Where to Host Your Privacy Policy
Your privacy policy should live on a dedicated page on your own website -- not buried in a PDF, not hosted on a third-party site, and not hidden inside a pop-up. The standard is a standalone page at a URL like /privacy-policy or /privacy. This is the approach recommended by GDPR regulators and required by most app stores and ad networks.
Dedicated page: Create a standalone page at /privacy-policy or /privacy. This is the universally accepted standard across all platforms and regulators.
Indexable by search engines: Do not block your privacy policy page with noindex or robots.txt. Google Ads and many ad networks verify it by crawling the URL.
No login required: Your policy must be publicly accessible. Putting it behind authentication violates GDPR transparency requirements and most platform policies.
Mobile-friendly: CalOPPA and GDPR both require the policy to be readable on the device it is accessed from. Ensure responsive formatting.
Platform-Specific Instructions
How to add a privacy policy page on the most popular website platforms.
WordPress
- Go to Settings > Privacy and select or create your privacy policy page
- WordPress auto-generates a starter template -- replace it with your actual policy
- Add the page to your footer menu via Appearance > Menus
- The designated privacy page gets a special link in the login and registration forms
Shopify
- Go to Settings > Legal and paste your policy into the Privacy Policy section
- Shopify automatically creates a /policies/privacy-policy page
- Add the link to your footer navigation under Online Store > Navigation
- The checkout page automatically shows a link to your policy when configured
Wix
- Add a new page via the Pages panel and name it "Privacy Policy"
- Use a text element to paste your full privacy policy content
- Hide the page from the main navigation menu if you prefer footer-only placement
- Add a link in the footer by editing the footer section in the Wix Editor
Squarespace
- Create a new page under Pages > Not Linked section to keep it out of main nav
- Add a Text Block with your privacy policy content
- Link it in the footer via the Footer section editor or a Navigation Block
- Set the URL slug to /privacy-policy for clean linking
Where to Link Your Privacy Policy
Having a privacy policy page is not enough -- you need to link to it from every location where you collect personal data. Most privacy laws require the link to be "conspicuous" and accessible before data collection occurs.
Website Footer (Required)
Every page on your site should have a privacy policy link in the footer. This is the single most important placement and is specifically required by CalOPPA and expected by GDPR.
Signup and Registration Forms
Any form that collects email addresses, names, or other personal data should include a link to your policy near the submit button, ideally with a consent checkbox for GDPR.
Checkout and Payment Pages
E-commerce checkouts collect names, addresses, and payment details. Link your policy before the customer completes their purchase.
Cookie Consent Banners
Your cookie banner should link to both your privacy policy and cookie policy. Under GDPR, users need to understand data collection before giving consent.
Contact and Support Forms
Even simple contact forms collect personal data. Add a privacy policy link near these forms, especially if you store submissions in a CRM or helpdesk tool.
Legal Placement Requirements
Different laws have specific requirements for how your privacy policy link must be presented. Here is what each major regulation expects.
| Law | Placement Requirement | Key Detail |
|---|---|---|
| GDPR (EU) | Visible link before data collection | Must be accessible before consent is given -- link in cookie banners, forms, and footer |
| CalOPPA (California) | Conspicuous link on homepage | Must use the word 'Privacy' in the link text and be visually distinct from surrounding text |
| CCPA/CPRA | 'Do Not Sell' link + privacy policy | Requires a separate 'Do Not Sell My Personal Information' link in addition to privacy policy |
| Google Ads | Accessible URL in ad account | Policy must be on a crawlable page -- no PDFs, login walls, or redirects |
| Apple App Store | App listing + in-app settings | Privacy policy URL required before app review -- must also be accessible within the app |
What Your Privacy Policy Should Contain
Before you add the page, make sure your privacy policy actually covers the required topics. A blank or generic policy is worse than none -- it creates a false sense of compliance.
What data you collect: List every type of personal data -- names, emails, IP addresses, cookies, payment information, device data, and any analytics you run.
How you use the data: Explain each purpose: account creation, order fulfillment, marketing emails, analytics, fraud prevention, and personalization.
Who you share data with: Name categories of third parties: payment processors, analytics providers, email services, hosting companies, and advertising networks.
How long you keep it: Specify retention periods or the criteria used to determine them. GDPR requires you to not keep data longer than necessary.
User rights: Describe how users can access, correct, delete, or export their data. Include a contact email and expected response time.
Contact information: Provide a way for users to reach you about privacy concerns -- an email address at minimum, a physical address if required by your jurisdiction.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Why It Matters | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Copying another site's policy | It won't reflect your actual data practices | Generate a policy specific to your site's tools and data flows |
| Hosting as PDF only | Not crawlable, not mobile-friendly, blocks ad approvals | Create a dedicated HTML page on your domain |
| No footer link | Violates CalOPPA and makes the policy effectively invisible | Add a 'Privacy Policy' link to every page footer |
| Outdated policy | Listing tools you no longer use or missing new ones | Review and update at least every 6 months |
| No cookie consent mechanism | GDPR requires consent before non-essential cookies | Add a cookie banner that links to your privacy policy |
Related Resources
Privacy Policy for Websites
General website compliance guide
Privacy Policy for Shopify
E-commerce store compliance
Privacy Policy for WordPress
WordPress-specific guide
GDPR Privacy Policy Template
EU compliance requirements
CCPA Privacy Policy Example
California compliance requirements
Cookie Policy for Websites
Cookie compliance requirements
Privacy Policy for Mobile Apps
App store compliance guide
Policy Generator
Create your compliant privacy policy