A professional website should make it easy to understand who runs the business, how to contact it and what happens to personal information. Those details support trust, but some are also legal responsibilities.
This guide is written for Muslim founders who want a clear starting point. It is general information, not legal advice. Requirements depend on your business structure, activities and the data you collect.
Start with your business structure
The information a website must display can differ between a sole trader and a limited company. GOV.UK explains the main structures and responsibilities in its Set up a business guidance (opens in a new tab).
For a limited company, official guidance says business stationery and websites should show information including the registered company name, registration number, registered office address and place of registration. VAT-registered businesses also have display obligations for their VAT number.
The detailed checklist from NI Business Info (opens in a new tab) brings these requirements together. Check the guidance that applies to your part of the UK and your legal structure.
Make the business identifiable
Visitors should not have to investigate who they are dealing with. Put required business information somewhere easy to find, commonly the footer, contact page or legal notice.
Check whether your website clearly provides:
- the legal or trading name;
- a working email address and appropriate contact method;
- the registered office and company number where required;
- the VAT number where required;
- any regulator or professional details relevant to your sector.
Do not copy another company’s legal notice. It may have a different structure, location or regulatory position.
Explain how personal information is used
A contact form can collect a name, email address, telephone number and message. Booking and ecommerce systems may collect more. The UK Information Commissioner’s Office says a privacy notice should explain matters such as what information is collected, why it is used, how long it is kept, who it is shared with and the rights people have.
The ICO provides guidance on writing a privacy notice (opens in a new tab) and tools for small organisations. Your notice should describe what your business actually does; adding a generic template that does not match reality can create confusion.
Review cookies before adding a banner
Not every cookie has the same purpose. Some are necessary for a requested function, while analytics, advertising and embedded services may require a different approach.
The ICO’s cookies and similar technologies guidance (opens in a new tab) explains the information and consent rules. Review the services your website really uses before deciding what the banner and cookie page should say.
A banner does not make a site compliant by itself. Its choices need to match what the website loads.
Include terms that fit the actual service
A brochure website, online shop and booking business have different customer journeys. Terms should reflect how orders, cancellations, payments, delivery or appointments work. Consumer-facing businesses should check current consumer-law guidance and obtain qualified advice where needed.
Before launch
- Confirm your business structure and required identifying details.
- List every form, analytics tool and third-party service that receives data.
- Write a privacy notice that matches those real processes.
- Identify which cookies load before a visitor makes a choice.
- Test contact details, consent controls and legal-page links on a phone.
- Set a date to review the pages after services or suppliers change.
Official sources
- Set up a business — GOV.UK (opens in a new tab)
- Business website legal requirements — NI Business Info (opens in a new tab)
- How to write a privacy notice — ICO (opens in a new tab)
- Cookies and similar technologies — ICO (opens in a new tab)
Official guidance can change. Check the linked pages and obtain professional advice for your circumstances before relying on this checklist.