Cookie Policy
Cookies and similar browser storage are small pieces of data a website saves on your device. This page lists everything my site stores or shares with other companies, and lets you change your choice at any time.
1. The short version
- Always on (essential): a small setting that remembers the language you picked.
- Only if you choose “Accept all”: Google Analytics, which measures how people use this site. It is a tracking tool run by Google.
- Never: advertising cookies, or tracking across other websites.
2. Google Analytics: what is tracked
If you choose “Accept all”, Google Analytics runs while you use the site. Google Analytics is a service from Google LLC, and the information it collects is sent to and stored by Google, including on servers in the United States. It lets me see, in aggregate, how people use the site so I can improve it. It records things like:
- the pages you view, how long you stay, and how you scroll and click around;
- the buttons you click that matter to me, such as starting a free download or a purchase, or subscribing (it records which button and which product, never your name or email);
- how you arrived, such as a search, a social link, or a direct visit;
- your approximate location (country and city), language, device type, browser and screen size;
- a random ID stored in a cookie, so repeat visits can be counted as one person.
Your IP address is used by Google to work out your approximate location, and Google says Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. I never send Google your name, email address or anything you type into my forms. I have turned off Google’s advertising features, so this data isn’t used to show you ads, and I use the reports only to improve my site and resources. Google may also use the data under its own terms: see how Google uses information from sites that use its services and Google’s Privacy Policy.
3. What is stored
- gemLang (local storage, essential): remembers your language. Never sent to me or anyone else. Kept until you clear it.
- gemCookieConsent (local storage, essential): remembers your answer to the cookie banner so I don’t ask on every page. Kept for 12 months.
- _ga and _ga_ followed by an ID (cookies from Google Analytics, only after “Accept all”): identify your browser and session so visits can be counted. They last up to 2 years.
- Payhip checkout (third party, essential when used): when you start a download or purchase, Payhip’s checkout loads and may set cookies it needs to process your order and prevent fraud. Nothing from Payhip loads while you’re just browsing. See Payhip’s own cookie policy.
- Booking and social links open other websites (my booking tool, Instagram, Facebook), which have their own cookie policies.
4. Your choice
The first time you visit, a banner asks you to choose Accept all or Essential only. Nothing from Google loads until you accept. If you choose “Essential only”, Google Analytics stays off and any Google Analytics cookies are removed.
If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, I treat it as “Essential only” automatically. You can also install Google’s opt-out browser add-on.
You can also block or delete cookies and site data in your browser settings. Blocking essential storage just means the site forgets your language.
5. Contact
Questions? Use my contact form. See also my Privacy Policy.