What to account for
Account for plugins and embeds
WordPress’s editing helper covers core and participating plugins. Inventory newsletter embeds, analytics and other external services separately. Explain the data, purpose and recipients for each actual use.
Set the site’s privacy page
Create or select your policy under Settings → Privacy. WordPress adds it to login and registration pages; make it accessible from your public navigation or footer too.
Check plugin export and erasure support
Plugin developers can register personal-data exporters and erasers. Check which installed plugins participate before promising that one WordPress request will cover every system.
Common mistakes to check
Publishing untouched starter text
The editing helper cannot detect every third-party service. Remove unused sections and add the services your site actually uses, including data stored outside WordPress.
Selecting a page without publishing it
The privacy setting points to a page; it does not finish or publish its content for you. Review its publication status and test the link while logged out.
Your review checklist
Our suggested review process. The linked requirements above explain the platform or legal basis.
Inventory the live site
Scan the homepage and representative contact, checkout and article pages. Compare observed cookies and requests with your active plugins, theme integrations and embedded services.
Complete the business details
Confirm the controller, contact address, purposes, retention periods and external recipients. Assign an owner to handle access and deletion requests across your tools.
Publish and test
Review the generated documents, add the policy page to your footer and select it in WordPress. Test consent choices in a fresh browser and re-scan after plugin changes.
Example
A studio with a contact form
A fictional studio uses a form plugin, an email provider and an embedded video. Its scan finds the public services; the owner confirms where form submissions and email copies are stored.
From inventory to publication
The owner adds retention and recipient details, reviews the draft, then publishes a Privacy page and links it from the footer. Adding a booking plugin triggers another review.
Questions before publishing
Does WordPress’s template cover every plugin?
No. It gathers contributions from core and participating plugins. Use it alongside your own service inventory.
Where do I select the policy page?
In Settings → Privacy. You can create a new page or select an existing one.
Can a plugin add its own privacy wording?
Yes. WordPress exposes hooks for suggested privacy text, exporters and erasers; participation depends on the plugin.
Source review and changes
First edition: platform requirements, implementation checks and fictional worked example. Sources reviewed on the date above; verify changes before relying on them.