Privacy Policy

Last updated: 25 September 2026

This policy explains what personal information WebDesignColumn (“we”, “us”) collects when you use webdesigncolumn.com, why we collect it, how long we keep it and what choices you have. We keep it short where we can and collect as little as possible.

1. Who we are

WebDesignColumn is an online publication about web design, WordPress, front-end development and AI. For anything in this policy, contact us at hello@webdesigncolumn.com. We are the “controller” of the personal information described here.

2. Information you give us

Contact and “Write for us” forms: your name, email address and message.
“Hire an Expert” form: your name, work email, company or website, the kind of project, your budget range and your message.
Newsletter: your email address, the date you signed up, the page you signed up from and whether you confirmed your subscription.
Comments: your name, email address, optional website and your comment. Your email address is never shown publicly.
Advertising and sponsored-article enquiries: your contact details and the details of your campaign.

3. Information collected automatically

Server logs: like every website, our hosting records your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time of the request. We use these logs only for security and troubleshooting.
Analytics (only if you accept cookies): pages viewed, how you arrived, approximate location (country or city), device and browser type, and how long you stayed. We use this to understand which articles are useful.
Preferences stored in your browser: your cookie choice and your light/dark mode setting. These stay on your device and are not sent to us.

4. How we use your information

To reply to your messages and enquiries.
To pass “Hire an Expert” project enquiries to our partner web agency so they can respond with a quote (see section 6).
To send the newsletter you asked for, and to confirm your subscription first.
To publish and moderate comments.
To measure how the site is used and improve our content (only with your consent).
To show ads, including personalised ads where you have consented (see section 7).
To keep the site secure, prevent spam and abuse, and meet legal obligations.

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it to make automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you.

5. Legal bases (EU and UK visitors)

Consent: newsletter, analytics and advertising cookies. You can withdraw consent at any time.
Steps before a contract: answering “Hire an Expert” and advertising enquiries.
Legitimate interests: replying to messages, running and securing the site, preventing spam, and publishing comments.
Legal obligation: where the law requires us to keep or disclose information.

6. Who we share information with

We only share personal information where it is needed to run the site or answer your request:

Service providers that host the website and our mailbox, deliver our emails and newsletter, and provide analytics, advertising and spam protection. They process information on our behalf and under their own security and privacy commitments.
Our partner web agency, only for “Hire an Expert” enquiries you choose to send, so they can reply to you about your project.
Authorities, if the law requires it, or to protect our rights, our readers or the public.
A future owner, if the site is ever sold or merged, under the same protections described here.

7. Cookies, analytics and advertising

When you first visit, a banner asks whether you accept non-essential cookies. Analytics and advertising cookies are only set if you click Accept. You can change your mind at any time by clearing this site’s cookies and storage in your browser; the banner will then appear again.

Essential: remember your cookie choice and settings. Always on.
Analytics: we use Google Analytics to count visits and understand how the site is used. You can also opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.
Advertising: third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites. Google’s use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising in Google Ads Settings or, for other vendors, at aboutads.info. You can learn more in how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
Spam protection: our forms use a spam-protection service that may set a cookie and check your browser to tell people from bots.

We respect the Global Privacy Control signal where the law requires it. Most browsers’ “Do Not Track” setting has no agreed standard, so we rely on your cookie choice instead.

8. Affiliate links and sponsored content

Some links are affiliate links: if you click one, the other website may set its own cookie to record that you came from us, so we can earn a commission. Sponsored articles are labelled. The websites we link to have their own privacy policies, which we do not control.

9. Embedded content

Articles may include embedded content such as videos or code demos from other websites. Embedded content behaves as if you had visited that website, which may collect information about you.

10. How long we keep information

Contact, “Write for us”, “Hire an Expert” and advertising enquiries: up to 24 months after our last conversation.
Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. Unconfirmed sign-ups are deleted after 30 days.
Comments: as long as the comment is published.
Analytics: up to 14 months.
Server logs: kept by our hosting provider for a limited time for security and troubleshooting.

11. Security

The site is served over HTTPS, access to our systems is limited to the people who run the site, and we keep software up to date. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. International transfers

Our service providers may process information in countries other than yours. Where the law requires it, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as standard contractual clauses.

13. Your rights

Depending on where you live, you can:

ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;
ask us to correct or delete it;
object to or restrict how we use it, or withdraw your consent;
ask for your information in a portable format;
unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link in every email.

Email hello@webdesigncolumn.com to use any of these rights. We reply within 30 days. We may need to confirm your identity first. If you are in the EU or UK, you can also complain to your local data protection authority.

California and other US state residents: you have the right to know what personal information we collect, to request deletion or correction, and to opt out of the “sale” or “sharing” of personal information for targeted advertising. We do not sell personal information for money. To opt out of personalised advertising, decline advertising cookies in our banner or use the Global Privacy Control signal. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.

14. Children

This site is not intended for children under 16, and we do not knowingly collect their personal information. If you believe a child has given us personal information, contact hello@webdesigncolumn.com and we will delete it.

15. Changes to this policy

We will update this page when our practices change and change the “last updated” date at the top. If a change is significant, we will say so on the site or in the newsletter.