Privacy Policy | iRankSEO
Privacy Policy
Last updated: May 2026 Effective date: May 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what information iRankSEO collects, why we collect it, how we use it, how we protect it, and what your rights are. We wrote it in plain English on purpose. If anything is unclear, contact us at [email protected] and we'll walk you through it.
Who We Are
iRankSEO is a boutique SEO and digital growth agency serving U.S. businesses, founded in 2017. Our website is https://irankseo.com and our primary contact for privacy questions is [email protected].
Under privacy laws like the CCPA and GDPR, iRankSEO typically acts as a data controller for personal information collected from website visitors, newsletter subscribers, and inquiries. For active client engagements, we often act as a data processor when handling data on behalf of our clients (for example, accessing their Google Analytics, Search Console, or ad accounts to deliver SEO services).
Information We Collect
We collect three categories of information: what you share with us directly, what is collected automatically when you use our website, and what we receive from certain third parties. Here's the full breakdown.
3.1 Information You Provide Directly
When you choose to interact with iRankSEO, we collect information you give us voluntarily, including:
Contact form data: your name, business email, phone number, website URL, monthly SEO budget range, and the content of your message.
Newsletter signup data: your name and email address.
Client onboarding data: during active engagements, this may include authorized access credentials or connection tokens for your Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Ads, Meta Business Manager, CMS logins, and similar platforms needed to deliver SEO work.
Communications: emails, Slack messages, Zoom call recordings (only with your consent), and other written communications you send to our team.
3.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit iRankSEO.com, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, analytics tools, and server logs. This includes:
IP address
Browser type and version
Device type and operating system
Pages you visit on iRankSEO.com
Time spent on each page
Referring URL (the website you arrived from)
Date and time of your visit
Anonymized location data (usually at the city, state, or country level)
The main tools we use for automatic collection are Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and standard server logs from our hosting provider.
3.3 Information From Third Parties
For active clients, we may receive information from third-party platforms you authorize us to access, such as Google Search Console, Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Meta Business Manager. This access is read-only unless you grant higher permissions for a specific purpose.
During competitive research, we may also reference publicly available data from sources like LinkedIn profiles, company websites, press releases, and news sources.
iRankSEO does not buy, rent, or acquire personal data from data brokers. Ever.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for specific, clearly defined purposes. Here's the full list:
Responding to inquiries and contact form submissions.
Delivering the free SEO audit reports and proposals you request.
Providing contracted SEO services to active clients.
Sending newsletter and educational emails to people who opted in (unsubscribe link included in every email).
Improving iRankSEO.com based on analytics data (which pages perform well, where visitors drop off, what content converts).
Protecting our website and team from spam, abuse, and security threats.
Complying with legal obligations (tax reporting, accounting, subpoenas, regulatory requests).
Measuring the effectiveness of our own marketing campaigns (tracking which pages and channels convert).
In plain English: we use your data to run iRankSEO, serve you well, and keep the website secure. Nothing more.
We do not sell personal information. We do not use your data for purposes you have not been informed of. We do not share your information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They help the site work properly and help us understand how visitors use iRankSEO.com.
Essential cookies: These are required for iRankSEO.com to function. They handle things like remembering that you accepted our cookie banner, loading pages correctly, and keeping the website secure. Essential cookies cannot be disabled.
Analytics cookies: We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand aggregate visitor behavior. These cookies tell us which pages are popular, how long visitors stay, and where visitors come from. GA4 data is used in an aggregated and anonymized way. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On.
How We Share Your Information
We share information only with a small, specific set of third parties, and only when necessary. Here's who and why.
Service providers: We use trusted third-party services to operate iRankSEO, including email platforms, CRM systems, cloud hosting providers, analytics tools (GA4), payment processors for invoicing, and project management tools. These providers act as data processors and are bound by contract to protect your information.
Legal authorities: We will disclose information if required by a subpoena, court order, government request, or other legal process, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, your safety, or the safety of others.
Business transfers: If iRankSEO is ever acquired, merged, or sold, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We'll notify you before your information becomes subject to a different Privacy Policy.
With your consent: Any sharing outside the cases above requires your explicit permission.
iRankSEO does not sell, rent, trade, or share personal information to third parties for their own marketing or advertising purposes.
AI and Large Language Model (LLM) Use
This section is new as of 2026. Most agencies don't disclose this yet. We believe you deserve to know.
iRankSEO uses AI tools (including ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and Perplexity) for internal research, content drafting, competitive analysis, and workflow automation.
No confidential or identifying client data is entered into public-facing AI tools. Client website URLs, keywords, and publicly available information may be used for research. Private client information is never submitted to public AI tools.
Enterprise AI tools used by our team are configured with data retention and privacy settings that prevent submitted content from being used to train the underlying models.
Your contact form submissions, newsletter signups, and any personal data you share with us are not used to train AI models. Period.
If we ever change this practice, we will update this Privacy Policy before doing so and notify active clients directly.
Your Privacy Rights
You have significant rights over your personal information. Your specific rights depend on where you live. Below is a full breakdown.
8.1 Rights Available to All U.S. Visitors
Regardless of your state, iRankSEO extends the following rights to every U.S. visitor:
The right to know what personal information we collect about you.
The right to access a copy of your personal information.
The right to request deletion of your personal information.
The right to correct inaccurate personal information.
The right to opt out of marketing communications at any time.
The right to not be discriminated against for exercising any privacy right.
8.2 California Residents (CCPA and CPRA)
If you're a California resident, you have additional rights under the CCPA and CPRA:
The right to know the categories of personal information we collect.
The right to know the categories of sources we collect information from.
The right to know the business purpose for collecting or sharing personal information.
The right to know the categories of third parties with whom we share your information.
The right to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information (note: iRankSEO does not sell or share personal information, but you have this right by law).
The right to limit the use and disclosure of sensitive personal information.
The right to data portability.
8.3 Residents of Other U.S. States with Privacy Laws
If you live in Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, or Texas, you have similar rights under your state's privacy law, including access, correction, deletion, data portability, and the right to opt out of targeted advertising and the sale of personal data.
8.4 EU and UK Visitors (GDPR and UK GDPR)
If you visit iRankSEO.com from the European Union or United Kingdom, the GDPR and UK GDPR give you these rights:
Right of access to your personal data.
Right to rectification of inaccurate data.
Right to erasure (also known as "the right to be forgotten").
Right to restrict processing of your data.
Right to data portability.
Right to object to processing.
Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority in your country.
8.5 How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of the rights above, email [email protected] with "Privacy Request" in the subject line. Include enough information for us to verify your identity. We will respond within 30 days for most requests, and up to 45 days for certain state law requests where additional time is legally permitted.
How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose we collected it, plus any additional time required by law.
Contact form data: retained for 2 years after your last communication with us, then deleted.
Newsletter subscriber data: retained until you unsubscribe, then deleted within 30 days.
Active client data: retained for the duration of the engagement plus 3 years afterward for tax, accounting, legal, and contract purposes.
Analytics data (GA4): retained per Google Analytics 4 default settings, typically 14 months in anonymized form.
Server logs: retained for 90 days for security and fraud prevention, then deleted.
When retention periods end, personal data is permanently deleted or fully anonymized.
How We Protect Your Information
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information. These include:
Encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS) for all data submitted through iRankSEO.com.
Encrypted storage for sensitive data and credentials.
Access controls that limit client data to authorized iRankSEO team members only.
Regular security reviews of our systems and vendor integrations.
Two-factor authentication on all client account access where available.
Honest disclosure: No system connected to the internet is 100% secure. If a security breach affects your personal information, we will notify you within the timeframes required by applicable law.
International Data Transfers
iRankSEO is based in the United States, and our servers and service providers are primarily located in the U.S. If you visit iRankSEO.com from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to, stored, and processed in the United States. Where required by law, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) or equivalent legal mechanisms with our service providers to protect international data transfers.
Children's Privacy
iRankSEO.com and our services are not intended for use by children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16 (the GDPR standard) or under 13 (the U.S. COPPA standard). If iRankSEO learns that we have unintentionally collected personal information from a child below these ages, we will delete that information immediately. Parents or guardians should contact [email protected] and we will remove the data promptly.
Links to Other Websites
iRankSEO.com may contain links to external websites, tools, or services. This Privacy Policy applies only to iRankSEO.com and does not cover the privacy practices of any third-party sites. Before sharing personal information on any external website you reach from our site, we recommend reviewing that site's own privacy policy.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or services we offer. When we make material changes, we'll announce them at the top of this page, and where appropriate, we'll notify active clients and newsletter subscribers by email. By continuing to use iRankSEO.com after changes are posted, you accept the updated Privacy Policy.
Contact Us About Privacy
Have questions about this Privacy Policy, your data, or your privacy rights? We respond to every privacy request personally.
Email: [email protected]
General contact page: Contact iRankSEO
Response time: Within 30 days for standard inquiries. Faster for formal data subject rights requests where required by law.