Cookie Policy
Last updated: September 2026
What are cookies?
Cookies are small text files that websites put on your device (phone, laptop, tablet) to remember things about your visit. Some are essential to make the site work; others help us understand how people use the site.
Our approach
We use as few cookies as possible and we don't use any that follow you around the internet. No advertising cookies, no retargeting, no social media tracking pixels.
Cookies we use
Essential cookies (always on)
These are needed to make the site work properly. You can't switch them off without breaking things.
| Cookie | What it does | How long it lasts |
|---|---|---|
| Session cookie | Keeps you logged in if you have a Document Hub account | Until you close your browser or log out |
| Security cookie (CSRF) | Protects forms from being abused | Session |
| Cookie consent | Remembers your cookie preferences so we don't ask you every page | 12 months |
Analytics (cookieless - no consent required)
We run our own first-party analytics: a tiny script on our own domain that counts visits. It sets no cookies, stores nothing on your device, and collects no personal data. Because no cookies or persistent identifiers are used and no personal data is collected, it does not require consent under US state privacy laws such as the CCPA/CPRA. It also respects your browser's Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control signals and switches itself off if either is set.
What it measures (without cookies):
- Page views and which guides are most popular.
- Where visitors come from (search engines, social media, direct).
- File downloads (templates and PDFs) and which tools get used.
What it does not do:
- It does not set any cookies.
- It does not track you across other websites.
- It does not build advertising profiles.
- It does not collect or store your IP address.
- It does not use fingerprinting or any persistent identifier.
- Data is never shared with any third-party ad platform.
The counts go to our own database and nowhere else. There is no third-party analytics provider involved.
Cookies we do NOT use
To be clear, SiteKiln does not use:
- Advertising or retargeting cookies
- Facebook Pixel or Meta tracking
- Google Ads remarketing
- Google Analytics or any tool that sends your data to a third-party ad platform
- Any programmatic ad network cookies
- Social media "like" or "share" button tracking cookies
- Any cookie that builds a profile of you for advertising purposes
How ads work on SiteKiln (no cookies involved)
Any ads you see on this site are not targeted from your browsing history. They are specific to our industry and relevant to wherever you are on the page.
So if you're reading about insurance, you might see an ad from an insurer. If you're reading about training, you might see a training provider. Not only can you read about insurance - you can head straight over to an insurer. It's as simple as that. Relevant and useful ads, wherever you are.
No cookies are used to serve these ads. They're placed based on the page topic, not on your personal data or browsing behaviour.
Browser storage (localStorage)
Some things are kept in your browser's storage rather than in a cookie. This is a separate browser feature: the data stays on your device, is never sent to us, and clearing your browser's site data removes it. There are three kinds, and the banner on your first visit governs the first.
Preferences, governed by the banner. Your saved guides, where you got to in a guide, whether you found a guide helpful, notices you have closed, whether you dismissed the "add to home screen" prompt, and your state preference. If you choose Accept, these are kept between visits. If you choose Decline, or make no choice, they are kept only for the tab you have open and are forgotten when you close it, and anything already kept is removed when you decline.
Entries you typed into a tool. The Monthly Profit Tracker and the Quarterly Business Check-Up save what you enter so it is still there when you come back, because that is what those tools are for. They are not governed by the banner, and the data never leaves your device.
A working copy of public data. The site keeps a copy of its own search index so searching is fast. It holds nothing about you.
See our Privacy Policy for more detail.
Managing your cookies and preferences
The only cookies SiteKiln sets are essential cookies (listed above). The banner on your first visit asks one question: whether we may keep your preferences on this device between visits.
You can change your mind at any time by:
- Using the Cookie settings button in the site footer, which reopens the banner, or
- Clearing site data in your browser settings.
How to clear cookies in your browser
- Chrome: Settings > Privacy and Security > Clear Browsing Data
- Firefox: Settings > Privacy & Security > Cookies and Site Data > Clear Data
- Safari: Preferences > Privacy > Manage Website Data
- Edge: Settings > Privacy, Search and Services > Clear Browsing Data
Clearing cookies may log you out of your Document Hub account.
Third-party cookies
If we embed any third-party content (e.g. a YouTube video in a guide), that service may set its own cookies. We'll flag this where it happens, but we can't control what those services do - check their own cookie policies.
We do not embed social media feeds, ad networks, or tracking widgets that set third-party cookies.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The "last updated" date at the top will change when we do.
Contact
If you have questions about cookies on this site, contact us through the details on our About page.