Not All Web Content Writing Is Legal
The blog has become an important component for many business websites. Through published content, companies attempt to establish themselves as experts in their industries. When these businesses hire a content writing service for their web content writing, the legalities can often be an afterthought, if you think of it at all. However, the content for blogs must still follow legal guidelines. To avoid problems, it is important to understand what activities can lead to legal problems and what practices your content writers need to avoid.
Copyright Issues
It may seem obvious, but it is important to remember all your web content writing must be completely original. Scraping the content from another website is the fastest way to find your website on the search engine blacklist. In addition to being blacklisted by search engines, you could also find your business in legal trouble. Always make sure the content writing service you hire offers 100 percent original content and that you become the sole owner of that content once it is delivered to you. This will avoid copyright issues in the future.
Deep Linking
Links are a valuable aspect of content for blogs. These links can take individuals to other pages on your site that relate to the blog topic or to the source of your information. When you link to the source of your information, any links that lead away from the site’s homepage are considered deep linking. While the act itself is not illegal, it can lead to issues if you are linking to a page on another website. If you want to keep your content safe, clearly cite the other website in your content so there is no doubt where the link leads.
Images
The use of images can violate copyright or trademark issues if they aren’t used properly. Because some images are necessary for blog content, as well as other web content writing, make sure the content writing service you use provides images that either aren’t copyrighted or are properly attributed. Sometimes paying for images isn’t enough to avoid legal issues. One of the other ways to ensure you are using images properly is to use thumbnails versus full-size images. This can protect you from copyright and trademark problems associated with image use.
Domain Names and Trademarks
Many major corporations trademark their names and sometimes similar ones to prevent others from using them, creating confusion among consumers. When you are choosing a domain name, it is important to make sure you check any trademarks that may be associated with your chosen name. Before you settle on a name for your company, enter the name into a search engine to ensure you are protected.
User Comments
Once you post your blog content, you may choose to leave the post open for user comments. These comments aren’t under your control, which means your users could cause potential legal problems. One of the best ways to fight against this is to require approval before posting. This means you or your content writing service will monitor all incoming comments and decide whether they can be posted. This will prevent issues, such as libel, intellectual property violations and other federal crimes. Even if you allow for immediate posting, it is important to track comments to avoid complications.
Privacy
All consumers are concerned about their privacy online. When visitors come to your site, they have a reasonable expectation that you will not unknowingly collect their private information and share it with other parties. When you do collect information on your visitors, you must disclose whether you intend to offer it to third-parties or you will maintain that information for your own purposes. In most cases, websites collect contact information as leads to convert those visitors into sales.
Running a business online requires web content writing that doesn’t break any laws. While many of the legalities of posting content online are still unclear, it is important to protect yourself and your business from potential legal dilemmas. Whether you are dealing with copyright or trademark issues or you need to monitor user comments or protect the privacy of your visitors, it is imperative to understand how to protect yourself and your company from any potential consequences if these laws are broken.
If you are looking for a content writing service that can help you avoid legal trouble online, contact us. We can help with web content writing and content for your blog.
