Privacy Policy

Who we are

Virtual Websites (“we,” “us,” or “our”) provides web design and development services for business owners. Our website is virtual-websites.com. You can contact us at hello@virtual-websites.com.

Overview

This policy explains what information we collect when you visit our website, contact us, or use our client payment tools; how we use it; which third-party services process it; and what choices you have. We aim to collect only what we need to operate our business, respond to inquiries, and improve our site.

Information we collect

Information you provide

• Contact form: name, email, phone, business name (optional), and message content when you request a consultation.
• Email: information you include when you email us at hello@virtual-websites.com.
• Client payment portal: if you pay a quote online, we store quote and payment-related information such as account number, business name, location, trade, payment amounts, payment status, PayPal transaction references, and subscription authorization status. We do not store full credit card numbers — payments are processed by PayPal.

Information collected automatically

• Website analytics: when enabled, Google Analytics collects usage data such as pages viewed, approximate location (country/region), device and browser type, referral source, and interactions on the site.
• Infrastructure and security logs: Cloudflare (our DNS and email routing provider) and Netlify (our hosting provider) may process technical data such as IP address, request timestamps, browser user-agent, and similar connection metadata when you access our site or email us.
• Cookie preferences: we store your cookie consent choice and, for the current browser session, a general region flag used to determine whether to show a consent banner.

Cookies and similar technologies

We use cookies and browser storage for the following purposes:

• Essential: remembering your cookie consent choice (local storage).
• Analytics: Google Analytics cookies and identifiers, used to understand how visitors use the site. Analytics is loaded automatically for visitors outside the European Union and United Kingdom. Visitors in those regions are asked for consent before analytics cookies are set.
• Payment: PayPal may set cookies when you use our payment pages to process transactions securely.

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Declining analytics cookies (where offered) means we will not load Google Analytics for your visit.

Third-party services

We use trusted providers to operate our website and business. They process data on our behalf according to their own privacy policies:

• Google Analytics (Google LLC) — website usage analytics and reporting. Google Privacy Policy
• Cloudflare (Cloudflare, Inc.) — DNS, email routing for hello@virtual-websites.com, and related security and delivery infrastructure. Cloudflare may process IP addresses, email metadata, and technical connection data in connection with these services. Cloudflare Privacy Policy
• Netlify (Netlify, Inc.) — website hosting and edge functions, including approximate geographic region detection used for cookie consent. Netlify Privacy Policy
• Formspree (Formspree, Inc.) — contact form submission handling. Formspree Privacy Policy
• PayPal (PayPal, Inc.) — payment and subscription processing on client payment pages. PayPal Privacy Policy
• Supabase (Supabase, Inc.) — secure database and backend services for quotes, payment records, and related client portal data. Supabase Privacy Policy
• Google Fonts — typography delivery; your browser may connect to Google servers when loading fonts. Google Privacy Policy

How we use your information

• Respond to consultation requests and other inquiries
• Provide quotes, contracts, and client payment services
• Process upfront, launch, and recurring payments through PayPal
• Operate, secure, and maintain our website
• Understand site usage and improve content and performance
• Comply with legal obligations and protect against fraud or abuse

Legal bases (EEA/UK visitors)

If you are in the European Economic Area or United Kingdom, we rely on: consent for non-essential analytics cookies; contract or pre-contractual steps when you request services or pay a quote; and legitimate interests for site security, basic operation, and understanding how our marketing site is used (where consent is not required).

How long we keep information

We retain information only as long as needed for the purposes above. Contact form submissions and client quote/payment records are kept for the duration of our business relationship and for a reasonable period afterward for accounting, tax, and legal purposes. Analytics data retention is governed by our Google Analytics settings (typically up to 14 months for standard reports). You may request deletion of personal information that is not required to be retained by law.

How we share information

We do not sell your personal information. We share data only with the service providers listed above (to operate our site and business), when required by law, or to protect our rights and safety. Payment information is shared with PayPal to complete transactions you authorize.

Your choices and rights

• Cookie consent: visitors in the EU/UK can accept or decline analytics cookies via our cookie banner. Other visitors may disable cookies in browser settings.
• Google Analytics opt-out: you can install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
• Access and deletion: email hello@virtual-websites.com to request access, correction, or deletion of personal information we hold about you.
• California residents: you may have rights to know, delete, and correct personal information, and to opt out of certain sharing. We do not sell personal information. Contact us to exercise these rights.

Security

We use industry-standard measures including HTTPS, access controls on backend systems, and reputable payment and infrastructure providers. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children

Our website and services are intended for business owners and are not directed at children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children.

International visitors

We are based in the United States and primarily serve U.S. businesses. If you access our site from outside the U.S., your information may be processed in the United States and other countries where our service providers operate.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will reflect the latest version. Continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this privacy policy or our data practices:

hello@virtual-websites.com