If you run a business website in Germany, two pages are not optional: the Impressum (legal notice) and the Datenschutzerklärung (privacy policy). Many small businesses – especially those new to Germany – either forget them or copy a template that doesn't fit. Here's a plain-language overview.
Every German business website needs an Impressum.
Please note: this article is general information, not legal advice. For your specific situation, speak to a lawyer or use a reputable legal text generator.
What is an Impressum?
The Impressum tells visitors who is responsible for the website. For most businesses it includes the full name of the owner or company, a postal address (not just a PO box), contact details such as email and phone, and – where they apply – the register number, VAT ID and professional details.
Where should it be?
It should be easy to find from every page, usually through a link in the footer labelled "Impressum". Visitors should not have to search for it.
What is the privacy policy for?
The privacy policy explains what personal data your website collects and why: contact forms, analytics, cookies, embedded maps or videos, newsletter sign-ups. Under the GDPR, visitors have a right to know this.
Common mistakes we see
- Copying another company's Impressum and forgetting to change details.
- A privacy policy that doesn't mention the tools actually used on the site.
- Embedding Google Maps, YouTube or fonts in ways that send data before the visitor agrees.
- Contact forms without a short note on how the data will be used.
- Legal pages that exist in English only on a German site – or the other way round.
Keep it simple
The fewer third-party tools your website loads, the shorter and safer your privacy policy can be. That's one reason we link to Google Maps instead of embedding it on many sites, and use lightweight, privacy-friendly setups.
Part of a professional website
Legal pages won't win you customers on their own, but missing ones can cost you trust – and cause problems. They belong on every item of the small business website checklist.
For reference, you can see how we handle it in our own Impressum and privacy policy. The legal basis for the Impressum is § 5 of the German Digital Services Act (DDG), and the full GDPR text is available at gdpr-info.eu.
When we build a site through our web design service, we make sure these pages are in place and easy to find. Have questions about your current site? Ask us – we're happy to take a look.
Check your Impressum today
Open your site on a phone. Can you find the Impressum in two taps? Are your full name, address and email there? Is the privacy policy linked too? If not, fix it soon. For legal questions, ask a lawyer. You can see ours as an example: FrankBerlin Impressum.
Need a hand? FrankBerlin builds smart websites in Berlin – fast, multilingual and Google-ready.
