Last Updated: June 2025
At Small City Guide (“we,” “us,” or “our”), your privacy is important to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit smallcityguide.com (the “Site”), how we use that information, who we share it with, and what rights you have regarding your personal data. Please read this policy carefully. By using the Site, you agree to the practices described below.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information in the following ways:
a) Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, log files, and analytics tools. This may include:
- Your IP address (which may indicate your general geographic location)
- Browser type and version
- Operating system
- The pages you visit on our Site and time spent on those pages
- Referring URLs (the website or link that brought you to us)
- Date and time of your visit
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
This data is primarily collected in aggregate and is used to understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve our content and user experience.
b) Information You Provide Voluntarily
If you contact us via email or a contact form, we collect the information you provide, such as your name, email address, and the contents of your message. If the Site features a comment section, any information you submit in a comment (name, email, website, and comment content) is also collected.
c) Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies — small text files stored on your device — and similar tracking technologies to operate the Site and serve advertising. See the Cookies section below for more detail.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To analyze Site traffic and user behavior so we can improve content and performance
- To serve relevant advertisements through third-party ad networks
- To respond to your inquiries when you contact us
- To detect and prevent security threats, spam, and abuse
- To comply with legal obligations where applicable
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We do not use your data for automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects.
3. Third-Party Services
We use several third-party services to operate and improve the Site. These services may collect information about you independently under their own privacy policies. The key third parties we work with include:
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to track and report website traffic. Google Analytics collects data such as pages visited, session duration, device and browser information, and approximate geographic location derived from IP addresses. Google may use this data in accordance with its own privacy policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on. For more information, visit Google’s Privacy Policy.
Google AdSense
We may display advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our Site and other websites across the internet. You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or by visiting aboutads.info. Google’s use of advertising cookies is governed by its privacy policy.
Cloudflare
We use Cloudflare for website security, performance optimization, and content delivery. Cloudflare processes network traffic passing through its infrastructure, which may include IP addresses and request metadata, in order to protect the Site from malicious activity and improve load times. Cloudflare’s data practices are governed by its own Privacy Policy.
Web Hosting Provider
Our hosting provider maintains server logs that may include IP addresses, browser types, and page requests. These logs are used for security and operational purposes and are not used to identify individual users.
4. Cookies
Cookies are small data files placed on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types of cookies:
- Essential Cookies: Required for the Site to function properly (e.g., security cookies from Cloudflare).
- Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to collect aggregate data about how visitors use the Site.
- Advertising Cookies: Used by Google AdSense to serve personalized or contextual advertisements.
- Functional Cookies: May be used to remember preferences (e.g., comment form data in WordPress).
You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Site. Most browsers allow you to refuse new cookies, delete existing cookies, and set preferences for certain websites. Refer to your browser’s help documentation for instructions.
5. Your Privacy Rights
GDPR Rights (European Economic Area & UK Residents)
If you are located in the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, you have the following rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR):
- Right of Access: You may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to Rectification: You may request correction of inaccurate personal data.
- Right to Erasure: You may request that we delete your personal data, subject to certain legal obligations.
- Right to Restrict Processing: You may request that we limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
- Right to Data Portability: You may request your data in a machine-readable format.
- Right to Object: You may object to our processing of your personal data for direct marketing or other purposes.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Where we process data based on your consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected].
CCPA Rights (California Residents)
If you are a California resident, you have the following rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA):
- Right to Know: You may request information about the categories and specific pieces of personal data we have collected about you.
- Right to Delete: You may request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
- Right to Opt-Out of Sale: We do not sell personal information. If this changes, we will update this policy and provide a “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” link.
- Right to Non-Discrimination: We will not discriminate against you for exercising your CCPA rights.
To submit a CCPA request, please email us at [email protected] with “CCPA Request” in the subject line.
6. Data Retention
We retain data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this policy. Specifically:
- Analytics data is retained in Google Analytics for up to 26 months by default.
- Server log data maintained by our hosting provider is typically retained for 30–90 days.
- Email correspondence is retained for as long as it is operationally relevant, and deleted thereafter.
- Comment data (if applicable) is retained for as long as the comment is published on the Site.
7. Children’s Privacy (COPPA)
Small City Guide is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe that a child under 13 has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately at [email protected] and we will take steps to delete such information promptly. This Site complies with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).
8. Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, loss, or misuse. These measures include HTTPS encryption (SSL/TLS), use of Cloudflare’s security layer, and access controls on backend systems. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
9. Third-Party Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., city government sites, data sources, real estate portals). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit through a link on our Site.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or the services we use. When we make changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of the Site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: smallcityguide.com/contact
We will do our best to respond to all privacy-related inquiries within 5 business days.