Start with hosting and fonts
Two of the most common problems are invisible to visitors but easy for a checker to spot. Host your site in the EU, and self-host your fonts instead of loading them from a US server.
Google Fonts loaded the default way sends visitor IP addresses abroad - a documented source of warnings in Germany. Self-hosting the same fonts removes the issue entirely.
Get consent right
Analytics and other optional tools must stay off until the visitor agrees. A compliant setup means:
- Only essential cookies run by default
- Optional analytics are off until the visitor opts in
- The consent banner lets people decline as easily as accept
- The choice is remembered, and can be changed later
The pages you must have
Every German business site needs a proper Impressum and a Datenschutzerklärung (privacy policy) that reflects what your site actually does. If you run a contact or booking form, the privacy text has to cover it.
We build every site with this legal-page scaffolding in place. The final wording should still be confirmed with your own advisor - a template is a starting point, not legal advice.
Collect only what you need
The quiet principle behind DSGVO is data minimisation: only ask for what you genuinely need to answer the enquiry. A contact form does not need a postcode and a date of birth to reply to a question.
Fewer fields also means a higher completion rate - good privacy and good conversion point the same way.
A quick pre-launch check
Before you go live, confirm:
- EU hosting, self-hosted fonts, no US trackers by default
- Opt-in consent that remembers the choice
- Impressum and Datenschutz pages present and accurate
- Forms collect only what is needed, over an encrypted (HTTPS) connection
- A visible, working way to withdraw consent