Duda platform features and Google reCAPTCHA help the website work and protect forms from misuse.
Legal & Privacy
Cookie Policy
This Cookie Policy explains how South West SEO uses cookies and similar technologies, which services currently place or access them, what they do and the choices available to website visitors.
Last updated: 13 July 2026
Applies to southwestseo.co.uk
Duda, GA4, Snowplow & reCAPTCHA reviewed
These technologies help measure visits, sessions, content use and website performance.
No Google Ads, Meta Pixel or similar remarketing technology was identified in the current review.
Current position: the website uses Duda platform technologies, Google Analytics 4, Duda’s Snowplow analytics and Google reCAPTCHA. Cookie names and durations can vary by browser, provider configuration and future service updates.
1. Overview
This policy should be read alongside the South West SEO Privacy Policy. It explains the storage and access technologies used when you visit www.southwestseo.co.uk.
We aim to use these technologies proportionately, provide clear information about their purpose and give visitors the choices required by UK law.
2. What cookies and similar technologies are
A cookie is a small text file placed on a computer, phone or other device when a website is visited. Cookies can allow a website or service provider to recognise a browser, maintain a session, remember information or understand how the website is used.
Similar technologies include local storage, pixels, tags, scripts and device identifiers. Although these do not all work in exactly the same way as cookies, UK rules can apply when they store information on, or access information from, a visitor’s device. In this policy, “cookies” is sometimes used as a convenient collective term for all of these technologies.
Session and persistent cookies
- Session cookies normally expire when the browser is closed or after a short period of inactivity.
- Persistent cookies remain for a stated period or until they are deleted.
- First-party cookies are set for the South West SEO domain.
- Third-party technologies are provided or accessed by another organisation, such as Google or Duda.
3. Who is responsible
Chris Hackman trading as South West SEO is responsible for deciding which website services are enabled and for providing information about their use. South West SEO is based at 35 Carloggas Grove, St Columb Major, Cornwall, TR9 6RD, United Kingdom.
Duda provides the website platform and hosting infrastructure. Google and other technology providers may also process information under their own terms and privacy information.
4. How this website uses cookies
Cookies and similar technologies may be used to:
- deliver and display the website correctly;
- support forms, security, spam prevention and technical operation;
- understand visits, sessions and how pages are used;
- measure website performance and identify areas for improvement;
- retain relevant referral or campaign-source information;
- support Duda platform functionality and permitted personalisation rules; and
- remember a visitor’s cookie or display choices where a control is provided.
5. Our legal approach
UK rules do not require consent for every storage or access technology. Whether consent is required depends on the purpose and whether the conditions of a statutory exception are met.
Strictly necessary
Consent is not required where a technology is genuinely
essential to provide a service requested by the visitor or
transmit a communication.
Statistical purposes
Certain analytics may be used without consent only where the
sole purpose is eligible statistical measurement to improve
the service, with clear information and a simple, free way to
object.
Appearance or functionality
A limited exception may apply to adapting appearance or
functionality to a visitor’s preference, again with the
required information and objection method.
Consent required
If a non-essential use does not fully meet an exception, it
should not begin until the visitor has made a valid consent
choice.
Consent must be freely given, specific, informed and indicated by a clear positive action. Continuing to browse is not treated as consent. Where consent applies, it can be withdrawn as easily as it was given.
6. Cookies and technologies currently identified
The following table reflects a technical review of the published website completed on 13 July 2026. Names containing an asterisk or placeholder can include a domain hash, measurement ID, campaign name or other variable suffix.
| Category | Name or technology | Provider | Purpose | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Functional | dm_timezone_offset | Duda | Stores the visitor’s timezone offset to support platform display or personalisation functionality. | Up to 365 days |
| Functional / analytics | dm_this_page_view
dm_last_page_view dm_total_visits dm_last_visit |
Duda | Supports Duda visit, session and personalisation logic, including page views, previous visits and visit counts. | Approximately 30 minutes to 365 days, depending on the cookie |
| Referral measurement | _dm_rt_utm_* | Duda | Retains UTM campaign or referral values included in the page URL so the source of a visit can be understood. | Session or short-term storage, commonly up to 24 hours |
| Security | _GRECAPTCHA and related reCAPTCHA storage | Helps distinguish genuine form submissions from automated spam, abuse or malicious activity. | Session to approximately 6 months, depending on Google and browser settings | |
| Analytics | _ga | Google Analytics 4 | Uses a pseudonymous identifier to distinguish website users for analytics reporting. | Up to 2 years by default; browsers may shorten this |
| Analytics | _ga_<container-id> | Google Analytics 4 | Persists session state for the website’s Google Analytics property. | Up to 2 years by default; browsers may shorten this |
| Analytics | _sp_id.*
_sp_ses.* sp |
Duda / Snowplow | Measures website visits and sessions for Duda’s platform analytics. The collector cookie may also provide a network identifier where enabled and accepted by the browser. | Typically 2 years, 30 minutes and up to 1 year respectively |
| Analytics storage | snowplowOutQueue_* | Duda / Snowplow | Local storage used to temporarily queue analytics events that have not yet been transmitted. | Until transmitted, overwritten or cleared from local storage |
A provider may change a cookie name, purpose or lifetime through a service update. Browser privacy features can also shorten, partition or block cookies before their stated expiry.
7. Essential, security and functional technologies
Some technology is needed to operate the website securely or deliver a function requested by a visitor. This can include infrastructure, form processing, spam prevention and short-lived session activity.
Google reCAPTCHA is used with the contact form to reduce automated abuse. It can collect device, interaction and technical information to assess whether a submission appears genuine. Blocking this technology may prevent the form from working correctly.
Some Duda visit and timezone cookies also support platform functionality or personalisation rules. Where a technology is not genuinely necessary and does not meet another legal exception, it should be handled through the relevant visitor choice.
8. Analytics technologies
South West SEO uses Google Analytics 4 with measurement ID G-YHBMG6T1HY. Google Analytics can provide information such as page views, sessions, approximate location, device and browser information, referral source and website interactions. Its main first-party cookies are _ga and _ga_<container-id>.
Duda also loads Snowplow-based platform analytics. This can use _sp_id.* , _sp_ses.* , the collector cookie sp and related local storage to measure visits and sessions.
Analytics data is used to understand how the website performs and where it can be improved. If a particular analytics configuration does not meet the conditions of the UK statistical-purpose exception, valid consent is required before non-essential storage or access begins.
9. Advertising and remarketing technologies
A review of the published website on 13 July 2026 did not identify a dedicated Google Ads conversion tag, Meta Pixel, LinkedIn Insight Tag or comparable remarketing technology. The website should therefore not describe itself as currently using dedicated advertising cookies.
UTM referral information may still be retained to understand how a visitor arrived at the website. If advertising, remarketing, cross-site profiling or additional conversion tracking is added later, this policy and the website’s cookie controls must be reviewed before or when that technology goes live.
10. Local storage, tags and other similar technologies
The website uses scripts and tags to load platform and analytics services. Snowplow may use local storage to queue unsent events, while Google and Duda technologies may use identifiers or request information that is not always stored in a traditional cookie.
Server logs may record requests made to the website, including IP address, request time, browser information and the page requested. This is separate from browser cookies but is covered in the South West SEO Privacy Policy where it involves personal information.
11. Managing your cookie choices
Where an on-site cookie banner or preference control is displayed, you can use it to accept, reject or manage the available categories. Essential technologies cannot normally be disabled through a preference centre where they are genuinely needed for the service to operate.
You can also use browser settings to view, delete or block cookies and clear local storage. Blocking all cookies may affect forms, display settings or other website functions. Browser controls may not prevent information from being recorded in ordinary server security logs.
Google provides a Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. You can also contact hello@southwestseo.co.uk to object to eligible statistical processing or ask how a particular website technology is used.
Deleting cookies removes existing browser storage but does not necessarily stop new cookies from being set during a later visit. Use the website preference control, where available, as well as browser settings if you want an ongoing choice recorded.
12. Further information from technology providers
You can find more information directly from the relevant providers:
- Duda Privacy Policy
- Google Privacy Policy
- Google Analytics 4 cookie information
- Snowplow cookie and local-storage information
These providers may update their services and documentation independently. Their notices explain their own processing in more detail.
13. Changes to this Cookie Policy
We may update this policy when cookies, website features, providers, legal requirements or consent arrangements change. The current version will be published on this page and the “last updated” date will be revised.
The website should be reviewed again if a new analytics tool, advertising pixel, embedded video, live chat service, booking system or other third-party feature is introduced.
14. Contact us
Contact South West SEO if you have a question about this policy, want to understand a website technology or wish to raise an objection where the law provides that choice.
Data controller: Chris Hackman trading as South West SEO
Email: hello@southwestseo.co.uk
Postal address:South West SEO
35 Carloggas Grove
St Columb Major
Cornwall
TR9 6RD
United Kingdom
You can also raise a data protection concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.