Privacy Policy

1. Who this policy concerns

CleverClimb SEO Pty Ltd is a South African provider of SEO, web development, website design and digital marketing services. This notice concerns personal information shared when you contact the company, request a quotation, enquire about services or otherwise communicate in a business context.

For privacy questions or a request about your personal information, email info@cleverclimbseo.co.za.

2. Information we may collect

• Name, business name, email address, telephone number and contact preferences.
• Information you voluntarily include in an enquiry, project brief, quotation request, email or WhatsApp conversation.
• Website details, project requirements and documents you choose to send.
• Relevant business communication records, proposals and project correspondence.
• Technical, device and website usage data where analytics, security logs or cookies are actually enabled.

Avoid sending passwords, private identification documents or other sensitive information through public enquiry forms or informal chat unless a secure process has been agreed.

3. Why we use information

We use relevant information to respond to requests, assess service needs, prepare quotations, communicate about projects, fulfil agreed services, keep necessary operational records and protect the security of our systems.

Any additional marketing communication must use an appropriate lawful basis and provide relevant opt-out choices where required. We do not assume that an enquiry automatically authorises unrelated promotional messaging.

4. Enquiries and communications

Information you share through email, telephone, WhatsApp or other agreed channels is used to assess your requirements, respond to your enquiry and discuss relevant services.

Please share only information relevant to your request. Access to enquiry information is limited to the people and service providers involved in responding or delivering agreed services.

5. CleverMind AI assistant

CleverMind uses Google's Gemini AI service to answer questions about CleverClimb SEO. When you send a question, its text, a limited recent conversation and our published company information are sent to Google to generate a reply. This can involve processing outside South Africa. AI answers may be inaccurate; confirm important prices and project details with our team.

The conversation is kept for your current open website session and clears when you reload or leave it. We do not save chat history to a database or log conversation content. Temporary security counters help limit misuse. Chat does not create a CRM record, submit an enquiry or send a message to our team.

Do not enter personal, confidential or sensitive information, including names, email addresses, phone numbers, identity or financial details, medical information, passwords or API keys. We check for obvious personal details before transmission, but automated detection cannot identify everything. Use our Contact Us page, WhatsApp or email for a private enquiry instead.

Google's retention and use of API inputs and outputs depend on the API service tier and applicable settings. Unpaid API use may involve product improvement and human review; paid API terms differ. See the Gemini API terms and Google Privacy Policy. Contact info@cleverclimbseo.co.za with questions about this processing.

6. Cookies, analytics and third-party tools

The website may use necessary technical mechanisms for functionality and security. Additional analytics, embedded reviews or third-party content can involve cookies or other technical processing according to their configuration.

Embedded content, such as Google Maps and third-party review widgets, is provided by external services. Loading or interacting with that content can share technical information with its provider, whose own privacy and cookie policies also apply. Contact us with questions about third-party tools and the handling of your information.

7. Sharing and safeguards

Information may be accessed by team members and service providers only to the extent relevant to the purpose and agreed work. These parties can include hosting, email, CRM, analytics and other technology providers where those integrations are actually used.

We aim to protect information against inappropriate access, loss or misuse through reasonable technical and organisational measures. No internet system is completely risk-free.

8. Retention and individual rights

Retention depends on the purpose of the enquiry or agreed services and applicable legal obligations. Contact us to discuss the retention, correction or deletion of information you have shared.

Subject to South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), you may request access to personal information held about you, ask for correction or deletion, and object to processing where applicable. Contact us to make a request.

If you believe your personal information has been handled in a way that infringes POPIA, you may lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator.

9. Changes and contact

This policy applies alongside the privacy information provided for any agreed service. Changes to information-handling practices may require updates to this policy.

For questions about this policy or a privacy request, email info@cleverclimbseo.co.za.