UK website legal requirements for small businesses (2026 checklist)

1. Every business website that sells or advertises: the E-Commerce Regulations

If your website promotes or sells goods or services, regulation 6 of the Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002 requires you to make certain information easily, directly and permanently accessible:

your name (the legal name of the business, not just a brand);
the geographic address where you’re established;
contact details, including an email address, so people can reach you quickly;
any trade register you’re on and your registration number, such as a Companies House number;
details of any authorisation scheme or professional body that regulates you;
your VAT number, if you’re VAT-registered.

Where you show prices, they must be clear and unambiguous, and say whether they include tax and delivery costs.

2. Limited companies and LLPs: Companies Act disclosures

The Company, Limited Liability Partnership and Business (Names and Trading Disclosures) Regulations 2015 require a company’s registered name on its websites (regulation 24). Regulation 25 adds that the website must show:

the part of the UK where the company is registered (England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland);
its registered number;
its registered office address.

If you mention share capital, it must be the paid-up share capital. GOV.UK’s guide to signs, stationery and promotional material gives the same list. The usual place for these details is the site footer. The name must match Companies House exactly, including “Limited” or “Ltd”.

3. Sole traders and partnerships using a trading name

If you trade under a name other than your own surname, the Companies Act 2006 business-names rules apply. Section 1201 requires your name and a UK address where documents can be served. Section 1202 requires these on business letters, written orders, invoices, receipts and written demands for payment. You must also give them immediately, in writing, to anyone you deal with in the course of business who asks. Section 1202 doesn’t name websites, but the E-Commerce Regulations above still require a name and geographic address on a website used for business. GOV.UK’s invoicing guidance covers what goes on invoices.

4. Selling to consumers online: pre-contract information

If consumers can buy from you online, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 apply. Before the customer is bound, you must give the information in Schedule 2. That includes the main characteristics of what you sell, your identity and geographic address, the total price including taxes, any delivery charges, the cost per billing period for subscriptions, and how any right to cancel works.

Regulation 14 adds checkout rules. The key information must be shown clearly just before the customer orders. The order button must make plain that ordering means paying, in the words “order with obligation to pay” or a corresponding unambiguous formulation. You must also say at the start of the checkout whether there are delivery restrictions and which payment methods you accept. For most distance contracts the consumer has a 14-day cancellation period (regulation 30).

If you sell subscriptions, a new subscription contracts regime is being introduced under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. Follow GOV.UK’s subscription contracts page for timings.

5. Cookies and privacy

If your site uses cookies or similar tools, PECR applies. See our guide to cookie banners and “Reject all”. If you collect any personal data, even through a contact form or newsletter sign-up, you need a privacy notice that meets UK GDPR Articles 13 and 14 (see our privacy notice guide). You may also need to pay the ICO data protection fee.

Since 19 June 2026, section 164A of the Data Protection Act 2018 requires you to make it easy for people to complain to you about how you handle their data, for example with an electronic complaint form. You must acknowledge each complaint within 30 days.

6. Reviews and testimonials

Since 6 April 2025, the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 has banned fake consumer reviews outright (Schedule 20, paragraph 13). That covers writing or commissioning fake reviews, hiding the fact that a review was incentivised, and publishing reviews in a misleading way, for example by hiding the negative ones. The CMA has published guidance on fake reviews.

Quick checklist

Legal name, geographic address and email address shown on the site
Limited company: registered name, number, part of the UK, registered office (usually in the footer)
VAT number shown if you’re VAT-registered
Prices clear, including whether VAT and delivery are included
Consumer sales: Schedule 2 information, a clear “pay” button, and cancellation rights explained
A cookie banner that doesn’t load non-exempt tags before consent
A privacy notice linked from every form
An easy route for data protection complaints
No fake or selectively published reviews

FAQ

Does a sole trader have to put their address on their website?

The E-Commerce Regulations require a geographic address on a website used for business. Separately, the Companies Act business-names rules require a sole trader using a trading name to show their name and a UK address for service on business letters, orders, invoices, receipts and payment demands.

Where should a limited company show its company number?

On the website itself. Most companies put the registered name, number, part of the UK where registered and registered office address in the footer, so it appears on every page.

Do I need terms and conditions?

There’s no general rule requiring a document called “terms and conditions”. But if you sell to consumers online, you must give the pre-contract information in Schedule 2 of the Consumer Contracts Regulations, and a clear terms page is a practical way to do that.

Do these rules apply to a simple brochure website?

Many do. The E-Commerce information duties can apply to sites that promote a business online, the Companies Act disclosures apply to every company website, and cookie and privacy rules apply as soon as you use cookies or collect personal data.

Is this legal advice?

No. It’s a general summary of the rules, with links to the official sources. For advice on your own situation, speak to a solicitor.

Official sources

Laws and guidance change. Check the sources above for the latest position. For advice on your own circumstances, consult a solicitor.