This Privacy Policy explains how AKVelora collects, uses, shares and protects personal data belonging to visitors to akvelora.com, prospective clients, and clients of AKVelora's Local SEO services, in each case where AKVelora acts as the data controller.
Where AKVelora processes personal data on a client's behalf as part of delivering its services (for example, data within a client's Google Analytics account), AKVelora acts as a data processor, and those obligations are instead governed by the separate Data Processing Agreement between AKVelora and that client.
1. Who this policy covers
- Visitors to akvelora.com, including anyone who submits the contact form or requests a free audit.
- Prospective clients contacted by AKVelora as part of outreach, or who make contact with AKVelora directly.
- Clients of AKVelora's Local SEO services, in relation to their own business and contact information provided during onboarding and the engagement.
2. What personal data we collect
From website visitors and prospects
- Name, business name, email address and, where provided, phone number.
- Information submitted via the audit request form or contact form.
- Publicly available business information gathered during lead research (e.g. business name, public contact details, website content, public Google Business Profile and review data) used to prepare a personalised audit.
- Standard website usage data (e.g. pages visited, general location, device/browser type) via Google Analytics, where cookie consent is given.
From clients
- Business and contact details of the client's authorised contact(s): name, role, email, phone number.
- Business facts provided at onboarding: legal name, trading name, address or service-area status, hours, services, accreditations and similar business information.
- Account-level access to Google Business Profile, Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager and the client's website, to the extent required to deliver the services.
- Correspondence between AKVelora and the client.
- Invoicing and payment information processed via Stripe (AKVelora does not itself store full card details).
3. How we use your data, and our legal basis
- Preparing a free or paid audit for a prospective business — legitimate interests (proportionate direct B2B marketing of a genuinely relevant service, with opt-out honoured immediately on request).
- Sending outreach and follow-up to prospective clients, and honouring opt-outs — legitimate interests, subject to applicable direct marketing rules; any opt-out is applied immediately and permanently.
- Responding to enquiries submitted via the website or email — legitimate interests / steps taken at your request before entering a contract.
- Delivering, managing and invoicing the Local SEO service once an agreement is signed — performance of a contract.
- Meeting legal and tax obligations, such as retaining invoicing records — legal obligation.
- Measuring and improving akvelora.com using analytics — consent (via the cookie banner), where required.
4. How long we keep your data
- Prospect data (businesses contacted or researched that do not become clients): retained for up to 24 months from last contact, then deleted or anonymised — except opt-out and suppression records, which are kept indefinitely so that opt-outs continue to be honoured.
- Client data: retained for the duration of the engagement and for up to 6 years afterwards to meet UK tax and contract record-keeping obligations, then deleted or anonymised.
- Website analytics data: retained per Google Analytics' standard retention settings.
5. Who we share your data with
AKVelora does not sell personal data. Personal data may be shared with the following categories of recipient, each acting under their own data protection terms:
- Google (Google Business Profile, Search Console, Analytics, Tag Manager, and email) — to deliver and measure the services.
- Stripe — to process payments and invoicing.
- A secure password/credential manager — to store client account access where unavoidable.
- A rank-tracking tool — to measure local search visibility.
- Professional advisers (e.g. accountant, solicitor) where reasonably necessary.
- Law enforcement or regulators, where AKVelora is legally required to disclose data.
6. International transfers
Some providers listed above (for example, Google and Stripe) may process personal data outside the UK. Where this happens, AKVelora relies on that provider's UK GDPR-compliant transfer mechanism — such as the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or an adequacy decision — as offered by the provider.
7. Your rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to: request access to your personal data; request correction of inaccurate data; request erasure; request restriction of processing; object to processing based on legitimate interests, including direct marketing; and request data portability, where applicable. To exercise any of these rights, contact hello@akvelora.com. We will respond within one month, as required by law. You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk) if you believe your data has been mishandled.
8. How we keep your data secure
AKVelora stores client account access using a secure password/credential manager rather than in plain text, spreadsheets or unencrypted documents, prefers account-level access over shared passwords wherever a platform supports it, and limits access to personal data to what is reasonably necessary to deliver the services. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but AKVelora takes reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the data it handles.
9. Cookies
akvelora.com uses cookies for essential site function and, where you consent via the cookie banner, for analytics (Google Analytics).
10. Changes to this policy
AKVelora may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Material changes affecting clients will be notified by email.
11. Contact
Questions about this Privacy Policy, or requests relating to your personal data, can be sent to hello@akvelora.com.