Privacy & Cookies Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Studio Digital Group ("Studio Digital Group", "StudioDG", "we", "our", or "us") collects, uses, stores and protects personal information relating to visitors to our website, prospective clients and clients.

We are committed to protecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR).

1. Who We Are

Studio Digital Group is a UK-based digital agency. For the purposes of the UK GDPR, we are the "data controller" of the personal information you provide to us through our website or during the course of our services.

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your personal data, you can contact us at hello@studiodigitalgroup.co.uk.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal data:

2.1 Information you provide to us

• your name;
• your business or company name;
• your email address;
• your telephone number;
• your website URL;
• details of your enquiry, project or brief;
• any other information you choose to share with us via our contact forms or by email.

2.2 Information we collect automatically

• IP address;
• approximate location (country / region);
• browser type and version;
• device type and operating system;
• referring website;
• pages viewed, time spent and interactions on our site;
• cookie and similar tracking data (see Section 8).

2.3 Information we receive from third parties

We may receive information about you from third-party platforms we use to deliver our services (for example, analytics, advertising, hosting and communication providers) or from publicly available sources such as your company website or LinkedIn profile.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal data for the following purposes:

• to respond to enquiries and provide quotations;
• to deliver the services set out in our proposals and contracts;
• to manage our client relationships and provide customer support;
• to process payments and issue invoices;
• to send service-related communications and updates;
• to send occasional marketing communications where you have opted in or where we are otherwise permitted to do so under UK law;
• to improve our website, services and marketing;
• to comply with our legal, tax and regulatory obligations;
• to protect our rights, property, or safety, and those of our clients or others.

4. Lawful Bases for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we rely on the following lawful bases when processing your personal data:

• Contract - where processing is necessary to enter into or perform a contract with you (for example, delivering services you have engaged us to provide);
• Legitimate Interests - where processing is necessary for our legitimate business interests, such as responding to enquiries, providing quotations, business development, improving our services and keeping our systems secure, provided your rights do not override those interests;
• Consent - where you have given us clear consent to process your personal data, for example when you accept non-essential cookies or opt in to marketing;
• Legal Obligation - where processing is necessary to comply with UK law, including tax, accounting and anti-fraud obligations.

5. Marketing Communications

Where you are an existing client or have enquired about our services, we may contact you with information about related services under the "soft opt-in" permitted by PECR. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any marketing email or by emailing us at hello@studiodigitalgroup.co.uk.

Where marketing requires consent, we will always ask you first and give you a clear way to withdraw that consent.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data. We may share it with carefully selected third-party service providers who process data on our behalf (as "data processors") to help us run our business. These may include:

• website hosting and infrastructure providers (e.g. Cloudflare, Vercel, Lovable Cloud);
• email delivery and CRM providers;
• analytics providers (e.g. Google Analytics);
• advertising platforms (e.g. Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn, Microsoft Advertising);
• payment processors (e.g. Stripe);
• accounting software providers (e.g. Xero);
• document and proposal platforms (e.g. PandaDoc);
• AI and productivity providers (e.g. OpenAI, Anthropic, Google);
• professional advisors such as accountants and legal advisors;
• regulators and law-enforcement agencies where required by law.

All third parties are required to keep your data secure and to process it only for the purposes we have specified.

7. International Transfers

Some of our service providers are based outside the UK, which means their processing of your personal data may involve a transfer of data outside the UK. Where this happens, we rely on appropriate safeguards recognised under UK data protection law, such as adequacy decisions or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement / Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses.

8. Cookies & Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to help it function correctly, to understand how it is used and (where you consent) to support our marketing.

8.1 What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device by websites you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, or to work more efficiently, and to provide information to the site owner.

8.2 Categories of cookies we use

• Strictly necessary cookies - required for the website to function (for example, security, load balancing and remembering form submissions). These do not require consent.
• Analytics cookies - help us understand how visitors interact with our site, for example via Google Analytics. These are only set with your consent.
• Marketing & advertising cookies - used by platforms such as Google Ads, Meta, LinkedIn and Microsoft Advertising to help us measure and improve advertising campaigns. These are only set with your consent.
• Functional cookies - remember choices you make on our site (such as region or preferences) to provide a more personalised experience.

8.3 Managing your cookie preferences

Where required by law, we will ask for your consent before placing non-essential cookies. You can withdraw or change your consent at any time by adjusting your browser settings or clearing cookies from your device.

Most browsers let you refuse or delete cookies. The following links provide instructions for the main browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Apple Safari
• Mozilla Firefox
• Microsoft Edge

Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of our website and other websites you visit.

9. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, or for as long as we are legally required to retain it. Typical retention periods include:

• enquiry data: up to 24 months from last contact;
• client contract, invoicing and accounting records: at least 6 years, in line with HMRC requirements;
• marketing lists: until you unsubscribe or ask us to remove you;
• website analytics: in line with the retention settings of our analytics providers.

10. Data Security

We take the security of your personal data seriously and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it, including secure hosting, restricted access, encryption in transit and reputable third-party providers.

However, no method of transmission over the internet or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights:

• the right to be informed about how we use your personal data;
• the right of access to your personal data;
• the right to rectification of inaccurate or incomplete data;
• the right to erasure of your personal data ("right to be forgotten");
• the right to restrict processing;
• the right to data portability;
• the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests or direct marketing;
• rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at hello@studiodigitalgroup.co.uk. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding to your request.

12. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we handle your personal data, we ask that you contact us first so we can try to resolve it.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Telephone: 0303 123 1113
• Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

13. Children's Privacy

Our website and services are intended for businesses and adult users. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 16. If you believe we may have collected data about a child, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

14. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy does not apply to those sites, and we are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any website you visit.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website, with the "Last updated" date shown at the top of the page.

Significant changes will be communicated where appropriate.

16. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy & Cookies Policy or how we handle your personal data, please contact:

Studio Digital Group
London, United Kingdom
hello@studiodigitalgroup.co.uk