own, depending on your purpose. The pre-designed templates are so rich and useful that you will not need to consult any lawyers to make disclaimers for your website. All you have to do is select an appropriate disclaimer page, make changes, and publish it on the website. 

Following are the major disclaimer pages that WP Legal Pages offers – 

1. Affiliate Disclosure 

• An affiliate disclosure is a legal requirement in many countries if you promote third-party products on your site and take part in affiliate programs.
• As per the guidelines of The Federal Trade Commission or FTC, it is mandatory for a website owner to disclose any affiliate endorsements with proper disclosure. Failure to do so may attract penalties of up to $ 11,000. 
• Affiliate vendors also need to publish a proper affiliate disclosure on their sites. Failure to do so may result in permanent removal from an affiliate program.   

2. Medical & Health Disclaimer

• A medical disclaimer generally states that you are not responsible for whatever may happen if your readers use the information on your website without consulting a doctor. In simple words, it is an agreement that clearly mentions that your site content does not replace any doctor’s advice. 
• A medical disclaimer is essential for medical websites. No matter whether you are a doctor or a health adviser or you run a health clinic, it saves you from any unwanted Problems. 
• You should have a health disclaimer on your site if you publish blogs related to health, wellness, and fitness.

3. Earning Disclaimers 

• Websites require earning disclaimers to assist earnings through web presence. This type of website usually runs online shops, promotes products or services, or conducts online educational programs. 
• An earning disclaimer usually denies the income guarantee of the above-mentioned programs. 
• In the USA, The Federal Trade Commission makes it mandatory to publish an earning disclaimer for the sites that promote such programs. 

How To Create A Disclaimer Using WP Legal Pages

To create aa disclaimer, you’ll need to follow these simple steps.

Step 1: Install and Activate WP Legal Pages Plugin

Open the WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Plugins section, and click on Add New

Type WPLegalPages in the search bar.

To install the plugin, click the Install Now button.

After installing, activate it by clicking the Activate button.

Step 2: Configure WP Legal Pages Plugin

Once activated, the WP Legal Pages plugin will appear in the WordPress Dashboard.

You can now access the plugin from your WordPress dashboard.

To access the plugin settings and to start building your legal pages, click the ACCEPT button.

Step 3: Install And Activate WP Legal Pages Pro Plugin

To build a disclaimer page with WP Legal Pages you will need the pro version.

Follow the steps to install the Pro version of the plugin 

In the WordPress dashboard area, navigate to Plugins>Add new.

Click on the Upload Plugin.

Now, upload the zip file that you’ve received after purchasing the WP Legal Pages product. Click on Install Now button.

To activate the plugin, click on the Activate Plugin button.

Next, click on Activate your License Key button.

Enter the API key and Product ID, then click the Save Changes button.

The plugin is now enabled and ready to use. Follow the instructions below to learn how to configure the plugin.

Step 4: Create A Disclosure Using WP Legal Pages Plugin

To create a Disclosure, follow the steps below.

Navigate to the WordPress dashboard. Hover over WP Legal Pages and choose to Create Legal Page.

Now, choose the type of Disclaimer template you need from the list of available templates. 

Fill up your Business Information on the following screen, then click the NEXT button when finished.

Now check the Disclaimer preview.

After reading the Disclaimers preview, click Create and Edit.

It will redirect you to the newly constructed Disclaimer Page. If you need to make changes to your newly created page you can modify it. Once the page has been updated or edited, click the Publish button to publish it on the website. 

By following the methods outlined above, you can construct a Disclaimer Page using WP Legal Pages plugin..

Conclusion 

Although disclaimers are not legally required, it is sensible to include one on your website to limit your liability. Make sure your disclaimer is clear and contains clauses relevant to the kind of website or service you operate.

If your website and business are open to legal action due to a lack of a disclaimer, you should take all reasonable precautions to protect your investment and add a disclaimer right away.

We recommend using WP Legal Pages to create legal disclaimers in just a few minutes. The disclaimers it generates will protect you from any legal issues that may arise in relation to your website content.    

If you loved reading this article, remember to read our other engaging articles:

• How To Add Copyright Text To A Website
• Do I Need A Privacy Policy For My Website? – A Beginner’s Guide
• What Are Session Cookies? – An Ultimate Guide

Are you excited to create legal pages for your website and gain the trust of your visitors? Then grab WP Legal Pages now!

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