Guide · Website legal basics
Legal pages for your website: What you really need – and what you do not.
Imprint, privacy policy, cookie banner, terms and conditions – few topics unsettle website owners as much as the legal pages. Yet the core is manageable: two texts are needed on practically every business website, one depends on your tools, and one is often dispensable. Here is the overview – understandable and without scaremongering.
* Transparency: this article contains affiliate links. If you subscribe through them, I receive a commission – the price does not change for you. It does not influence my assessment. This guide is not legal advice.
- Plain language, no legalese
- Most common mistakes explained
- Honest: contains affiliate links
- Last updated: October 2026
The legal pages almost every website needs.
Imprint (Impressum): in Germany mandatory for practically every business website. It must include name and address, contact details and – depending on legal form and industry – further details such as register or VAT numbers. It has to be reachable from every page within two clicks. Other EU countries have similar, if usually lighter, provider identification duties.
Privacy policy: required as soon as personal data is processed – which happens on every website, at the latest through hosting logs or a contact form. It must name every service actually in use: hosting, forms, analytics, embedded maps or videos, newsletters.
Cookie consent: needed as soon as you use cookies or services that are not technically necessary – Google Analytics, for instance. Without consent, such services must not load; an honest consent banner ensures exactly that.
Terms and conditions: no general obligation. Mainly useful if you sell online or offer standardised services – for the classic company website they are usually dispensable.
The four most common mistakes.
- Texts copied from another website – they almost never match your own setup and infringe copyright on top
- The privacy policy omits services that actually run – or lists ones that are long gone
- The consent banner does not really block services – the scripts load despite rejection
- Created once, never touched again – although new tools have been added
The common thread: legal pages are not a one-time checkbox. They have to match the website – and stay current with it.
Generators: the pragmatic route.
For the classic company website, generators have proven themselves. The best-known German-language provider is eRecht24 (affiliate link*): a question-and-answer process produces a text that matches your website. The imprint generator (affiliate link*) and the basic version of the privacy policy generator (affiliate link*) are free to use. Note that the tool and the generated texts are in German – which is exactly right for websites targeting the German market.
If you run many services or several websites, eRecht24 Premium (affiliate link*) adds extended generators, templates and protection services. A detailed assessment – what the free tier covers and when Premium pays off – is in the eRecht24 guide. Either way: a generator is only as good as your input. Omit or forget services, and you get a pretty but wrong text.
Keeping legal pages current.
The privacy policy becomes outdated the moment your website changes: a new form, a new analytics tool, an embedded video – all of it belongs in the text. Make it a rule to briefly check the legal pages with every technical change.
The good news: if the website is built lean and works without dozens of third-party scripts, the legal pages stay manageable too – one more argument for clean craftsmanship over plugin collections.
Frequently asked questions.
Do I need an imprint even if I do not sell anything?
For websites targeting Germany: yes. The obligation is not tied to selling but to business use – which applies to practically every company website, even a simple digital business card.
Can I copy the privacy policy from another website?
No. It almost never matches your setup, since it must name exactly the services running on your site. On top of that, legal texts are protected by copyright. The safe route is a generator fed with your own details.
Do I always need a cookie banner?
No – only if you use cookies or services that are not technically necessary. A website entirely without tracking and third-party embeds works without a banner. As soon as analytics and the like come in, real consent before loading is required.
Is a generator enough, or do I need a lawyer?
For the classic company website with common services, a carefully completed generator is the proven route. For special cases – online shops, health data, unusual business models – the review belongs in a lawyer’s hands.
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