What’s a Cookie?
A ‘cookie’ is a small file that is placed on your computer to record information about how you use that website. In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics.
Cookies are used by almost all websites and do not harm your system. As a rule, they will make your browsing experience better.
However, you may prefer to disable cookies on this site (or on others). If you want to block all cookies, you can do so by changing your browser settings. Check the Help section of your browser for information about how to do this, or take a look at the About Cookies website which offers guidance for all modern browsers. Note that if you do this, it may block cookies which are needed to make a website work correctly.
Types of Cookie
Cookies can be either:
- Session cookies: these are only stored on your computer during your web session and are automatically deleted when you close your browser – they usually store an anonymous session ID allowing you to browse a website without having to log in to each page but they do not collect any personal data from your computer; or
- Persistent cookies: a persistent cookie is stored as a file on your computer and it remains there when you close your web browser. The cookie can be read by the website that created it when you visit that website again. We use persistent cookies for Google Analytics.
Cookies can also be categorised as follows:
- Strictly necessary cookies: These cookies are essential to enable you to use the website effectively, such as when buying a product and / or service, and therefore cannot be turned off. Without these cookies, the services available to you on our website cannot be provided. These cookies do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you have been on the internet.
- Performance cookies: These cookies enable us to monitor and improve the performance of our website. For example, they allow us to count visits, identify traffic sources and see which parts of the site are most popular.
- Functionality cookies: These cookies allow our website to remember choices you make and provide enhanced features. For instance, we may be able to provide you with news or updates relevant to the services you use. They may also be used to provide services you have requested such as viewing a video or commenting on a blog. The information these cookies collect is usually anonymised.
What Cookies Do We Use?
Google Analytics cookies
– these are used to track your use of our website, so we can see what’s popular and what’s not. This helps us to develop and improve our website as well as products and / or services in response to what you might need or want.
Note that your IP address is ‘anonymised’ when sent to Google Analytics so it isn’t stored by Google or by us.
WordPress cookies
– these are used to:
- store the details you enter if you leave a comment, to save you time if you add another comment.
- store your login credentials while you’re logged in.
Affiliate link cookies
A few links on this site are affiliate links. If you use these and go on to make a purchase (e.g. buy a web hosting package), Webscape Gardener may receive a small commission at no cost to you. In order for the provider to know that the referral has come from this website, they will set a cookie on your computer to store that information. Generally such cookies last for 30 days. Any page on this website containing affiliate links will have a notice advising you of this.
Third Party cookies
When we embed third-party applications in this website (e.g. by embedding a YouTube video in a page), these will set cookies, for functional, statistical or marketing purposes.