5 Website Policies You Need for Your Med Spa

Did you know that as a website owner you are legally required to have certain website policies? Keep your website on the right side of the law and provide user transparency.

Below, you will find a list of 5 website policies you need on your medical spa website.

Privacy Policy

What is a Privacy Policy?

Your Privacy Policy is a legal statement that helps you build trust with your website visitors. It outlines for your clients exactly what personal information you collect from them and what you do with that information.

Why your website needs a Privacy Policy

To put it plainly, it’s required by law. In the U.S., at the time of writing, there aren’t federal laws that require a business to have a Privacy Policy. But there are several laws, including federal and state laws, that have provisions on data privacy.

One such law, for example, is the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA). The CalOPPA states that if you collect personal information from website visitors situated in California, such as email addresses or phone numbers, you are required to have a valid Privacy Policy posted on your website.

Since websites have opt-in forms, and we’re not able to filter out visitors from California, we’re all required to have Privacy Policies.

What your website Privacy Policy needs to include

The terms in your Privacy Policy depends on the particular laws in question and, to some extent, the nature of your website.

A few things commonly found in privacy policies:

• an explanation of the information you collect and what it’s used for
• how people can access and change any information previously collected and/or opting out of mailing lists
• how you will notify visitors of changes in your Privacy Policy
• a statement about age restrictions — this is one is important and usually involves restricting the site to individuals who are either 13 and older or 18 and older
• a statement about any “do not track” signals used
• a statement about how you share any information you collect

If you use email marketing software, Google AdWords, or an Electronic Medical Record software from a third party, then you do share your customer’s information with a third party. A trusted third party is still a third party, so be sure to say so in your Privacy Policy.

Terms of Service Policy

What is a Terms of Service Policy?

Terms of Service is a contract you make with the visitors to your website.

It sets guidelines and rules your users must abide by to use your website or product.

Why your site needs a Terms of Service Policy

A properly written Terms of Service policy can limit your overall legal liability, protect your intellectual property (ex: brand photography, website copy written by a sub-contracted copywriter, etc), and help you collect payments on time.

Without Terms of Service, any disagreements from the use of your site (or purchases made through your site) could be messier and more expensive to resolve.

What your website Terms of Service Policy needs to include

What’s included will depend on your particular offerings. Here’s a list of what your Terms of Service policy should cover:

• which U.S. state and how disputes will be handled
• limitations on warranty and damages
• Intellectual Property policy, including how your intellectual property can and cannot be used, and how you may use the intellectual property visitors post on your site (ex: customer reviews)
• your right to refuse service, including when and how you can exercise it
• how purchases are processed, if you sell retail products
• refund policy and shipping policy, if applicable
• how changes in your terms will be communicated

Disclaimer Policy

Limit liability and protect yourself and your business from lawsuits.

What is a Disclaimer Policy?

If you give advice in fields like health and nutrition, a Disclaimer Policy will protect your liability. A disclaimer is a statement that works to inform your website visitors of something important, while limiting your legal liability.

For example, this would let users know that you aren’t offering any type of formal medical advice, and if a website user tried to sue you for using your content and getting negative results, you could show that you protected yourself with a disclaimer.

Why your site needs a Disclaimer Policy

Disclaimers are important because without them you open yourself up to legal liability. Some websites share content like medical or weight-loss advice. It’s important to have a disclaimer policy to:

• let users and customers know that the content is not formal advice to be solely relied on, and
• limit the liability of the business owner in the event someone relies on the advice or product with unsatisfactory results

What should a Disclaimer Policy contain?

There are several topics your business may need a disclaimer on, not limited to:

• medical disclaimer
• affiliate disclaimer if you have affiliate links to third parties (ex: skincare products)
• results not typical disclaimer
• errors and omissions that a user may rely on to their detriment

Cookie Policy

If you use cookies, you’ll need to at a minimum disclose this in your Privacy Policy. But you should consider having a Cookies Policy as well. In some cases, you might legally need one.

What is a Cookies Policy and what does it contain?

A Cookies Policy is a legal policy that informs your users:

• what cookies are
• what cookies you use
• what purposes you use them for
• what you do with the information you collect via cookies
• how users can change their cookie settings

Why your site needs a Cookie Policy

A Cookies Policy helps maintain user privacy rights and protect consumers. It’s an agreement that boosts transparency between businesses and website visitors.

Refund Policy

What is a Refund Policy?

The main benefit is to boost user confidence and increase your sales with a stellar Refund Policy.

While your Terms and Conditions may have a Refunds clause, it’s wise to have a Refund Policy separately so people can find it.

Why your site needs a Refund Policy

If you sell products or memberships at your aesthetic business, having a Refund Policy in place will help protect you from headaches and potential legal issues. Refunds are a part of having a digital store, so it’s best to have a policy that addresses refunds to your visitors.

What should a Refund Policy contain?

This should be as clear as possible. If you don’t accept refunds, then make this extremely clear.

If you do accept refunds, you’ll want to include a few details in your policy:

• the time limitations on returns
• what condition the product needs to be in in order for a return to be accepted
• how long it takes to process a return
• is there a prorated amount to be reimbursed if it’s a membership cancellation

Where do I get Website Policies for my Website?

The company that Mila Design Co. trusts with its own website policies is Termageddon. Use code MILADESIGN for 10% off your first year of website legal policy subscription. Termageddon provides your aesthetic business with legal policies to protect its liability, and it uses a generator that adds clauses depending on the state you conduct business in.

As always, it’s best to consult with a lawyer to ensure your website policies provide full protection from legal liabilities. Before you launch your medical spa website, ensure you’re protected with legal policies.

Disclaimer: This is not legal advice and should not be relied on as legal advice. This content is for educational purposes only.