Privacy policy.

What I collect

When you visit contractorsitedesign.com I collect a small amount of information automatically and a bit more if you fill out a form or buy a website.

Automatically collected

• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on each
• How you arrived at the site (search engine, direct link, social media)
• Approximate geographic location derived from IP address

This is standard web analytics data. I use Google Analytics and my web host's built-in logging to collect it. I do not combine this data with anything that could personally identify you unless you also fill out a form.

Information you give me

• Name
• Email address
• Business name and trade
• Phone number (only if you provide it in a form)
• Any message content you write
• If you purchase a website: billing information processed by Square
• If you provide content for your website build: business photos, service descriptions, team information, and whatever else you upload through the intake form

Why I collect it

Each piece of information serves a specific purpose:

• Analytics and logs — to understand how the site is used and improve it over time
• Name and email — to reply to your message or deliver your website
• Business information and content — to build the website you paid for
• Payment information — to process your order through Square (I never see or store your full card details)

I do not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. Ever. Not now, not if the business grows, not if a bigger company offers me money for the list.

Who I share it with

A few service providers need access to certain information to make the service work. Here's the full list and what each one sees:

• Square — processes your payment. Sees your billing name, card number, and billing address. Their privacy policy governs what they do with that data. They do not share it back to me except as transaction receipts.
• SiteGround — hosts this website. Stores the server logs that include your IP address and browsing activity on the site.
• Google Analytics — tracks site usage in aggregate. Sees your IP, browser, and pages visited. Anonymized before reporting.
• Email provider — handles email you send me through the contact form. Stores the message content so I can reply.
• WordPress plugins — certain plugins used on the site may collect small pieces of data to function (for example, a contact form plugin stores form submissions in the site database).

I would also share information if I were legally required to — court order, subpoena, law enforcement investigation. I would not share voluntarily beyond that.

Cookies

This site uses cookies. Cookies are small files your browser stores when you visit a website. They help the site remember things between page loads and visits.

Types of cookies used

• Essential cookies — required for the site to function (login sessions, form submissions, etc.)
• Analytics cookies — Google Analytics cookies that track usage so I can see which pages are popular and which are not

Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through their settings. Blocking cookies may cause some parts of the site to stop working properly. I do not use third-party advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or marketing tracking beyond standard Google Analytics.

How long I keep it

Different types of data get kept for different lengths of time:

• Server logs — approximately 30 days, then automatically purged by SiteGround
• Analytics data — retained by Google Analytics according to my account settings (currently 14 months)
• Contact form messages — kept indefinitely so I have a record of past conversations with clients
• Order and billing records — kept for 7 years to meet accounting and tax requirements
• Your website content — kept as long as your site is hosted with me, and backed up regularly

Your rights

You can ask me to:

• Tell you what personal information I have about you
• Correct information that's wrong
• Delete your information (except where I'm legally required to keep it, like tax records)
• Send you a copy of your information in a portable format
• Stop sending you emails (though I rarely send any to begin with)

To exercise any of these rights, contact me through the Start page form and I'll respond within 30 days.

If you're in the European Union, United Kingdom, or California, you have additional rights under GDPR, UK GDPR, and CCPA. The above rights are already consistent with those frameworks, but I'll specifically note: you can file a complaint with your local data protection authority if you believe I've mishandled your information.

Children

This service is for contractors running businesses. It's not directed at anyone under 16. I don't knowingly collect information from minors. If you're a parent who believes your child has given me personal information, contact me and I'll delete it.

Security

I take reasonable steps to protect information I collect. The site runs on HTTPS. Payment processing goes through Square's PCI-compliant infrastructure. Backups are encrypted. Access to the administrative side of the site is restricted.

That said, no system is perfectly secure. If a breach occurs that affects your information, I'll notify you within 72 hours of discovering it, as required by GDPR and most Canadian privacy laws.

Changes to this policy

If this policy changes, I'll update the "Last updated" date at the top. Material changes that affect how I collect or use your information will be announced more prominently, likely via a banner on the site or an email to existing clients.