Cookies and how they Benefit You
Our website uses cookies, as almost all websites do, to help provide you with the best experience we can.
Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile phone when you browse websites
Our cookies help us:
- Make our website work as you’d expect
- Remember your settings during and between visits
- Improve the speed/security of the site
- Allow you to share pages with social networks like Facebook
- Continuously improve our website for you
- Make our marketing more efficient (ultimately helping us to offer the service we do at the price we do)
We do not use cookies to:
- Collect any personally identifiable information (without your express permission)
- Collect any sensitive information (without your express permission)
- Pass personally identifiable data to third parties
- Pay sales commissions
You can learn more about all the cookies we use below
Granting us permission to use cookies
If the settings on your software that you are using to view this website (your browser) are adjusted to accept cookies we take this, and your continued use of our website, to mean that you are fine with this. Should you wish to remove or not use cookies from our site you can learn how to do this below, however doing so will likely mean that our site will not work as you would expect.
More about our Cookies
Website Function Cookies
Our own cookies
We use cookies to make our website work including:
- Remembering your search settings
- Allowing you to add comments to our site
There is no way to prevent these cookies being set other than to not use our site.
Social Website Cookies
So you can easily “Like” or share our content on the likes of Facebook and Twitter we have included sharing buttons on our site.
Cookies are set by:
- Facebook – Privacy Policy
The privacy implications on this will vary from social network to social network and will be dependent on the privacy settings you have chosen on these networks.
Anonymous Visitor Statistics Cookies
We use cookies to compile visitor statistics such as how many people have visited our website, what type of technology they are using (e.g. Mac or Windows which helps to identify when our site isn’t working as it should for particular technologies), how long they spend on the site, what page they look at etc. This helps us to continuously improve our website. These so-called “analytics” programs also tell us if, on an anonymous basis, how people reached this site (e.g. from a search engine) and whether they have been here before helping us to put more money into developing our services for you instead of marketing spend.
We use Google Analytics, an analytical tool which sets cookies to evaluate how many visits we have to our website and to see how users interact with our website content. Google Analytics compile reports for us on our website activity which in turn helps us improve the way our website works to give a better browsing experience. Google Analytics does not collect any personally identifiable information about users of our website. In addition to the cookie information given below, you can learn more about the cookies used by Google Analytics here.
Advertising Cookies
Cookies are widely used in online advertising. Neither us, advertisers or our advertising partners can gain personally identifiable information from these cookies.
You can learn more about online advertising at http://www.youronlinechoices.com . You can opt-out of almost all advertising cookies at http://www.youronlinechoices.com/uk/your-ad-choices although we would prefer that you didn’t as ultimately adverts help keep much of the internet free. It is also worth noting that opting out of advertising cookies will not mean you won’t see adverts, just simply that they won’t be tailored to you any longer.
Remarketing Cookies
You may notice that sometimes after visiting a site you see increased numbers of adverts from the site you visited. This is because advertisers, including ourselves, pay for these adverts. The technology to do this is made possible by cookies and as such we may place a so-called “remarketing cookie” during your visit. We use these adverts to offer special offers etc to encourage you to come back to our site. Don’t worry we are unable to proactively reach out to you as the whole process is entirely anonymised. You can opt out of these cookies at any time as explained above.
Turning Cookies Off
You can usually switch cookies off by adjusting your browser settings to stop it from accepting cookies (Learn how here). Doing so, however, will likely limit the functionality of our’s and a large proportion of the world’s websites as cookies are a standard part of most modern websites
It may be that you concerns around cookies relate to so-called “spyware”. Rather than switching off cookies in your browser you may find that anti-spyware software achieves the same objective by automatically deleting cookies considered to be invasive. Learn more about managing cookies with antispyware software.
The cookie information text on this site was derived from content provided by Attacat Internet Marketing http://www.attacat.co.uk/, a marketing agency based in Edinburgh. If you need similar information for your own website you can use their free cookie audit tool.
Cookies used on our website
| COOKIES | DESCRIPTION | LIFETIME |
|---|---|---|
| aff | Used to store a unique identifier of our partner website from which the visitor arrived at our website. | 180 days from set/update |
| utm_campaign | Used to store a unique identifier of a link that was clicked to visit our website. | 180 days from set/update |
| http_referer | Used to store a website address from which the visitor arrived to our website. | 180 days from set/update |
Cookies set by our partners and other third parties
Google Analytics
| COOKIES | DESCRIPTION | LIFTIME |
|---|---|---|
| _ga | Used to store a unique client identifier (Client ID), which is a randomly generated number. | 2 years from set/update |
| _gat | Used to create and retrieve tracker objects, from which all other methods are invoked. | 10 minutes from set/update |
| _utma | Used to distinguish users and sessions. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utma cookies exist. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. |
2 years from set/update |
| _utmb | Used to determine new sessions/visits. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and no existing __utmb cookies exist. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. |
30 mins from set/update |
| _utmc | Not used in ga.js. Set for interoperability with urchin.js. Historically, this cookie operated in conjunction with the __utmb cookie to determine whether the user was in a new session/visit. |
End of a browser session |
| _utmz | Stores the traffic source or campaign that explains how the user reached your site. The cookie is created when the javascript library executes and is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. |
6 months from set/update |
| _utmv | Used to store visitor-level custom variable data. This cookie is created when a developer uses the _setCustomVar method with a visitor level custom variable. This cookie was also used for the deprecated _setVar method. The cookie is updated every time data is sent to Google Analytics. |
2 years from set/update |
| __utmt | Used to throttle request rate. | 10 minutes |
Google stores the information collected by the cookie on servers in the United States. Google may also transfer this information to third parties where required to do so by law, or where such third parties process the information on Google’s behalf. Google will not associate your IP address with any other data held by Google. By using the website, you consent to the processing of data about you by Google in the manner and for the purposes set out above.
Social Media / PayPal
Further information can be found about there cookies and how these relate to your privacy options in the table below:
| SOCIAL MEDIA & PAYMENT GATEWAYS | LINK TO FURTHER INFORMATION |
|---|---|
| https://www.facebook.com/help/cookies | |
| https://support.twitter.com/articles/20170514# | |
| http://about.pinterest.com/en/privacy-policy | |
| https://www.instagram.com/legal/cookies/ | |
| Google+ | https://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/policies/technologies/cookies/ |
| YouTube | http://www.google.com/policies/technologies/types/ |
| PayPal | https://www.paypal.com/uk/webapps/mpp/ua/cookie-full |
| LinkedIn.com | https://www.linkedin.com/legal/cookie-policy |
| cloudflare.com | https://support.cloudflare.com/hc/en-us/articles/200170156-What-does-the-CloudFlare-cfduid-cookie-do- |
Cookies set by the Hotjar script
| Name | Description | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| _hjClosedSurveyInvites | Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor interacts with a Survey invitation modal popup. It is used to ensure that the same invite does not re-appear if it has already been shown. | 365 days |
| _hjDonePolls | Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor completes a poll using the Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the same poll does not re-appear if it has already been filled in. | 365 days |
| _hjMinimizedPolls | Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes a Feedback Poll widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimizes when the visitor navigates through your site. | 365 days |
| _hjDoneTestersWidgets | Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor submits their information in the Recruit User Testers widget. It is used to ensure that the same form does not re-appear if it has already been filled in. | 365 days |
| _hjMinimizedTestersWidgets | Hotjar cookie. This cookie is set once a visitor minimizes a Recruit User Testers widget. It is used to ensure that the widget stays minimizes when the visitor navigates through your site. | 365 days |
| _hjIncludedInSample | Hotjar cookie. This session cookie is set to let Hotjar know whether that visitor is included in the sample which is used to generate funnels. | 365 days |
WordPress
This website has been built using WordPress, which places one ‘session cookie’ on your computer when you arrive on the website:
| COOKIE NAME | DATA STORED | WHEN DOES IT EXPIRE? | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHPSESSID | A random unique number or string of letters and numbers. | The cookie is deleted when you close your web browser. | As you browse around the pages on this site, the session cookie tells the website that you are the same person requesting the webpages, and not a new visitor to each page. This cookie does not identify you personally and is not linked to any other information we store about you. |
| euCookiesAcc | Expires after 365 days | This tells the browser if user have clicked the “I Accept” button in the cookie notification bar. |
Registered users
WordPress uses the following cookies to enable registered users to log into the website:
| COOKIE NAME | DATA STORED | WHEN DOES IT EXPIRE? | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| wordpress_test_cookie | The text ‘WP Cookie check’ | A session cookie, deleted when you close your web browser. | WordPress sets this cookie when you navigate to the login page. The cookie is used to check whether your web browser is set to allow, or reject cookies. |
| wordpress_xxxxx | Your login authentication details in an encrypted form | A session cookie, deleted when you close your web browser. | WordPress uses these cookies to store your authentication details, and their use is limited to the admin console area. |
| wordpress_logged_in_xxxxx | Your login details in an encrypted form | A session cookie, deleted when you close your web browser. | WordPress uses this cookie to indicate when you’re logged in, and who you are, for most interface use. |
| wp-settings-xxxxx,wp-settings-time-xxxxx | Text indicating your preferred settings | Persistent cookie, expire a little under one year from the time they’re set. | WordPress uses this cookie to customize your view of admin interface, and possibly also the main site interface. |
Commentators
If you comment on an article on this website, WordPress uses the following cookies:
| COOKIE NAME | DATA STORED | WHEN DOES IT EXPIRE? | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|---|---|
| comment_author, comment_author_email,comment_author_url | Your name, email address and website address | Persistent cookies, which expire a little under one year from the time they’re set. | WordPress sets these cookies purely for convenience so that you won’t need to re-type all your information again when you want to leave another comment. |
Further information is available in the WordPress Codex:
- WordPress Codex: WordPress Cookies
Learning more about cookies
To learn more about cookies, and how you can manage the ones saved to your computer, visit All About Cookies.org