Introduction
Semantic SEOs ("we," "us," "our") operates the website semanticseos.digital and provides semantic SEO services including topical map creation, semantic content briefs, content writing, technical SEO, link building, and AI search optimisation (AEO/GEO).
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website or purchase our services. It applies to all visitors, customers, and partners worldwide.
Our registered office is:
UNIT 4, STORM 12 PLAZA SHOPPING CENTRE
54 ST MARY'S RD, SOUTHAMPTON SO14 0BH
United Kingdom
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 7478 036 140
We are committed to protecting your personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and applicable privacy laws in the jurisdictions where we operate, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) for US-based users.
Please read this policy carefully. By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.
Information We Collect
Information you provide directly
- Contact form submissions: Full name, email address, website URL, phone number, service of interest, budget range, and message content.
- Order and checkout: Full name, email address, target website URL, service selection, and order notes. Payment card details are processed directly and exclusively by Stripe — we never see, receive, or store card numbers or CVVs.
- Communications: Any messages, emails, or WhatsApp messages you send us, including enquiries, support requests, and project notes.
- Account information: If you create an account on our platform (where applicable), your login email and any preferences you set.
Information collected automatically
- Usage data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL, links clicked, and navigation patterns.
- Device and technical data: IP address, browser type and version, operating system, screen resolution, and device type.
- Approximate location: City and country level only, derived from your IP address. We do not collect precise GPS location.
- Cookie identifiers: See Section 8 (Cookies) for full details.
Information we do NOT collect
- Payment card numbers, CVV codes, or bank account details (handled entirely by Stripe)
- Sensitive personal data as defined under UK GDPR Article 9 (health, ethnicity, religion, biometric data, etc.)
- Personal data from children under 16 (see Section 12)
- Precise geolocation data (GPS coordinates)
How We Collect Your Information
We collect personal information through the following means:
- Directly from you: When you submit a contact form, place an order, send us an email, message us on WhatsApp, or book a call via Calendly.
- Automated collection: Through cookies, web analytics tools (Google Analytics), and server logs when you browse our website.
- Third-party tools: Our payment processor (Stripe) shares order confirmation data with us after a successful payment. Calendly shares scheduling data when you book a call.
- Publicly available sources: We may research publicly available information about your website or business to prepare for a project or enquiry response.
Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)
For users in the United Kingdom and the European Economic Area, we process personal data under the following legal bases as defined in UK GDPR Article 6:
| Legal Basis | Article | When We Apply It |
|---|---|---|
| Contract performance | 6(1)(b) | Processing your order, delivering your service, sending order confirmations and updates. |
| Legitimate interests | 6(1)(f) | Website analytics, improving services, responding to enquiries, fraud prevention, and internal reporting. |
| Legal obligation | 6(1)(c) | Maintaining financial and tax records as required by UK law (HMRC, Companies Act). |
| Consent | 6(1)(a) | Setting non-essential cookies (analytics, functional). You can withdraw consent at any time via our cookie settings. |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have assessed that our interests do not override your rights and freedoms. You have the right to object to processing on this basis (see Section 11).
How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information we collect to:
- Process and fulfil your orders for semantic SEO services, including topical maps, content briefs, content writing, audits, and link building.
- Communicate with you about your order status, delivery of work, revisions, and customer support queries.
- Send transactional emails including order confirmations, delivery notifications, and invoices.
- Send marketing communications only where you have explicitly opted in. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email or by emailing us.
- Improve our website and services by analysing usage patterns, identifying technical issues, and understanding customer needs.
- Prevent fraud and protect security by monitoring for suspicious activity and verifying payment details through Stripe.
- Comply with legal obligations including tax reporting, accounting records, and responding to lawful requests from authorities.
- Respond to enquiries submitted through our contact form, email, or WhatsApp.
Information Sharing and Disclosure
We share your personal information only in the following limited circumstances:
Service providers and processors
| Provider | Purpose | Privacy Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Stripe, Inc. | Payment processing. Stripe receives your payment details and processes card transactions on our behalf. We receive only order confirmation data. | stripe.com/privacy |
| Google Analytics | Website usage analytics. Data is anonymised; IP addresses are truncated. No personally identifiable information is shared. | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Google Fonts | Loading the Inter typeface. Google may log your IP address when fonts are served from their CDN. | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Calendly | Call scheduling. If you book a call, Calendly processes your name, email, and chosen time slot. | calendly.com/privacy |
| WhatsApp (Meta) | Customer communication channel. Messages sent via WhatsApp are subject to Meta's privacy policy. | whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy |
Legal disclosure
We may disclose your personal information where required to:
- Comply with a legal obligation, court order, or lawful request from a government or regulatory authority
- Protect the rights, property, or safety of Semantic SEOs, our customers, or the public
- Investigate or prevent fraud, security incidents, or violations of our Terms of Service
Business transfers
If Semantic SEOs is involved in a merger, acquisition, asset sale, or business restructure, your personal data may be transferred to the relevant third party. We will notify you before your data is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law:
| Data Type | Retention Period | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| Order and payment records | 7 years | UK tax and accounting law (HMRC requirement) |
| Customer communications | 3 years after last interaction | Legitimate interests — dispute resolution, quality assurance |
| Contact form enquiries (no order placed) | 12 months | Legitimate interests — follow-up support |
| Analytics data | 26 months (Google Analytics default) | Website improvement and traffic analysis |
| Cookie consent records | 12 months | Compliance with UK GDPR consent requirements |
After the applicable retention period, your data is securely deleted or anonymised. You may request earlier deletion by contacting us at [email protected] (subject to legal retention obligations).
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — and similar tracking technologies. We use the following categories of cookies:
| Cookie Type | Purpose | Consent Required? |
|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Essential for the website to function (session management, security, checkout flow). Cannot be disabled. | No — legally exempt |
| Analytics | Google Analytics: understand how visitors use our site, which pages are most visited, and how users navigate. IP addresses are anonymised. | Yes — consent required |
| Functional | Remember your preferences such as cookie consent choices. | No — strictly necessary |
| Performance | Help us understand page load times and website performance issues. | Yes — consent required |
Managing your cookie preferences
You can manage or withdraw consent for non-essential cookies at any time through:
- Our Cookie Policy page and consent banner
- Your browser settings (instructions vary by browser)
- Google Analytics opt-out: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Strictly necessary cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for the site to operate.
Third-Party Services and External Links
Our website contains links to third-party websites including our social media profiles (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram), partner sites, and tools like Calendly and Stripe. When you click these links, you leave our website and your activity on those sites is governed by their own privacy policies.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of any third-party websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
Our social media profiles are operated on platforms owned by Meta (Facebook, Instagram), LinkedIn Corporation, and X Corp. These platforms have their own data collection practices when you interact with our profiles.
Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Our security measures include:
- SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our servers
- Stripe PCI DSS compliance — payment card data never passes through or is stored on our servers
- Access controls — personal data is accessible only to team members who need it to perform their role
- Password policies and authentication for all internal systems handling personal data
- Regular security reviews of our website and third-party integrations
While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of internet transmission or electronic storage is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify you and the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) in accordance with UK GDPR requirements.
Your Rights
UK and European Economic Area — UK GDPR Rights
If you are located in the UK or EEA, you have the following rights under UK GDPR:
Right of Access
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (Subject Access Request).
Right to Rectification
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
Right to Erasure
Request deletion of your personal data where there is no compelling reason to continue processing it ("right to be forgotten").
Right to Restrict Processing
Request that we limit how we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
Right to Data Portability
Receive your personal data in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format and transfer it to another controller.
Right to Object
Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes at any time.
Right to Withdraw Consent
Where processing is based on consent, withdraw that consent at any time. This does not affect the lawfulness of prior processing.
Right to Lodge a Complaint
Lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or call 0303 123 1113.
To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected] with the subject line "Data Rights Request." We will respond within 30 calendar days. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
California Residents — CCPA Rights
If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) grants you the following rights:
- Right to Know: Request disclosure of the categories and specific pieces of personal information we have collected about you, the sources of that information, and how we use and share it.
- Right to Delete: Request deletion of personal information we have collected, subject to certain exceptions (such as legal retention obligations).
- Right to Opt Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. You do not need to opt out.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.
- Right to Correct: Request correction of inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
To submit a CCPA request, email us at [email protected] with "CCPA Request" in the subject line. We will respond within 45 calendar days.
Children's Privacy
Our services are intended for business professionals and are not directed to individuals under the age of 16 (or the applicable minimum age in your jurisdiction). We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.
If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 16, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will delete that information promptly.
If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us.
International Data Transfers
Our registered office and primary operations are based in the United Kingdom. If you access our services from outside the UK, your personal information may be transferred to, and processed in, the United Kingdom.
Some of our third-party service providers — including Stripe and Google — process data in the United States and other countries. Where personal data is transferred outside the UK, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:
- Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK ICO
- Adequacy decisions issued by the UK Secretary of State
- Binding Corporate Rules (where applicable)
Stripe and Google participate in the EU-US and UK-US Data Privacy Framework and maintain appropriate safeguards for international data transfers. You can find details in their respective privacy policies.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services. When we make material changes, we will:
- Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
- Post a prominent notice on our website
- Where required by law, notify registered customers by email
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website and services after the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
The previous version of this Privacy Policy is available on request by emailing [email protected].
Contact Us — Data Controller
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or the personal data we hold about you, please contact our Data Controller:
Semantic SEOs — Data Controller
54 ST MARY'S RD, SOUTHAMPTON SO14 0BH, UK
For complaints about how we handle your personal data, you also have the right to contact the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Address: Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF