You have probably already experienced this scene on the web, where you visit a site and the famous cookies appear. The site you are visiting asks for your consent to collect and process your personal data. You realize that data protection is guaranteed. Then, in one click, you give your consent. These are necessary security measures provided for by the GDPR.
The protection of privacy and personal data on the internet is now an imperative. Since the entry into force of the new European data protection regulation, GDPR compliance is essential. All companies that collect and store personal data about European Union citizens are held accountable. This legal system requires appropriate security measures for the collection of personal information. It creates a legal framework for data processing. Why does your site need to adapt to the General Data Protection Regulation?
Being GDPR compliant can optimize your brand’s online reputation, strengthen your market positioning and improve your marketing strategy. But non-compliance with this new regulation exposes you to several risks such as financial penalties. This can also decrease your website traffic.
Would you like to benefit from your subscribers’ data without violating the principles established by this European legislation? If yes, then discover, through this content, how to bring a site into compliance with this new regulation. seo services specialists are examining the immediate effects of the new rule. It appears that there is a connection between it and the user’s lack of consent. Upon the Internet’s
What is the GDPR law? The main thing to keep in mind
GDPR is an abbreviation of “General Data Protection Regulation” and concerns the processing of personal data. This law highlights respect for privacy and greater accountability for stakeholders and subcontractors (IT service providers). It concerns the data of European nationals and is aimed in particular at private and public companies and institutions which collect and store personal data on the internet.
Indeed, the GDPR applies to the entire European area. If your company operates in this territory or if you collect and process the data of European citizens, you must comply with this new regulation.
Today, with the new regulation, the level of protection is evolving. We observe the strengthening of the rights of European nationals. This law notably defends these six fundamental rights:
- The right to information: stipulates that every citizen must be informed of the processing to which their personal information is subject, regardless of the case and the situation.
- The right of access: authorizes everyone to exercise their right of access to the data collected about them. It gives the user the power to prohibit, in certain cases, the exploitation of data.
- The right to rectification: with this right, the user can request rectification of the data collected about their person.
- The right to object: allows everyone to object to processing in the event of commercial prospecting or other legitimate reasons.
- The right to erasure: (the right to be forgotten) through this, the GDPR gives everyone the power to request the deletion of their data.
- The right to data portability: authorizes each citizen to request the transfer of data in a machine-intelligible format.
What are the key steps to comply with this law?
The process of complying with the new European regulation takes place in several essential phases. Discover the 7 important steps to follow to adapt:
- Appoint a data protection officer (DPO) delegated to data protection in French
Whether internal or external, the latter manages GDPR compliance. It maps treatments, prioritizes actions to be taken and manages risks. This referent is also responsible for organizing internal procedures and GDPR compliance documentation.
- Gather existing documents on the website of the National Commission for Information Technology and Liberties (CNIL)
The CNIL website brings together the preliminary formalities to be carried out to adapt to the GDPR. Simply consult its site to understand the actions to be implemented within your organization. Furthermore, you can access the files of declarations made to this commission. You will therefore find a first draft of the activities carried out by your company. What documents should be collected in this case? You must recover, among other things:
- The privacy policy;
- The General Terms and Conditions;
- The CGU;
- Legal notices, etc.
After this phase, represent the organization chart of your company to trace, through a list, the services or departments available and the interactions that exist between them.
- Create a processing register based on documents collected from the CNIL
The GDPR requires a data processing document. This will be used to list all of your files. This register allows you to have a global view of all data processing carried out by an entity. At this level of the process of adapting to the new European regulation, it is appropriate to list the activities that require your organization to collect data. At this stage of the GDPR compliance journey, there are several activities you can consider. To put it simply, in the log, list each activity and specify the purpose for which you are collecting the personal information. Give a clear idea of ??who will be able to access the data. And above all, provide information on the retention periods for the data collected.
- Analyze company processing
Carry out two audits at this stage of the compliance process. Do the legality study first? Through this analysis, you determine whether the purposes comply with the principles established by the GDPR. Indeed, for data protection, the new European regulation is based on the following principles:
- Legality, fairness and transparency.
- Object limitation.
- Data minimization.
- Precision.
- Storage limitation.
- Integrity and confidentiality.
- Responsibility.
The second audit is used to analyze the management of the rights of the persons concerned. He is also interested in that of subcontractors. Concretely, this involves the impact analysis and security of the information system.
- Proceed to correct compliance gaps
The data collected at this compliance stage must be sorted. Indeed, the GDPR principle of minimization requires it. Personal information must be adequate, relevant and restricted in relation to the purposes for which it is processed. So get rid of superfluous data, and keep the essentials to protect yourself from CNIL sanctions. What actions are being taken? Set up a register of processing activities and then update it. Create and have mandatory information on forms. Refresh security measures and raise staff awareness of data protection issues.
- Establish a management procedure
Develop essential procedures to comply with the new European regulation. These concern: management of exercise of rights, data protection, measures in the event of a personal data breach. They also bring together the measures to be taken in the event of processing of personal information, the management of impact analyses, the attitude to be taken in the event of a CNIL inspection and the procedure which concerns the choice of subcontractors. The process of adaptation to the new European regulation requires above all regular audits of mandatory procedures, be careful of this. Finally, update the procedures.
- Pass the information on your site
Explicitly talk to the user about data collection. Inform him about his right of access to data. He can refuse or agree to provide his personal information.
Mistakes to avoid at all costs on your website
Compliance with data protection policy legislation presents certain pitfalls. You suspect it. Everyone would be in compliance if it were enough to install cookies on a site. So what are the mistakes to avoid when complying with GDPR?
- Have outdated GDPR documentation
- Non-compliance of the cookie banner with the user typology
- Incorrect configuration of your cookie banner
- Neglecting user tracking tools
- Omitting accessibility
- Neglect the list of cookies available on your sites
- Forgetting to put your GDPR documentation online
Being GDPR compliant: what are the benefits for your business?
First of all, compliance with the new European regulation allows you to adopt appropriate security measures. This legislation requires all companies to take technical and organizational measures to guarantee the protection of personal data.
Then, it is a vector of trust and transparency between consumers and your company. Thanks to GDPR, your brand can create a relationship of trust with its customers. How? With this new regulation, you can prove to users that their personal data and their rights are guaranteed. It will therefore be easier for you to retain your consumers and attract new customers.
Applying new European legislation improves your marketing strategy. It connects you with qualified prospects. Indeed, if you use emailing for your online activities, you will have the contacts of people who have given their consent.
What are the consequences of non-compliance?
When we talk about the risks relating to non-compliance with the new European regulation, we think directly of financial sanctions. What about the natural referencing of your web showcase? Does this affect your SERP positioning? GDPR can have an impact on the SEO of your website. Many sites notice that their traffic is dropping when they look at their statistics on Google Search Console. It is sometimes more reassuring to go through an SEO agency to manage this technical part.
Surprised by this fact, SEO consultants are analyzing the direct impacts relating to the new regulation. It turns out that the user’s non-consent has something to do with it. When the Internet user does not agree to the collection of his personal information, this prevents the activation of the analytical tag and therefore the data is not kept.
However, it should be remembered that the new European regulations do not significantly affect natural referencing. For what? Google algorithms do not focus on making a site GDPR compliant. It is not taken into account for ranking in search engines. Google rather bases itself on the quality of the content, the user experience, and the loading time of your site. It prioritizes net linking, internal and external networking, your e-reputation and many other key factors.
