Why You Need a Privacy Policy on Your Landing Page

by Fahad Muhammad in Conversion Optimization Landing page privacy policy

Post-click landing pages must have a conversion ratio of 1:1.

According to best practices, your page should only have one primary goal, and there should be only one place to click to fulfill it— the CTA button. We’ve continually reiterated the fact that navigation kills landing page conversions in Instapage blogs, guides, and e-books.

However, as is true with most rules, there is one exception to the conversion ratio rule—the privacy policy.

Look at Honeygain’s privacy policy link under the form as an example:

All post-click landing pages that feature a lead capture form and collect user information must have a link to the privacy policy present on the page. Today’s post will explain why.

The need for privacy

On May 25, 2018, the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) became an enforceable law. GDPR came into effect to create greater transparency on how businesses handle users’ data and enforce stricter requirements around the use and sharing of that personal data.

Although the policy includes EU citizens’ personal data, the law and fines for misconduct apply regardless of whether the user is paying for the service or whether the company has operations within the EU. The GDPR sparked a surge of privacy policy updates in the U.S. as well.

To put things into perspective, here’s a list of regulations that require a privacy policy:

The bottom line: It matters more than ever to showcase your company’s data privacy policy to your users. Skipping out on including a privacy policy on your post-click page isn’t something you can risk in the current privacy-obsessed climate.

Both advertising giants, Google and Facebook, require privacy policies in place if you’re collecting any user information. Moreover, the FTC has taken action against many companies—even behemoths like Google and Facebook—for failing to adequately disclose how they used their customers’ data.

So, what does a privacy policy entail, and why do you need it? Let’s find out.

What is a privacy policy?

A privacy policy lets your customers know what type of user data you’re collecting and what you plan to do with it. It also includes information about how you gather data, whether it’s via a form or third-party cookies.

Additionally, the document details your policy for storing user information. For example, it informs users how long their data will stay in your possession.

Privacy policies can include information on who has access to the customer’s data, which essentially means you provide users the right to request data if they want and a process to do so. The document should also provide an opt-out notice for users who don’t agree with the policy.

Four reasons you need a privacy policy

Reason #1: Most third-party services require one

Many third-party services commonly used by landing pages, such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Meta Pixel, require you to have a privacy policy containing specific information about your use of their services, plugins, SDKs, etc.

Reason #2: It’s common practice

Users look for links to privacy policies under lead capture forms or in the page footer. Adding one increases the likelihood that users feel comfortable filling out your form.

So, even if you don’t collect any personal information from users, you should consider creating a privacy policy page anyway, because it’s something users expect to see on landing pages.

Ecquire has dubbed its privacy policy “The World’s Greatest Privacy Policy” because they don’t collect any personal data:

Reason #3: It increases trust and credibility

High-converting post-click landing pages must instill trust in visitors, making them feel safe entering their information in the lead capture form and eventually clicking the CTA button.

You can call these page components the “trust elements” on any post-click landing page. While copy and design go a long way toward influencing purchase decisions, you still need a line of credibility to convince customers to act on those influences. These “trust elements” are vital to making your page feel reliable. So, if the visitor finds your offer compelling, trust elements persuade them to sign up.

The privacy policy, along with HTTPS, customer testimonials, customer badges, and trust seals, helps establish trust with your visitors, and the absence of any of these trust factors can cause your advertising conversions to suffer.

Because it all comes down to this—visitors don’t fill out lead capture forms that only want their information and don’t offer them any guarantees.

Reason #4: It’s a legal requirement if you collect personal information from users

The primary reason you need a privacy policy is to avoid potentially significant legal consequences.

In the U.S., the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA) dictates that if you collect any personal information from any California-based users, such as email addresses, GPS location, phone numbers, or mailing addresses, you must have a legal statement available for review that discloses your business’ privacy practices.

Add to this list the number of regulations already mentioned above, and you can sum up the importance of a privacy policy, especially for online businesses.

Easily add a privacy policy to your post-click page with Instapage

Want to ensure your privacy policy is regulation-compliant? Instapage can help.

Instapage helps you add a code snippet on your landing pages to allow users an option to add consent on your forms. We also give you access to product features that help you scale and optimize your post-click landing pages while complying with privacy policy regulations.

Find out more about how Instapage helps you create dedicated post-click pages by looking through our three different plans that help you take the stress out of creating, optimizing, and converting post-click landing pages.

Create better landing pages and see better conversion results. Schedule an Instapage demo here.