Is your website ready for Brexit? And what does that even mean?!

At the time of writing, we still don’t really know what’s happening with Brexit.

When (or even if) we’ll leave, whether we’ll have a deal when we do so and exactly what any of this means for British businesses (and those overseas) really is anyone’s guess.

So, what about your website? If you’re a business operating in this country and rely on trade, suppliers or customers from the EU, what can you do to ensure you’re not left high and dry if and when the country finally leaves the European Union?

Firstly - don’t panic. Because there’s so much uncertainty, changing your website considerably now wouldn’t be smart. Instead, just keep the following points in mind and make small updates only if you need to.

Data, data, data

Since the GDPR’s introduction last year, there’s been a heavy focus on data collection, storage and processing in this country.

If and when we leave the EU, your data policies may need further consideration - particularly if the data you store is hosted in the UK or in an EU country.

The GDPR is an EU-wide standard, so any change to the relationship our country has with the EU is likely to impact data privacy in some way. This site might be worth a read to keep you informed.

eCommerce and trade

If you’re running an eCommerce business and engage with suppliers or customers in the EU, Brexit might result in higher prices and longer shipping times.

Again, this doesn’t require any immediate changes to your website, but it’s worth keeping in mind that you might need to review your shipping terms, fees and providers.

This is where most of the uncertainty lies with Brexit, but it may also be a positive thing and give you more opportunities to welcome local customers who don’t want to pay inflated shipping costs following Brexit (if that’s the result, of course!).

Keep an eye on exchange rates and conversions

If your business advertises prices in multi currencies including those within the EU, the uncertainty of Brexit is resulting in some volatility with exchange rates. It’s worth keeping this in mind on a weekly basis - it’s that volatile at the moment.

Keep an eye on the conversions from € to £ and ensure your website is properly set up to react quickly to swift changes in exchange rates.

Security

If Britain leaves the EU it doesn’t mean your website is instantly going to become less secure, but the location of your data and the method by which the website is hosted may need to be reviewed.

If, for instance, your website is hosted in an EU country and we leave the European Union, you may wish to review your provider. Again, this isn’t because your data will suddenly be compromised, but opting for a non-EU hosting provider might provide you with more control and better pricing.

Wrapping up

We’ll reiterate something we said at the start of this blog: there’s no reason to make wholesale changes to your website now because of Brexit.

It’s far more sensible to sit tight, make small adjustments if needed and keep a close eye on the evolving situation in parliament.