UK business website checklist: UK GDPR, cookies, VAT and company details

A UK website has a short list of things the law expects and a longer list of things customers expect. Most small-business sites miss at least one of the first group. This is the checklist we work through on every UK build. It is general guidance, not legal advice.

1. Show who you are

If you trade as a limited company, your website must show:

• the company's registered name (including "Limited" or "Ltd")
• the company registration number
• the registered office address
• the part of the UK where it is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland)

The footer or a contact page is the usual place. If you are VAT-registered, add your VAT number. Sole traders and partnerships should show the owner's name and a business address.

2. Ask before you set cookies

The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) say you need consent before storing anything on a visitor's device that is not strictly necessary. In practice:

• Analytics, advertising and social media tags wait until the visitor says yes.
• "Reject" must be as easy as "Accept".
• The banner explains what the cookies do in plain words.

The ICO enforces these rules.

3. Write a real privacy notice

UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act expect you to tell people what you collect, why, how long you keep it and who you share it with. A contact form, a newsletter sign-up and a booking tool all count. Two practical points:

• Collect only what you need. A quote form rarely needs a date of birth.
• Most organisations that use personal information must pay the ICO's data protection fee, unless they are exempt. The ICO has a short self-assessment.

4. Get prices and VAT right

The standard VAT rate is 20%, and you must register once your taxable turnover is more than £90,000. Prices shown to consumers should include VAT. Business-to-business sites can show prices excluding VAT if that is made clear.

5. Selling online: the cancellation right

If you sell to consumers online, they can usually cancel up to 14 days after their order is delivered, with some exceptions such as personalised goods. Your site needs clear delivery costs, a returns policy and the total price before the customer pays.

6. Make it usable by everyone

The Equality Act expects service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and that includes websites. Aim for WCAG 2.2 AA: readable contrast, keyboard navigation, alt text and labelled form fields. It also helps your search rankings.

7. What customers look for

• Reviews from Google or Trustpilot, shown with their source.
• A UK phone number or a fast way to message you.
• Pages for the towns and cities you serve, so you appear in local searches in London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow and beyond.
• A site that loads in under two seconds on a phone.

How we can help

We build UK websites with consent, privacy pages and company details in place from day one, and we check them again before launch. See our UK page or ask for a quote.