Privacy Policy

Effective 1 January 2026. We take privacy seriously, write this in plain language, and only collect what we actually need.

This Privacy Policy describes how Emerald Websites (ABN 68 410 407 820), based at 69 Loch Street, Emerald QLD 4720, Australia ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information. It complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and (where applicable) the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

1. What we collect

We collect personal information that you provide directly — typically through the quote form, by email, or during a project engagement. This may include:

  • Your name, business name, email address and phone number
  • Project information and any URLs, content or assets you share with us
  • Billing and payment information (processed by Stripe — we don't store card details)
  • Usage data from our website (see Cookies & analytics)

2. Why we collect it

  • To respond to your enquiry and prepare a quote
  • To deliver work you've engaged us to do
  • To invoice and process payments
  • To improve our services and (with consent) send relevant updates
  • To meet legal and tax obligations

3. Lawful basis (GDPR)

For visitors in the EU/UK, we process personal information on the basis of (a) consent (form submissions, newsletter signups), (b) contract performance (delivering engaged work), or (c) legitimate interest (improving our service, fraud prevention).

4. Disclosure

We don't sell personal information. We may share it with trusted service providers used to operate our business — for example:

  • CRM and form handling: LeadConnector / HighLevel
  • Payments: Stripe
  • Hosting: Hostinger, Webflow, AWS
  • Analytics: Google Analytics 4, Microsoft Clarity
  • Email: Google Workspace

These providers are bound by their own privacy obligations and only receive what's necessary to deliver their service.

5. Cookies & analytics

We use a small number of cookies — strictly necessary cookies for site functionality, and analytics cookies (Google Analytics 4, Microsoft Clarity) to understand how visitors use the site. Analytics cookies are only loaded with consent (EU/UK visitors) or as a soft opt-out (Australian visitors).

6. International transfers

Some service providers are based outside Australia (e.g. the US, EU). Where personal information is transferred internationally, we ensure the recipient is bound by comparable privacy protections (e.g. EU Standard Contractual Clauses, US privacy frameworks).

7. Security

We use reasonable physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect personal information — encrypted storage, HTTPS-only transmission, access controls, multi-factor authentication where available. No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, but we treat your data as carefully as our own.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal information we hold about you
  • Request corrections to inaccurate information
  • Request deletion (subject to legal retention requirements)
  • Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time
  • Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner or your local data protection authority

9. Data retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purpose collected, or as required by law (e.g. seven years for tax records). Enquiry data is kept for up to 24 months unless you become a client.

10. Children

Our services are not directed at children under 18 and we don't knowingly collect their personal information.

11. Updates

We may update this policy from time to time. The "effective date" above shows when it was last updated. Material changes will be announced on our website.

12. Contact us

Privacy questions, requests or complaints can be sent to info@emeraldwebsites.com.au or by post to 69 Loch Street, Emerald QLD 4720, Australia. We respond inside 30 days.