Cookie Policy
Last updated: 25 October 2026
1. What cookies are
Cookies are small text files a website saves in your browser. We also use local storage and session storage, which work in a similar way and are covered by the same UK rules (PECR). In this policy "cookies" includes both.
2. Your choice
Strictly necessary cookies are always on because the dashboard cannot work without them. Everything else is optional. When you first visit, a banner asks you to Accept or Reject. Google Analytics does not load, and no analytics cookies are set, until you click Accept. We do not use advertising cookies.
You can change your mind at any time with the Cookie settings link in the footer of every page, which clears your saved choice and shows the banner again. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, although parts of the dashboard (such as staying logged in) will stop working if you block the necessary ones.
3. Cookies and storage we use
Strictly necessary (no consent needed)
| Name | Where | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
seo_platform_session | stats.seowebdata.com | Keeps you logged in and protects forms against cross-site request forgery (CSRF). | Session |
cc_consent (local storage) | seowebdata.com and stats.seowebdata.com | Remembers your Accept or Reject choice so we do not ask on every visit. | 180 days |
Functionality (not cookies, never used for tracking)
| Name | Where | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sera chat entries (local and session storage) | seowebdata.com and stats.seowebdata.com | Only used if you open the Sera chat: a random conversation code so the chat survives a page reload, whether you have opened the chat before, and its settings for your current visit. "Close" or "New chat" clears the conversation code. | Up to 7 days of inactivity (conversation code); the rest last for the visit |
Analytics (only after you click Accept)
| Name | Where | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga, _ga_<ID> | seowebdata.com and stats.seowebdata.com | Google Analytics (GA4) cookies that tell us which pages are viewed, roughly how long visits last, and general device and location information, so we can improve the site. | Up to 2 years (your browser may shorten this) |
We implement Google Consent Mode, which tells Google's tags your choice on every page load. If you click Reject, no analytics cookies are set.
Affiliate referral (only after you click Accept)
| Name | Where | Purpose | Lifetime |
|---|---|---|---|
sw_ref | stats.seowebdata.com | If you arrive through an affiliate's link and click Accept, this first-party cookie holds the affiliate's referral code so they can be credited if you sign up. Not set if you click Reject. See the Affiliate Terms. | Up to 60 days |
4. Third parties
Google Analytics is the only third-party service that sets cookies on our own pages, and only with your consent. If you choose to connect a Google account, or you pay for a plan, you will visit pages run by Google (sign-in and permission screens) or Stripe (payment). Those pages are controlled by Google and Stripe, who may set their own cookies under their own policies; we do not control them.
5. Free tools and the contact form
The free domain tools and the contact form do not set cookies.
6. Changes
If we add or change the cookies we use, we will update this page and, where the law requires, ask for your consent again. The "last updated" date above shows when it last changed.
7. Contact
Questions about this policy? Use our contact page. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk); our registration number is ZC270114.