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Website Compliance Checklist for Small Businesses

This is the practical checklist most small business sites need to reduce US compliance risk signals: policies, disclosures, accessibility, and trust — without hiring a lawyer on day one.

Informational only • Not legal advice. Use this as a baseline risk-reduction checklist.

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The checklist (do these in order)

1) Add core legal pages

Baseline trust

2) Disclose ads, analytics, cookies

Your privacy/cookie language should match what your site actually loads (ads, analytics, embeds).

Monetization-ready

3) FTC disclosures for affiliate sites

If you earn from links or sponsors, disclosures should be obvious and close to the content.

Affiliate safety

4) Add an accessibility statement

Even a basic statement + contact method is a strong risk-reduction and trust signal.

Trust + risk

5) Fix technical trust signals

Enforce HTTPS, remove broken policy links, keep consistent ownership info.

Credibility

6) Scan + iterate

Run the checker to flag missing/weak pages and fix the highest-impact gaps first.

Fast feedback

Checklist-complete vs checklist-missing sites

What small sites usually miss (and why it matters)

Policies exist but aren’t linked → ad reviewers and users can’t find them.
Vague “we respect privacy” wording → doesn’t explain tracking/ads clearly.
Affiliate disclosure hidden in footer → looks deceptive, fails “obvious disclosure” expectations.
No contact path → trust drops, ad approval risk increases.
No accessibility statement → avoidable risk signal and lost trust.

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Related US website compliance & lawsuit risk guides

Frequently asked questions

What legal pages should a small business website have?

Privacy policy, contact page, and terms/disclaimer where relevant. Cookie and accessibility pages are common additions for risk reduction.

Is a checklist enough to be compliant?

It covers common risk signals fast, but it can’t guarantee compliance. Use it as a baseline before deeper review if your business is complex.

Why do small sites fail ad approval even with content?

Missing/weak policies, hard-to-find pages, and unclear disclosures are frequent monetization red flags.

Is this legal advice?

No — informational only.

Want the checker to validate your checklist?

Scan your site and see what’s missing, weak, or broken across pages.

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