A French business website must publish mentions légales, now required by Article 1-1 of the LCEN (Loi pour la confiance dans l’économie numérique), naming who publishes the site, how to reach them, their SIREN or RCS number and who hosts the site. Its cookie banner must, following the CNIL, offer “Tout refuser” wherever it offers “Tout accepter”. Below: the full list for an auto-entrepreneur and for a société, the cookie rules in plain words, what selling online adds, what a site vitrine costs, and a worked example.
What do French customers check before they contact a small business?
Before the law, think about the visitor. A French customer landing on a local business site is usually trying to settle four things quickly, and the site that answers them in French, without a hunt, wins the call.
- 1Is this a real, registered business? A SIRET or SIREN in the footer and a proper “Mentions légales” link reassure people who have been burned by fake sites.
- 2Where exactly are you, and when are you open? Address, horaires, closing days and the August break, matching the Google Business Profile.
- 3What does it cost? Tarifs, or at least “à partir de” prices, written as text.
- 4How do I reach you right now? A tappable phone number, an email, and for many trades a messaging link.
Write in French first, with the vouvoiement for trades, health and professional services. An English version helps in tourist areas but doubles the pages you have to keep correct.
What must the mentions légales contain?
The duty covers any website open to the public, whatever its size or turnover. Legal guides group the content like this.
- 1For everyone: the publisher’s name (or company name), address, phone number and email.
- 2The directeur de la publication, the person responsible for the content. For a one-person business, that is you.
- 3The host (hébergeur): its name, address and phone number. This line surprises many owners, and it is the one most often missing.
- 4For an entrepreneur individuel or micro-entrepreneur: the SIREN number and the “EI” mention.
- 5For a société (SARL, EURL, SAS, SASU): legal form, share capital, RCS number and intra-EU VAT number.
- 6For regulated activities: the professional order or authority, where one applies.
Put the page behind a “Mentions légales” link in the footer of every page. One page is enough; it does not need to be long.
Why do some guides still cite Article 6-III?
Because the law moved. The SREN law, in force since 23 May 2024, transferred the identification duty to Article 1-1 of the LCEN and the penalty to Article 1-2. The penalty is serious on paper: up to one year in prison and a €75,000 fine for an individual, and €375,000 for a company. Many templates still quote the old article. That does not make your page illegal, but it shows nobody has reviewed it, so take the chance to check every line.
What does the CNIL require from a cookie banner?
The legal basis is Article 82 of the Loi Informatique et Libertés, applied through CNIL guidance. The government’s business portal (entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr) sums up the duties in a way any owner can check against their own site:
- 1Identify every tracker the site uses and tell visitors what each does.
- 2Get consent through a clear positive act before any non-essential tracker runs. Continuing to browse is not consent.
- 3Make refusing as easy as accepting. If there is an “accept all” button, there must be a “refuse all” button of equal standing.
- 4Let people change their mind at any time, for example with a “Gérer mes cookies” link on every page.
The cheapest compliance is to need fewer trackers. A site with no ad pixels, no third-party video autoplay and a map that loads on click may need very little consent at all. Every tool you add is something to declare, block until consent, and keep up to date.
💡 Three lines fix most French small business sites: name the hébergeur in the mentions légales, add a “Tout refuser” button next to “Tout accepter”, and put a “Gérer mes cookies” link in the footer.
What changes if I sell online?
A site vitrine that only presents the business needs the items above. Once customers can order and pay, more rules apply, because you now make distance contracts with consumers.
- 1Conditions générales de vente (CGV), separate from the mentions légales, covering total price, payment, delivery times, returns and refunds.
- 2The 14-day right of withdrawal for most goods and services bought online, with its exceptions stated clearly. Perishable food and made-to-order or personalised items are among the exceptions under EU rules.
- 3Contact details of a consumer mediator (médiateur de la consommation), which French legal guides list as required for consumer sales.
- 4Remove any old link to the EU ODR platform: it closed on 20 July 2025.
This is the part worth a one-off review by a lawyer or your chamber of commerce, especially the returns wording.
How much does a site vitrine cost in France?
| Route | Typical price in France | What you still handle yourself |
|---|---|---|
| DIY website builder | Monthly subscription | All text, photos, legal pages, cookie set-up, updates |
| Freelance one-page site | About €1,000 (2–4 days at €280–400/day) | Usually the text, hosting, later changes |
| Freelance marketing site | €1,200–3,000 | Often the text and SEO strategy |
| Custom site (sur mesure) | €1,500–4,000 | Hosting and upkeep, unless contracted |
| Adyft Sites Starter, 5 pages | $1,499 + $69/month | Answering our questions and approving the draft |
Another French source, a barometer of more than a thousand project budgets published by a French web directory, is reported to put a site vitrine at around €2,000. The practical lesson is the same: compare what is included, not just the headline price. A freelance quote at €1,500 with no copywriting and no hosting is not cheaper than a higher quote that includes both.
Worked example: a pâtisserie in Lyon taking cake orders
Picture a pâtisserie with six staff, run as a SARL, in the 6th arrondissement. Walk-in trade is steady; the growth is in celebration cakes ordered a week ahead, currently by phone and messages.
The site needs five pages: Accueil, Nos gâteaux with prices “à partir de”, Commandes personnalisées explaining lead times and deposits, Notre histoire, and Contact with the hours and a map that loads on click. The footer carries the SARL’s name, capital, RCS Lyon number, VAT number, a “Mentions légales” link that names the host and the directeur de la publication, and a privacy page explaining what the order form collects.
Should they take payment online? Not yet. Orders arrive by form or message and are confirmed by phone, so the site stays a site vitrine with no CGV checkout to maintain. If they later add online payment, the custom cakes would generally fall under the made-to-order and perishable exceptions to the 14-day withdrawal right, which the CGV should say plainly.
On Adyft Sites that is Starter: $1,499 setup and $69 a month, live in under a week. If they want customers to pick and pay for standard cakes online, Shop Starter at $3,999 plus $129 a month adds up to 50 products, customer accounts and order alerts by WhatsApp and email.
Does the European Accessibility Act affect a small French business?
The Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) has applied since 28 June 2025. It has two halves, and owners often mix them up. The services half covers things like e-commerce aimed at consumers. The products half covers a specific list of devices, such as computers, smartphones, e-readers and self-service terminals like ticket machines.
Microenterprises, under 10 people and no more than €2 million in turnover or balance sheet, are exempt from the services half, but not from the products half. For the Lyon pâtisserie that distinction is academic: it sells cakes, not devices, and its website is a service run by a six-person firm. A 25-person retailer selling consumer electronics online would face both halves. If you are near the thresholds, check each year.
Accessibility is good practice regardless: readable contrast, real headings, labelled forms and image descriptions help every visitor, so ask any provider how they handle them.
Does anyone in France search outside Google?
A little. StatCounter put Google at about 88% of French searches in September 2026, Bing at about 5.5%, Yahoo near 3%, and Ecosia and the French engine Qwant just under 1.5% and 1% respectively. Registering with Bing Webmaster Tools as well as Google Search Console covers most of the gap, since some smaller engines draw partly on Bing’s results. Your Google Business Profile still matters most for “boulangerie près de moi” style searches.
Is a done-for-you site right for a French small business?
It suits owners who want a correct, well-written site quickly and do not want to learn cookie tools or write mentions légales. With Adyft Sites you answer questions on WhatsApp; we write each page, add the mentions légales and privacy pages with the details you give us (the legal wording should be checked by your adviser), host the site with SSL, keep it secure, send a monthly visitor report and make small changes when you message us. The domain is in your name, FAQ, Contact and Privacy pages are included free, and there are 42 industry designs to choose from. If you need every page in French, ask us before you order.
It is not the right fit if you want face-to-face workshops with a designer in French, a large bespoke platform tied to your stock or till software, or the satisfaction of building it yourself. In those cases a local agency, a freelance designer or a DIY builder will serve you better.
Questions about mentions légales and cookies in France
Does an auto-entrepreneur need mentions légales?
Yes. Every website open to the public needs them, whatever the size of the business. A micro-entrepreneur shows name, address, phone, email, SIREN, the “EI” mention, the directeur de la publication and the host’s details.
Why must I name my web host?
The LCEN identification rules require the hosting provider’s name, address and phone number so that anyone can trace who stores the site. Ask your provider for the exact details to copy.
Is a cookie banner with only “Accepter” and “Paramétrer” enough?
No. CNIL guidance requires refusing to be as easy as accepting, so a banner with “Tout accepter” also needs a “Tout refuser” option at the same level. Continuing to browse does not count as consent.
Do I need CGV on a site vitrine?
Not if customers cannot order and pay on the site. CGV become necessary once you sell online to consumers, together with information on the 14-day withdrawal right and a consumer mediator.
What is the penalty for missing mentions légales?
Article 1-2 of the LCEN provides for up to one year in prison and €75,000 for an individual, and up to €375,000 for a company. In practice, the bigger loss is customer trust.
How much does a simple business website cost in France?
One French freelance marketplace’s guide puts a one-page site at about €1,000 and a marketing site at €1,200–3,000, usually excluding SEO strategy. Adyft Sites Starter is $1,499 plus $69 a month with the writing and hosting included.
Sources: Service-public Entreprendre, cookies and trackers — https://entreprendre.service-public.gouv.fr/vosdroits/F31228 · Simonnet Avocat, mentions légales and sanctions — https://www.simonnetavocat.fr/mentions-legales-dun-site-internet-obligations-sanctions-et-modele/ · LegalPlace, mentions légales guide — https://www.legalplace.fr/guides/mentions-legales/ · Siècle Digital, CNIL refuse-all button — https://siecledigital.fr/2021/05/26/cnil-organismes-internautes-refuser-cookies/ · Your Europe, returns and withdrawal — https://europa.eu/youreurope/citizens/consumers/shopping/returns/index_en.htm · ODR platform closure — https://www.iubenda.com/en/help/173458-discontinuation-of-the-european-online-dispute-resolution-odr-platform · European Accessibility Act, Art. 4 — https://www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2019/882/article/4 · European Commission, European Accessibility Act — https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/policies/justice-and-fundamental-rights/disability/union-equality-strategy-rights-persons-disabilities-2021-2030/european-accessibility-act_en · A French freelance marketplace’s site vitrine price guide (2025) ·StatCounter, France search share — https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/all/france
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