Oct 20, 2025·8 min
How to Create a Startup Website Transparency Page (Step-by-Step)
Learn how to plan, write, and publish a startup transparency page: what to share, what to avoid, page structure, updates, and practical templates.
Learn how to plan, write, and publish a startup transparency page: what to share, what to avoid, page structure, updates, and practical templates.
A transparency page is a single, public place on your website where you explain how your company works—what you’re building, how you price it, how you handle customer data, and what people can expect when things go wrong.
It’s not a marketing page full of vague claims. It’s also not a “tell the world everything” document. The goal is practical clarity: give customers, candidates, and partners enough context to trust your decisions and use your product with fewer surprises.
A good transparency page is:
A transparency page is not:
Startups use transparency pages to:
It helps when you can commit to straightforward promises and consistent updates.
It can hurt if you publish:
Only share what you can support with real ownership and an update habit. If you can’t keep a public roadmap current, publish principles for prioritization instead.
For length and structure, aim for a page (or small set of pages) totaling around 3,000 words—enough to be genuinely useful, short enough to stay readable. Break it into clear sections with a simple table of contents and anchors so people can jump straight to what they need.
A transparency page can’t answer everyone’s questions equally well. If you try, it turns into a wall of text—or worse, a set of vague statements that don’t build trust.
Pick the single group you most need to reassure right now, and write for them first:
You can still include sections for other audiences, but your primary audience should shape tone, detail, and what you emphasize.
Your page should clearly answer a small set of questions your audience is already asking, such as:
Be explicit about boundaries. Common “no-share” zones include trade secrets, personal employee/customer data, and operational security details (for example, exact internal configurations).
End this step by drafting a single line you can keep:
“Here’s what we share, why we share it, and how often we update it.”
A transparency page only works if people can find it quickly and skim it confidently. Treat it like product documentation: easy to locate, easy to scan, and predictable from one visit to the next.
Use a short, obvious path such as /transparency. Put the link in your footer (next to Privacy, Terms, Security) and consider a second entry point in your About menu if you have one. Consistency matters: once you publish the URL, keep it stable.
If you already have related pages, connect them with clear, relative links (e.g., /pricing, /security, /privacy) so readers can verify details without hunting.
A practical order that reads well for most startups:
What this page covers (one-paragraph intro)
Story + operating principles (why you exist, how you decide)
Team + how you work (who does what, how you build)
Pricing + billing expectations (how charges work, edge cases)
Metrics (carefully chosen) (what you measure and why)
Roadmap + changelog (what’s next, what changed)
Privacy + security (plain English) (data handling, key controls)
Support + reliability expectations (hours, SLAs if any, status link)
You can reorder based on your business (e.g., put security higher if you sell to regulated teams).
If the page is longer than a few screens, include a short table of contents near the top with jump links to each section. Keep labels simple (“Pricing”, “Roadmap”, “Security”) so scanning feels effortless.
Add a “Last updated” line at the top and state a cadence such as “Reviewed monthly” or “Updated within 7 days of major changes.” Assign an internal owner (role or team) so updates don’t stall.
End the page with one action: “Questions? Email us at [email protected]” or link to a lightweight form (e.g., /contact). Readers should never wonder where to ask for clarification.
A transparency page works best when it explains not just what you believe, but how you actually operate.
Mission is your “why” in one or two sentences: who you serve and what you’re trying to change.
Values are beliefs you want to hold (e.g., “respect,” “speed,” “craft”). Behaviors are the observable actions that prove those values (e.g., “we reply to every support request within 1 business day”). Readers trust behaviors more than slogans.
Share the simple moment that led to the company: the problem you ran into, why existing options didn’t work, and the first version you shipped. Keep it concrete and customer-focused.
If you want the longer version, link it: see /about.
Use these prompts to write a few plain-English principles:
Add 3–5 commitments such as:
Link supporting details where useful (e.g., /careers for how you hire and work).
People trust people. A transparency page shouldn’t feel like a faceless policy document—it should show who’s responsible for the product and how decisions get made.
Start with a simple overview of leadership and key roles: founders, product lead, engineering lead, customer support lead, security/privacy owner, and any advisors—only if they’ve explicitly agreed to be listed.
Keep it role-focused:
Avoid personal details like home locations, personal phone numbers, or anything that invites unwanted contact. The goal is accountability, not exposure.
Add a short “working principles” section that explains how collaboration happens day to day:
This helps customers understand why some requests move quickly while others require review.
If you’re hiring (or expect to), share the basics of your process: typical stages, approximate timelines, and what you evaluate (portfolio, problem-solving, communication). Link to /careers for open roles and details.
If you already have background information elsewhere, link it instead of duplicating it (for example, your story and mission on /about).
Pricing is where many transparency pages either build trust quickly—or trigger frustration. The goal here isn’t to duplicate your pricing table. It’s to set expectations in plain language so people can self-qualify and avoid surprises.
Use simple plan names and describe who each plan is for. Focus on what’s included at a high level (not every feature).
For example:
If you have usage-based pricing, say so clearly (e.g., “priced by seats,” “priced by usage,” or “priced by both”).
Spell out the basics in one place:
If any of these vary by plan or region, say that upfront.
If you have common add-ons (extra seats, additional workspaces, higher usage limits), describe how upgrades happen (instant vs. next billing cycle) and whether downgrades take effect immediately or later.
People don’t mind price changes as much as they mind surprises. Share your principles (e.g., “we grandfather existing customers for X months” or “we notify via email and in-app at least Y days before changes”). Only commit to timelines you can consistently meet.
For the full breakdown, keep details on your dedicated pricing page: /pricing.
Metrics can build trust fast—but only if they’re understandable, comparable over time, and not harmful to the business or your customers. The goal isn’t to “show everything.” It’s to show a few signals that help people judge reliability, momentum, and fit.
Avoid numbers that reveal sensitive strategy (exact revenue, cash runway, customer lists) or that can be easily misinterpreted (vanity totals without context). If a metric could trigger speculation, create churn, or invite competitor copying, it probably doesn’t belong on a public page.
When exact values aren’t appropriate, publish:
A small set of operational metrics often works well:
For each metric, include one sentence on why it matters, and one on how it’s measured (time window, data source, and definition). “Response time” should specify whether it’s first response or time to resolution.
Add a short note like: “Metrics may be revised as instrumentation improves.” If you change definitions (e.g., new analytics tool), mark the date and explain what changed so readers don’t assume you’re hiding a dip.
A roadmap and changelog turn “we’re building” into something customers can actually follow. They also reduce repetitive support questions (“Is X planned?” “Did you ship Y?”) and set healthier expectations about what’s likely to happen next.
Keep it lightweight. Three common options:
If you maintain separate pages, link them clearly from your transparency page (e.g., /roadmap).
Roadmap items should be framed as intentions, not promises. Add a short note near the top explaining:
This single paragraph prevents disappointment and keeps trust intact when priorities change.
A changelog doesn’t need every tiny tweak. Focus on:
Keep entries short, with links to any deeper documentation. If it lives elsewhere, link to /changelog.
Tell customers exactly how to share feedback—email, an in-app form, or a forum. If you support voting, explain how votes influence prioritization (signal, not a guarantee) and when you review requests.
A transparency page should answer the questions people are already asking before they sign up: “What data do you collect?”, “Who can see it?”, and “How long do you keep it?” If users can’t find clear answers quickly, they’ll assume the worst.
Open with a short “at a glance” section, then point to the formal policies for full legal wording. For example:
Then link directly to /privacy and /terms for the complete versions.
Be specific about:
Avoid vague promises like “we take security seriously”—describe the practical basics instead.
Explain protections at a high level (encryption in transit, least-privilege access, regular updates), but don’t publish details that could help an attacker (exact firewall rules, internal architecture diagrams, or admin URLs).
Include a simple reporting path, such as [email protected], and what reporters can expect (acknowledgement time, how you handle disclosures). If you have one, link to a short vulnerability disclosure policy page (e.g., /security).
Transparency isn’t only about sharing numbers—it’s about making the day-to-day customer experience predictable. A good transparency page tells people how to get help, how quickly you typically respond, and what “reliable” means for your product.
List your real support paths and what each is best for (only include what you actively monitor): email, in-app chat, help center, community forum, or phone (if offered). If you have account-specific support for paid plans, say so clearly.
Add typical response windows you can consistently meet. For example: “We aim to reply within 1 business day” is better than “within 1 hour” if that isn’t dependable.
If you have an escalation path, describe it simply: what counts as urgent, how customers should label it, and when it’s appropriate. Avoid promising a dedicated incident manager unless that’s actually part of your service.
Explain where users will see service updates and what they can expect during an incident: frequency of updates, what information you share (impact, affected systems, workaround), and when you’ll post a post‑incident summary.
If you publish uptime and incident history, link it directly: see /status.
If your refund policy or complaints handling process is publicly defined, summarize it in a few lines and link to the full policy. Include the key points customers care about: eligibility, time limits, and how to request a review.
A transparency page builds trust only when it stays accurate. The simplest way to keep it credible is to treat it like a living document with clear ownership and a predictable update rhythm.
Pick one person to own the page end-to-end (often someone in Ops, Product, or Marketing). Their job isn’t to write everything—it’s to make sure updates happen.
A simple workflow that works for small teams:
If you can, name the owner on the page (or at least in your internal doc) so it doesn’t become “everyone’s job,” which often means nobody’s.
Choose a schedule you can actually maintain:
Add a visible “Last updated” line near the top.
Include a short “Page update log” with 1–2 lines per change (for example: “2026-03-01 — Updated pricing notice period; clarified data retention”). This is different from your product changelog—it’s a record of edits to the transparency page itself.
To prevent confusion when numbers shift, publish updates as either:
This helps readers understand what they’re looking at and reduces debates about “why did this change?”
Keep a short pre-publish checklist so you don’t ship accidental misinformation:
Not everything should be posted immediately or in full detail. When needed, choose one:
Consistency beats perfection: a reliable cadence and clear ownership will do more for trust than occasional big refreshes.
This page is easiest to maintain when it’s built for quick scanning and quick updates. Aim for CMS-friendly blocks, consistent headings, and reusable components.
| Component | Best for | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Table | Pricing notes, uptime targets, data retention | Keep labels in the first column |
| Callout | “Last updated” + ownership + cadence | Put it near the top |
| FAQ | Common questions (billing, security, roadmap) | Write answers in plain language |
If your bottleneck is shipping the page—not deciding what to say—treat the transparency page like a small product build: draft the sections, publish, and iterate on a cadence.
A practical approach is to generate the initial page structure in a tool like Koder.ai, where you can describe your transparency sections in chat (pricing expectations, support targets, data handling summary, roadmap links) and have a working web page created quickly. Because Koder.ai supports deployment/hosting, custom domains, and snapshots/rollback, you can publish early and update confidently as policies evolve—without turning “website edits” into a multi-week engineering project.
Intro (2–3 lines): Why you publish this page.
Last updated: ____ • Owner: ____ • Cadence: ____
How we work: (values + decision principles)
Pricing & billing expectations: (summary + link to /pricing)
Roadmap & changelog: (links to /roadmap and /changelog)
Privacy & security: (short summary + link to /security and /privacy)
Support & reliability: (hours, channels, response targets + link to /status)
FAQ: (3–6 questions)
How to ask questions: (support email or /contact)
Before going live, test on mobile, run a spellcheck, and ask a non-team friend to find answers in under 60 seconds.
If you’d like feedback on clarity or structure, invite readers to send suggestions via your contact form (or a simple email link) and offer an optional update subscription via your changelog or newsletter.
A transparency page is a public page (often at /transparency) that explains how your company operates in practical terms—pricing expectations, support/reliability, roadmap approach, and how you handle data.
It’s meant to reduce surprises and speed up trust, not to replace /terms or /privacy.
Start when you can commit to a few clear promises and you have someone who can keep the page updated.
If you can’t reliably maintain a public roadmap or metrics, publish your decision principles and update cadence instead (and add the details later).
Pick one primary audience and write for them first:
You can include secondary sections, but the primary audience should shape the structure and level of detail.
Use a short list of “trust questions” and answer them directly (often 3–5):
/pricing)/status if you have it)Avoid anything that creates risk or breaks trust:
If you can’t share specifics, say so and explain the boundary in one sentence.
Use a short, stable URL (commonly /transparency) and link it where people look:
/privacy, /terms, and /securityAdd a simple table of contents with jump links if the page is more than a few screens long.
Summarize billing expectations in plain language, then point to the full pricing page.
Common “surprise reducers” to spell out:
Link to for exact numbers.
Only publish metrics that are easy to interpret and safe to share.
Good options:
/status)Add one sentence of context per metric: why it matters and how it’s measured.
Use a format you can maintain, such as:
Add a short note that roadmap items are intentions, not guarantees, and that priorities can change based on learning, reliability needs, or constraints. Link to /roadmap and /changelog if they exist.
Make “freshness” visible and assign ownership.
A simple setup:
If something can’t be updated immediately (legal/security reasons), publish a brief placeholder and update after review.
/privacy/roadmap or explain principles)If a question keeps coming up in sales/support, it belongs here.
/pricing