Privacy Policy

Introduction

This privacy policy explains how Paul Clarke, trading as an SEO and AI consultant based in Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom, collects, uses, and protects your personal data when you visit paulclarkeseo.com.

I am committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This policy applies to all information collected through this website.

What Data We Collect

I may collect the following personal data when you interact with this website:

• Your name, email address, and message content when you submit the contact form
• Technical data such as your IP address, browser type, operating system, and pages visited, collected automatically through analytics tools
• Cookie data as described in the cookie policy

Data is collected directly from you when you submit a form, and automatically through cookies and analytics tools when you browse the site.

How We Use Your Data

Your personal data is used for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiries submitted through the contact form
• To improve the website based on how visitors use it
• To send marketing communications, but only where you have given explicit consent

I will never use your data for purposes beyond those stated here without notifying you and obtaining your consent where required.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, I process your data on the following legal bases:

• Consent: When you submit the contact form, you consent to your data being processed to respond to your enquiry
• Legitimate interest: Analytics data is processed to understand website usage and improve the service provided
• Contract: Where you engage my consulting services, your data is processed as necessary for the performance of that contract

Data Sharing

I do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to third parties. Your data may be shared with the following service providers who assist in operating this website:

• Hosting provider, for the purpose of serving this website
• Email service provider, for the purpose of delivering responses to your enquiries
• Analytics provider (Google Analytics), for the purpose of understanding website usage

These providers process your data only on my behalf and are contractually obligated to protect it.

Data Retention

Personal data collected through contact form enquiries is retained for up to 2 years from the date of your last correspondence. After this period, data is securely deleted unless there is an ongoing business relationship.

Analytics data is retained for 26 months, after which it is automatically deleted by the analytics provider.

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right of access: You can request a copy of the personal data held about you
• Right to rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure: You can request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason to continue processing
• Right to restrict processing: You can request that processing of your data is limited in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability: You can request your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format
• Right to object: You can object to processing based on legitimate interest

To exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the details below. I will respond to your request within 30 days.

Cookies

This website uses cookies to ensure it functions correctly and to understand how visitors use the site. For full details on the cookies used and how to manage your preferences, please see the cookie policy.

Contact

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact me at hey@paulclarkeseo.com.

If you are not satisfied with how your data has been handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.