Effective date: April 17, 2026
Last updated: April 17, 2026
SearchEngineU (“we,” “us,” “this site”) respects your privacy. This page explains what information we collect, why we collect it, and what choices you have.
This policy covers the website at searchengineu.com and any subdomains we operate.
Information we collect
Information you give us directly
- Email address — when you subscribe to our newsletter or download a lead magnet. Optional.
- Contact form submissions — when you email us or use our contact form. Optional.
- Comments — if we enable commenting, your name, email, and comment text. Optional.
Information collected automatically
- Analytics — we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the site. GA4 collects page views, referral sources, device/browser information, approximate geographic location (country level), and session duration. We do not collect personally identifying information through analytics.
- Cookies — small files stored on your device to remember preferences, keep you logged in if you comment, and support the analytics above.
- Server logs — our hosting provider logs IP addresses, request timestamps, and user-agent strings for security and debugging. Logs are rotated and deleted on a 30-day cycle.
Information from third parties
- Advertising networks (Google AdSense and, in the future, Mediavine) may set cookies to serve relevant ads and measure ad performance. See “Advertising” below.
- Affiliate networks (Amazon Associates, Awin, Impact, CJ, etc.) use their own tracking parameters when you click an affiliate link. We receive aggregated commission reports — not individual user data.
How we use your information
- To send you our newsletter and the lead magnets you requested
- To respond when you contact us
- To understand which articles are useful (via analytics)
- To comply with legal obligations
- To detect and prevent abuse, spam, and fraud
We do not sell, rent, or share your email address with third parties for their marketing.
Cookies and tracking
We use:
- Essential cookies — keep the site functional (e.g., remember that you dismissed the cookie banner).
- Analytics cookies — Google Analytics 4, used to measure traffic. You can opt out via the consent banner.
- Advertising cookies — set by Google AdSense (and, once we qualify, Mediavine) to serve relevant ads. You can opt out via the consent banner or directly at Google’s Ads Settings.
You can also block cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work, though some features (logged-in commenting, analytics opt-out preference, etc.) may behave differently.
Advertising
This site may display third-party advertising via Google AdSense and, at scale, through a managed ad network like Mediavine. Ad networks may use cookies and device identifiers to serve relevant ads. For more information about how Google uses data, see Google’s Advertising policy.
Your choices
Newsletter
Every newsletter includes a one-click unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing removes your email from our sending list. We retain the record of the unsubscribe for compliance.
Analytics
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking via our cookie consent banner or using Google’s Analytics Opt-out browser add-on.
Access, correction, deletion
You can request access to the personal data we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Email privacy@searchengineu.com with “Privacy request” in the subject line. We respond within 30 days.
California (CCPA) and other US state privacy laws
If you are a California resident, you have the right to know what personal information we collect about you, request deletion, and not be discriminated against for exercising those rights. We do not sell personal information as defined under CCPA. To exercise your rights, email privacy@searchengineu.com.
Residents of Colorado, Virginia, Connecticut, and other states with similar laws have substantively similar rights. Use the same email.
Europe (GDPR / UK GDPR)
If you are in the EEA or UK:
- Our legal basis for processing your data is (a) consent (for newsletter, analytics, advertising cookies), (b) legitimate interest (for essential site operation and security logs), and (c) contract performance (when responding to your inquiries).
- You have the right to access, rectify, erase, port, and restrict processing of your data, and to object to processing.
- To exercise these rights, email privacy@searchengineu.com.
- You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.
Data retention
- Newsletter subscribers: indefinitely, until you unsubscribe or request deletion.
- Contact form / email inquiries: two years, then deleted.
- Analytics data: Google Analytics 4 default retention (14 months for user-level data).
- Server logs: 30 days, then rotated.
Children
SearchEngineU is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have, contact us and we will delete it.
Security
We use industry-standard measures to protect your data: HTTPS encryption in transit, strong access controls on our hosting platform, and regular security reviews. No system is perfectly secure — if a breach occurs that affects your data, we will notify you as required by applicable law.
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy periodically. Material changes will be announced via the newsletter and via a banner on the homepage. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will reflect the most recent change.
Contact
Privacy questions: privacy@searchengineu.com
General contact: see our contact page