Cookie Policy

Last updated: 26 April 2026

The short version

This site uses a small number of cookies. Some are essential to make the site work. Others help us understand which pages people read. You control what runs through the cookie banner that appears on your first visit.

What is a cookie?

A cookie is a small text file placed on your device when you visit a website. Cookies let the site remember things about your visit, like your language preference or whether you have already accepted a banner. Some cookies expire when you close the browser; others stay until they expire or you clear them.

The cookies we use

Strictly necessary (always on)

These cookies are required for the site to function. We do not ask consent for these because the site cannot work without them.

  • ssit_consent — remembers whether you accepted analytics cookies. Expires after 12 months.
  • WordPress session cookies — only set if you log in to the WordPress admin. Most visitors will never get these.

Analytics (only with your consent)

Set by Google via Google Site Kit. Used to understand which pages are popular, where visitors come from, and where they drop off. We do not use these for advertising and we do not sell the data.

  • _ga, _gid, _ga_* — Google Analytics 4. Expires after 24 months. Set by Google.

If you reject analytics in our cookie banner, none of these are set.

Third-party services

The site loads a small number of third-party services that may set their own cookies. We only load these where strictly required, and we keep the list short.

  • Cloudflare — security and performance (bot protection, edge caching). Sets a session cookie used only for bot mitigation.
  • Google Fonts — typography. Loaded directly from Google's servers; no cookies, but Google may log the request.

If you book a free IT health check, your details go directly to our email; no third-party form processor is used.

How to change your mind

You can revoke or change consent at any time:

  • Click "Cookie preferences" in the footer of any page.
  • Or clear cookies for smartstartit.co.uk in your browser settings; you will see the banner again on your next visit.

To stop all websites from setting cookies, see your browser's help: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge.

Do Not Track

This site honours the Do Not Track signal sent by some browsers. If your browser sends DNT, we do not load Google Analytics regardless of consent state.

Contact

If you have questions about cookies on this site, email hello@smartstartit.co.uk. Smart Start IT Ltd is registered in England & Wales, company number 15622995. Registered office: 46 Picton Street, Montpelier, Bristol BS6 5QA, United Kingdom.

This policy is reviewed at least annually and updated when we change the cookies we use.