Privacy Policy
Clare Ashbrook | www.clareashbrook.com | Last updated: April 2026
Please read this policy carefully. It explains what personal information we collect about you, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights under UK and EU data protection law.
1. Who we are and how to contact us
Clare Ashbrook is a freelance SEO consultant based in the United Kingdom, trading as Clare Ashbrook. This website (www.clareashbrook.com) is operated by Clare Ashbrook as a sole trader.
For the purposes of UK data protection law, Clare Ashbrook is the Data Controller — meaning we are responsible for deciding how and why your personal data is used.
Data Controller: Clare Ashbrook
Website: www.clareashbrook.com
Contact email: hello@clareashbrook.com
Business location: United Kingdom
If you have any questions about this policy, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact us at the email address above.
2. The laws that apply to us
As a UK-based business, we are subject to:
The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR)
The Data Protection Act 2018
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA), the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR) may also apply to how we process your personal data. We handle your data in accordance with both UK and EU requirements where relevant.
If you are located in the United States, Canada, Australia, or another jurisdiction with its own data protection laws, we aim to meet those standards too. Our baseline is UK GDPR, which sets a high standard of protection.
3. What personal information we collect
We only collect personal information that is necessary and relevant to providing our services. This may include:
Information you give us directly:
Your name and email address (when you contact us, sign up to our mailing list, or purchase a product)
Your message content (when you use our contact form or email us directly)
Payment details (processed securely by our payment provider — we do not store full card details ourselves)
Your business name and website URL (if provided in relation to SEO services)
Information collected automatically:
Technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device type and operating system
Website usage data, including pages visited, time spent on pages, and how you arrived at our site
Cookie data (see Section 8 for full details)
We do not collect any special category data (such as health information, political opinions, or biometric data), and we do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16. If you are under 16, please do not submit personal information to us.
4. Why we use your information and our lawful basis
UK GDPR requires us to have a valid legal reason (called a 'lawful basis') for processing your personal data. The table below explains what we use your data for and why.
Purpose
Data used
Lawful basis
Responding to enquiries and providing our services
Name, email, message content
Contract / Legitimate interests
Processing purchases (products and digital downloads)
Name, email, payment data
Contract
Sending marketing emails (newsletter, tips, offers)
Name, email address
Consent
Improving our website and understanding how it is used
IP address, usage data, cookies
Legitimate interests / Consent
Complying with legal obligations
As required by law
Legal obligation
5. Digital downloads — important disclaimer
We sell digital products (such as SEO guides, templates, checklists, and other downloadable resources) through this website. Please read the following carefully before purchasing.
No results guarantee
Our digital downloads are provided for educational and informational purposes only. While they represent our best knowledge and experience at the time of publication, we make no guarantee, warranty, or representation that:
Your website traffic will increase as a result of using our products
Your search engine rankings will improve
Your website will rank for any specific keyword or phrase
Any particular outcome will be achieved for your business
SEO results depend on a wide range of factors outside our control, including (but not limited to) search engine algorithm changes, your website's existing authority and history, the competitiveness of your industry and target keywords, the quality of your content and technical implementation, and actions taken by your competitors.
No refunds on digital products
Due to the nature of digital downloads, which are accessible immediately upon purchase, we are generally unable to offer refunds once a file has been delivered or made available. If you experience a technical issue preventing access to a product you have paid for, please contact us and we will do our best to resolve it.
Intellectual property
All digital downloads sold through this website are protected by copyright. When you purchase a digital product, you are granted a personal, non-transferable, non-commercial licence to use it for your own business purposes. You may not:
Resell, redistribute, or share the product with others
Reproduce or publish the content publicly without our written permission
Use the product to create competing products or services
How we use your data when you purchase a download
When you purchase a digital download, we collect your name and email address in order to process your order, deliver the download link, and provide customer support. If you opt in, we may also add you to our mailing list. We will not share your purchase information with third parties except as necessary to process payment (see Section 6).
6. Who we share your information with
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We only share it with trusted third parties where necessary to run our business, as follows:
Third party
Why we use them
Their privacy policy
Squarespace
Website hosting and e-commerce platform
Payment processor (e.g. Stripe or PayPal)
Processing payments securely. We do not store payment card details.
stripe.com/privacy or paypal.com/privacy
Email marketing platform (e.g. Mailchimp or Flodesk)
Sending newsletters and marketing emails to those who have opted in.
Please update with your actual provider
Google Analytics (if used)
Analysing website traffic and user behaviour (anonymised).
We may also disclose your personal data where required by law, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Clare Ashbrook, our customers, or others.
We do not and will never sell your personal data to third parties for their marketing purposes.
7. International data transfers
Some of the third-party services we use (such as Squarespace and certain email marketing platforms) may store or process your data outside the UK or EEA. Where this is the case, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data, such as:
Relying on adequacy decisions made by the UK Government or European Commission
Using standard contractual clauses approved under UK or EU data protection law
Ensuring the recipient is certified under an approved framework
You can ask us for more details about the specific safeguards we use for international transfers by contacting us at the email address in Section 1.
8. Cookies
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to help us understand how our site is used and to improve your experience. We use the following types of cookies:
Essential cookies: necessary for the website to function correctly (e.g. keeping items in your cart). These cannot be switched off.
Analytics cookies: help us understand how visitors use our site (e.g. which pages are most popular). These are only activated with your consent.
Marketing/tracking cookies: used to deliver relevant advertising. These are only activated with your consent.
When you first visit our website, you will be asked to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can change your preferences at any time by clearing your browser cookies and revisiting our site, or by contacting us.
Squarespace, our website platform, may also set cookies. For more details, please see Squarespace's cookie policy at squarespace.com/privacy.
9. How long we keep your data
We keep your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, or as required by law. As a guide:
Enquiry and contact form data: retained for up to 2 years from last contact, unless you become a client
Client and purchase records: retained for up to 6 years in line with UK tax and accounting requirements
Marketing email subscribers: retained until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you
Website analytics data: typically retained for up to 26 months (dependent on platform settings)
When data is no longer needed, we securely delete or anonymise it.
10. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
Right of access: you can ask us for a copy of the personal data we hold about you
Right to rectification: you can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data
Right to erasure ('right to be forgotten'): you can ask us to delete your data in certain circumstances
Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how we use your data
Right to data portability: you can ask us to provide your data in a portable format
Right to object: you can object to us processing your data, particularly for direct marketing
Rights related to automated decision-making: we do not use automated decision-making or profiling
Right to withdraw consent: where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at the email address in Section 1. We will respond within one calendar month. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Website: ico.org.uk
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
If you are based in the EEA, you may also complain to your local supervisory authority.
11. Email marketing
We only send marketing emails to people who have actively opted in (for example, by signing up to our newsletter or ticking a consent checkbox when purchasing a product).
Every marketing email we send includes an unsubscribe link. You can opt out at any time, and we will remove you from our list promptly — and in any event within 10 working days.
Unsubscribing from marketing emails does not affect our ability to send you transactional emails (such as order confirmations or customer service replies) which are necessary for us to provide our services.
12. Links to other websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.
13. How we protect your data
We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your personal data from unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. These include using secure HTTPS connections, relying on our platform providers' (Squarespace) security infrastructure, and limiting access to personal data to only those who need it.
No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will update the 'Last updated' date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you by email.
We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website after any changes have been published constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
15. Contact us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please get in touch:
Email: hello@clareashbrook.com
Website contact form: www.clareashbrook.com/contact
This Privacy Policy was last updated in April 2026. As an SEO consultant based in the UK, Clare Ashbrook is committed to handling your data with care, transparency, and respect.