Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

SEO Darlington is a digital marketing agency providing Local SEO, GEO/AI Search Optimisation, Google Business Profile management, and related services to businesses in Darlington, County Durham, and the wider North East of England. Our contact email is quotes@seodarlington.uk and our telephone number is 01325 234 037.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, SEO Darlington is the data controller in respect of the personal data described in this policy.

2. What Personal Data We Collect

We collect personal data only when you voluntarily provide it to us. The categories of data we may collect include:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Your telephone number
• Your business website URL
• Information you provide in enquiry messages, including details about your business and marketing goals
• Technical data such as your IP address and browser type, collected automatically when you visit our website

We do not collect sensitive personal data (such as health, financial, or biometric data) through our website.

3. How We Use Your Data

We use the personal data you submit through our contact form solely for the following purposes:

• To respond to your enquiry or audit request
• To prepare and deliver the free website and rankings audit you have requested
• To communicate with you about our services, where you have indicated interest in receiving that communication
• To fulfil any service agreement entered into with you

We do not use your personal data for automated decision-making or profiling.

4. Lawful Basis for Processing

We process your personal data on the following lawful bases under UK GDPR Article 6:

• Legitimate interests — to respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form and to manage our business relationships
• Contractual necessity — where you have engaged us to provide services, we process your data to fulfil that contract
• Consent — where you have explicitly agreed to receive marketing communications from us

5. Data Sharing

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party. We may share limited data with trusted service providers who process data on our behalf, including:

• Our email hosting provider (Hostinger) — used solely to deliver your enquiry to us
• Professional advisers (such as accountants or legal advisers) where necessary and under strict confidentiality obligations

We require all third-party processors to comply with UK data protection law and to use your data only for the specific purpose for which it was shared.

6. Data Retention

We retain enquiry data for a maximum of 24 months from the date of your initial contact, unless you have entered into a service agreement with us, in which case we retain relevant records for the duration of the agreement plus six years (in accordance with standard business record-keeping obligations under UK law).

You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 8 below).

7. Cookies and Tracking

This website does not currently use analytics software, advertising pixels, or third-party tracking cookies. We use a single session cookie to enable the security token on our contact form. This cookie is strictly necessary for the form to function and does not track you across other websites. It is deleted when you close your browser.

If we introduce analytics or tracking in the future, we will update this policy and, where required by law, seek your consent before setting any non-essential cookies.

8. Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• Right of access — to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data
• Right to erasure — to request deletion of your data, subject to any legal obligations we have to retain it
• Right to restriction — to request that we restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at quotes@seodarlington.uk. We will respond to all requests within one calendar month.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss. These measures include encrypted transmission (HTTPS), restricted access to systems containing personal data, and the use of secure, access-controlled email infrastructure.

No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but we are committed to protecting your data to the best of our ability.

10. Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe we have not handled your personal data in accordance with applicable law, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK’s supervisory authority, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address any concerns directly before you contact the ICO. Please reach out to us first at quotes@seodarlington.uk.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The “last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.