Keyon here. I know “compliance” sounds like corporate jargon for “tedious, joy-sucking hassle” – and you’re not wrong – but in reality, it is key to keeping your website operational, and avoiding potential fines, lawsuits, and other nasty issues that could sideline your business.
In today’s digital climate, there are three big compliance issues you need to know about:
GDPR:
You may have heard some of the buzz around this acronym lately. So, what is GDPR, and will it impact your business? The General Data Protection Regulation went into effect in May 2018. It’s a European law intended to protect the privacy of EU citizens. But if you think it doesn’t affect US businesses, think again. If you’re a local company operating on a small scale, you may not need to worry. But if your company has an international footprint, you’ll need to take this regulation into account. To know if GDPR affects you, ask yourself:
- Does my business sell or market to citizens of countries in the EU?
- Are we set up to accept other currencies besides USD, specifically the Euro (EUR)?
- Do we have a website URL with a domain suffix for an EU country?
- Does our website collect data or personal information from users, any of whom may reside in the EU?
SSL Certificates:
An SSL certificate lets users know that the connection between their browser and your website is secure. It’s been standard for years for most websites that actively gather data or process payments, but now, Google has started to flag ALL websites without an SSL as “Not Secure.” If your site is flagged by Google as a non-secure site it will negatively affect how your site shows up in search results. How do you know if you have one or not? If your URL has “https://” on the front, you’re all good. If it’s only “http://” you need to get your SSL, stat.
- There are three different types of SSL certificates – standard, wildcard domain and multi-site domain
- The release of Chrome 68 in July began showing sites without an SSL as “Not Secure” in the browser link to users – the other browsers are sure to follow suit soon
ADA Compliance:
When you think about being ADA compliant, you might think of brick-and-mortar considerations, like ramps, stair rails, etc. However, your website is also a heavily trafficked interface that needs to provide a good user experience for individuals with visual, hearing, and other disabilities. Having an accessible website is not only important and considered a best practice, it will also protect you and your organization from a potential lawsuit. There are three levels of ADA compliance (A, AA, and AAA) that your website could meet depending on your organization’s goals and requirements.
What makes a website ADA compliant?
- It must have text that meets a minimum contrast ratio (based on compliance level) to be “easy-to-read”
- Your site must be navigable using only a keyboard
- The text on your site must be compatible with screen reader software
- Text must be scalable up to 200%
Sound like a lot? It is, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. At Willow, we’ve put together some simple, easy-to-implement packages that will get you compliant and ensure seamless, uninterrupted operation of your site. If you’re interested in learning more about our pre-packaged options or talking about a custom audit, reach out.
