This guide is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Privacy rules vary by jurisdiction and change over time. For guidance on your specific situation, please consult a qualified attorney.
What Are Cookies and Privacy?
Cookies are small files a website saves in a visitor's browser. Some are necessary, like keeping you logged in. Others track what visitors do, usually for analytics or advertising. Privacy laws focus on that second kind. They generally require you to tell visitors what you track and, depending on the law and the tool, either get their permission before tracking starts or give them a clear way to say no.
Does This Apply to My Site?
This applies if your site uses tracking tools. The common ones are Google Analytics, a Meta (Facebook) pixel, and booking widgets such as Mindbody. If you use none of these, your risk is low.
US Privacy Laws
In the US, privacy rules come from individual states, led by California's CCPA. If your site shares visitor data with third parties, such as through an ad pixel, you'll usually need a clear privacy policy and an easy way for visitors to opt out. Every site should have a privacy policy that accurately describes what it tracks.
What Is the GDPR?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is the European Union's privacy law. It protects people in the EU and the European Economic Area, and the UK has a nearly identical version. If you have visitors from these areas, the GDPR applies to your site even if your business is in the US.
The GDPR is stricter than US rules. It generally requires a visitor's permission before any non-necessary cookies are set, and it gives visitors the right to ask what data you have about them or to have it removed.
What Your Privacy Policy Should Cover
Your privacy policy should explain:
- What visitor data you collect.
- What you use that data for.
- Which other companies have access to it, such as Google, Meta, or Mindbody.
- How visitors can opt out or ask to have their data removed.
Many privacy policy templates are available online, and some cookie banner tools include a policy generator. You can add your content to a page using a Text Element
Solutions
A cookie consent banner is the most common way to handle this. Most banner tools let you choose whether tracking waits for a visitor's permission (opt-in) or runs until they say no (opt-out). Opt-in is the safer choice if you get visitors from the EU, UK, or Canada. Many banner tools can also add a "Do Not Sell or Share" link and respect Global Privacy Control signals sent by browsers.
You install and manage the banner yourself, so you stay in control. Some popular ones are CookieYes, Termly, CookieScript, and Cookiebot. Place the code snippet in the Header Global Content area with an HTML Element.
Necessary cookies, the ones that keep your site functional, do not require consent. The banner only needs to cover the analytics and marketing tools you add yourself.
Mindbody booking widgets set their own cookies, and some of them load inside Mindbody's frame. A banner may not be able to fully control those cookies.
Cookies liveedit Uses
Our platform sets only the cookies your site needs to work, such as keeping you logged in while you edit. These don't store personal information about your visitors. We add no tracking or advertising cookies of our own. Any tracking comes from tools you choose to add.
If your site uses a built-in third-party integration, such as Mindbody, we also use functionality cookies that keep visitors logged in while they view classes or book. These cookies expire and aren't used for tracking.
You can read more in our Privacy Policy or contact our support team for help adding the banner code to your site.