Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal data Digital Marketing Explained collects, why we collect it, and what you can do about it. It covers digitalmarketingexplained.co.uk only.

Who we are

Digital Marketing Explained is operated by Ian Spencer, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom, who is the data controller for the personal data described here.

The easiest way to reach us about anything in this policy is by email at contact@digitalmarketingexplained.co.uk. If you need a postal address for a formal request, ask and we will provide one.

What we collect, and why

If you subscribe to the newsletter

We store your email address and the date you subscribed. That is all — we do not ask for your name and we do not store one. We use it only to send you the newsletter.

Lawful basis: consent. You can withdraw it at any time using the unsubscribe link in any newsletter, or by emailing us, and we will delete your address.

If you send an advertising enquiry

The enquiry form asks for your name, email address, company, the type of enquiry, an indicative budget and your message. We store what you submit along with the date, and use it to reply to you and to discuss working together.

Lawful basis: legitimate interests — you have contacted us about a commercial enquiry and would reasonably expect a reply. If the conversation leads to an agreement, we keep handling it on the basis of taking steps to enter into a contract with you.

When you search the site

We record the words typed into the site search, how many results came back, and when. This is stored without any identifier — no account, no IP address, no cookie, nothing linking a search to a person or to other searches. We use it to find gaps in what we have written about.

Because searches are not linked to anyone, they are not normally personal data. Please still avoid typing personal details into the search box, on this or any site.

When you simply read the site

We do not log IP addresses or browser user-agent strings ourselves, and we do not require an account to read anything.

If — and only if — you accept the relevant cookies, Google Analytics collects usage statistics and Google AdSense collects data to select ads. Neither runs until you agree. Our cookie policy sets out exactly what each one does and how to change your mind.

Lawful basis: consent, which you give through the cookie banner and can withdraw at any time.

Who your data is shared with

We do not sell personal data, and we do not share it for anyone else's marketing. We do use a small number of suppliers who process data on our behalf:

• Vercel — hosting and content delivery. Every page on the site is served through them.
• Supabase — the database that stores newsletter subscriptions and enquiries, and the sign-in system for administrators.
• Resend — sends transactional email such as newsletter confirmations.
• Google — Analytics and AdSense, but only after you consent to those cookies.

We may also disclose information where the law requires it, or to establish or defend legal claims.

Where your data is held

Our suppliers are US-headquartered and operate global infrastructure, so your data may be processed outside the UK. Where that happens, transfers rely on the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, the UK Extension to the EU-US Data Privacy Framework, or another safeguard permitted under UK data protection law.

How long we keep it

• Newsletter subscriptions — until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete your address.
• Advertising enquiries — up to 24 months after our last contact, then deleted, unless we have an ongoing business relationship.
• Search records — kept as anonymous statistics with no fixed limit, because they identify nobody.
• Analytics and advertising data — retained by Google under their own retention rules, not ours.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you;
• have inaccurate data corrected;
• have your data deleted;
• restrict or object to how we use it;
• receive it in a portable format;
• withdraw consent at any time, where we relied on consent — this does not affect anything done beforehand.

Email contact@digitalmarketingexplained.co.uk to exercise any of these. We will respond within one month. There is no charge.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your data you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113. We would appreciate the chance to put things right first.

Security

The site is served over HTTPS, the admin area is restricted to authenticated administrators, and access to the database is limited to those administrators. No system is perfectly secure, but we hold very little personal data in the first place — which is the most effective protection available.

Children

This site is written for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 13. If you believe a child has given us their data, email us and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle personal data we will update this page and the date at the top. Where the change is significant we will make it obvious on the site rather than relying on you to re-read this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or about your data: contact@digitalmarketingexplained.co.uk.