Privacy Policy

Shift Web Studio (“Shift Web Studio,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a web design, development, maintenance, and SEO studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through shiftwebstudio.com, how we use it, and the choices you have.

This policy covers our own website and our business relationship with you. It does not cover the websites we build or maintain for our clients — those sites are governed by their own privacy policies.

Information We Collect

Information you give us

• Contact form submissions — your name, email address, and whatever you choose to include in your message.
• Quote and project intake forms — business name, website URL, budget range, project goals, and similar details you provide so we can scope work.
• Newsletter signups — your email address, if you opt in.
• Client portal accounts — your name, email address, and login credentials. Passwords are stored in hashed form, not as readable text.
• Billing and invoicing information — business name, billing contact, billing address, and invoice history.

Information collected automatically

• Server logs. Our host records standard technical data including IP address, browser type, device type, referring page, and time of visit.
• Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors find and use the site — pages viewed, approximate location (city or region level), device and browser, and how you arrived. This is aggregate traffic data. We do not use it to identify individual visitors.

Payments

We do not collect or store full credit card or bank account numbers. Payments are processed by [PAYMENT PROCESSOR], and your payment details are handled directly by that provider under its own privacy policy.

Cookies and Tracking

Our site uses cookies for two purposes: keeping the site working correctly (session and security cookies, including those required for client portal logins) and analytics through Google Analytics 4.

We use a consent banner to give you control over analytics and marketing cookies. Necessary cookies are always active because the site cannot function without them. Analytics and marketing cookies are disabled by default and load only if you turn them on. You can change your choices at any time using the Cookie Preferences link in our footer. We also honor the Global Privacy Control browser signal, and will automatically decline non-essential cookies if your browser sends one.

You can control cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics entirely using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on. Blocking cookies may affect how parts of the site function.

How We Use Your Information

• To respond to inquiries and prepare proposals or quotes
• To deliver, support, and maintain the services you hire us for
• To create and manage client portal accounts
• To send invoices and process payments
• To send project updates and administrative messages
• To send newsletters, if you have opted in
• To understand site traffic and improve our website
• To protect the security of our site and comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Who We Share Information With

We share information only with service providers that help us operate the business, and only to the extent needed to do their job:

• Hostinger — website hosting and server infrastructure
• Google — Google Analytics 4; Google Workspace for email and file storage
• Cloudflare — security and content delivery (planned; this entry applies once implemented)
• [PAYMENT PROCESSOR] — invoicing and payment processing
• [CLIENT PORTAL PROVIDER] — client portal accounts and project file sharing

We may also disclose information if required by law, subpoena, or valid legal process, or where necessary to protect our rights, safety, or property. If the business is ever sold or merged, client and contact records may transfer as part of that transaction.

Client Data

When you hire us, we typically receive access to systems that contain data belonging to you and to your customers — hosting accounts, content management systems, analytics properties, form submissions, e-commerce orders, email platforms, and similar tools.

Our commitments regarding that data:

• We access client systems only to perform the work you have engaged us to do.
• We treat client data as confidential and do not use it for our own marketing, analysis, or commercial purposes.
• We do not sell, rent, or share client data or client customer data with anyone outside of the service providers listed in this policy.
• We use unique credentials and multi-factor authentication where the platform supports it.
• When an engagement ends, we remove or deactivate our access to your systems at your request, and we can return or delete project files we hold.
• We do not offer a formal Data Processing Agreement. Our handling of your data is governed by this policy and by our services agreement with you. If your business requires a signed DPA, please raise it before the engagement begins so we can discuss it.

You remain the owner and controller of your own data, and you are responsible for the privacy policy and legal compliance of your own website.

Use of AI Tools

We use third-party AI tools as part of our workflow — for example, to help draft copy, generate or review code, and speed up research. Where those tools are involved, our practices are:

• Human review of AI-assisted output before it is delivered or published.
• We avoid entering client credentials, customer personal information, or confidential business data into AI tools.
• Where a project calls for AI-assisted work involving your content, we will discuss it with you.

How Long We Keep Information

• Contact and quote form submissions — approximately one year from the date received, unless the inquiry becomes an active project.
• Client records and project files — for the duration of the working relationship and for a reasonable period afterward, so we can support past work and honor warranty or follow-up requests.
• Invoices and financial records — as long as required for tax, accounting, and legal purposes.
• Newsletter subscriptions — until you unsubscribe.
• Backups — automated backups may retain copies for a period after deletion from live systems before they are overwritten on their normal cycle.

Security

We use reasonable safeguards to protect the information we hold, including HTTPS encryption, access controls, multi-factor authentication where available, and limiting access to information on a need-to-know basis. No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Choices and Rights

Arizona does not currently have a comprehensive consumer privacy law, and we are a small business that falls below the thresholds of most state privacy statutes. Regardless of whether we are legally required to, we will honor these requests from anyone:

• Access — ask what personal information we hold about you
• Correction — ask us to fix inaccurate information
• Deletion — ask us to delete information we are not required to retain for legal, tax, or contractual reasons
• Opt out of email — unsubscribe from newsletters at any time using the link in the email or by contacting us

To make a request, reach us through our contact page. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.

Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are intended for businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

Third-Party Links

Our site links to other websites, including client work in our portfolio. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of sites we do not operate.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy as our business, tools, or legal obligations change. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Material changes will be noted more prominently.

Contact Us

Questions about this policy or about how we handle your information? Reach out through our contact page.

Shift Web Studio
Phoenix, AZ 85087
United States