Two years on from the UK’s decision to leave the European Union, and Brexit continues to dominate the headlines and be a subject that divides opinions as a nation.
As key decision makers, politicians and policymakers continue to try and predict what exactly this will mean when the UK leaves the EU on 29th March, have you considered what potential consequences or impact Brexit could have on your business website?
Well from domain names to monitoring currency, we explore various topics and scenarios that all UK based business websites should look to consider as part of our Brexit website checklist. Are you ready? Let’s get started…
EU Domain Names
Do you currently own a website ending with .eu? According to statistics provided by EURID, there are currently over 304,000 UK-based businesses who own a .eu domain address, so I would contact my hosting provider immediately if you are not sure.
Why? Regardless of if the UK exists the EU with or without a deal, UK-based businesses will no longer have the right to own, renew or register .eu domains. Going forward, the right to own any .eu domain name will be withdrawn and businesses will not be able to renew any existing domains.
How long do I have to change my domain?
EURID will be terminating all .eu domain names registered to UK addresses on one of two dates;
- 30 March 2019 if the UK exits the EU with no deal
- 1 January 2021 if the UK exits the EU with a deal
If you do have an EU postal address, I would HIGHLY advise that you update the admin details on your .eu domain as this will help keep your current domain. If you need any help configuring your domain records or would like to discuss any alternative ways to keep your domain, you will need to act now and contact your hosting or web design agency.
GDPR
Sending businesses into meltdown last year, all 28 EU countries were enforced to share the same data protection laws as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) was implemented from 25th May 2018. The purpose is to simplify data handling for the companies that serve EU citizens and will make compliance straightforward.
With a maximin fine of £500,000 for failure to comply to GDPR, many UK businesses have considered GDPR to be a success with research indicating 69% of UK businesses want to keep GDPR after Brexit.
Do you have to comply with GDPR after Brexit?
Right now, this is a grey area topic. After the UK originally adopted GDRP, and will attain these laws whilst we remain in the EU, the governments ‘EU Withdrawal Bill’ will aim to ensure European Law will no longer apply in the UK.
This means the UK could decide to drop GDRP and could be dropped immediately if the UK negotiate the day we leave the EU.
Cookie Policy
Since 2012, any website that uses cookies have had to display a message from web users from within the EU to notify them that they store data information.
Will Brexit mean no more cookie warnings? Sadly not. The EU Rules are identical to the UK’s privacy and electronic communications regulations meaning requiring cookie warnings follow the law. In order to remove cookies, the UK would have to both leave the EU and produce a new privacy and electronic communications regulations document.
Currency Costs
Famously, the value of the pound dropped to a 31-year low once the Brexit vote results were released. Although the pound has slowly staged a recovery, UK based businesses now need to be more aware to watch out for currency variations.
For e-commerce and business who import/export European goods, leaders and digital marketing should be aware of the possibility of uncertain currency, as products such as Mailchimp bill in US dollars. These means key decision makers must ensure flexibility is built into marketing budgets.
Your Brexit Website Audit Checklist
Do you have any more Brexit-related website questions we may have missed? If you have any questions or want any advice on how to avoid any pitfalls and how to manage your website post-Brexit, please do not hesitate to contact your Knutsford web design agency.