Privacy notice

How we handle your information

Plain English, like everything else here. This explains what we collect when you get in touch, why we need it, and what you can ask us to do with it.

Last updated: 08/09/2026

Who we are

First Site Studio is a web design business based in the United Kingdom, run by Martin Pearson as a sole trader. For data protection purposes we are the "data controller", which means we decide how and why your information is used.

You can reach us at firstsite.martin@gmail.com.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's data protection regulator, under registration number ZC232032. You can look this up on the ICO's public register of fee payers.

What we collect, and when

We only collect personal information when you choose to give it to us.

When you fill in our contact form

We ask for:

  • Your name
  • Your business name
  • Your email address
  • Whatever you write in the message box

We ask for these because we cannot reply to an enquiry without knowing who sent it or how to reach you. Please do not include sensitive information in the message box - a first enquiry does not need it.

When you email or call us directly

We keep the contents of that correspondence, along with your contact details, so that we have a record of what was discussed.

If you become a client

We will hold the information needed to do the work and get paid: your contact details, billing details, and any content or access you give us for your website. Payment details themselves are handled by our payment provider, not stored by us.

Why we are allowed to use it

Data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for using your information. Ours are:

  • Legitimate interests - responding to an enquiry you sent us. You asked us a question, so replying to it is what you would reasonably expect.
  • Contract - once you become a client, we need your information to deliver the work you have paid for.
  • Legal obligation - we keep financial records for as long as tax law requires.
  • Consent - sending you our newsletter, if you have asked for it. You can withdraw this at any time using the unsubscribe link in any email, and we will stop.

Who else sees it

We do not sell your information, and we do not share it for marketing. A small number of service providers process it on our behalf so that this website and business can function:

  • Netlify - hosts this website and receives contact form submissions.
  • Google - the fonts on this site are loaded from Google's servers, which means your browser tells Google your IP address when you visit. No cookies are set by this.
  • Our email provider - so that enquiries reach our inbox.
  • EmailOctopus - runs our newsletter mailing list, if you have signed up for it. More detail in the newsletter section below.

Some of these providers are based outside the UK. Where that is the case, they operate under safeguards intended to give your information equivalent protection to that it would have here.

We may also disclose information if the law requires us to.

Newsletter sign-ups

If you sign up for our newsletter on the blog page, we collect your first name and email address using EmailOctopus, an email marketing platform.

We use this to send you occasional emails with website and marketing tips for small businesses, and to let you know when we publish something new. We only send these if you've ticked the consent box on the sign-up form - nobody is added to this list without agreeing to it first.

After signing up you'll get a confirmation email, and you need to click the link in it before you're actually added to the list. This is called double opt-in - it means nobody ends up subscribed by mistake or without it really being them.

EmailOctopus stores this information on our behalf. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email, or by emailing firstsite.martin@gmail.com and asking to be removed.

How long we keep it

  • Enquiries that do not become work: up to 12 months, then deleted.
  • Client records: for as long as we work together, and then for six years afterwards, because tax law requires financial records to be kept for that long.
  • Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe, at which point your details are removed from the list.

Cookies

This website sets no cookies and uses no analytics or tracking. There is nothing here for you to consent to or switch off.

If that changes, we will update this notice and ask for your consent before setting anything that is not strictly necessary.

Your rights

You can ask us to:

  • Give you a copy of the information we hold about you
  • Correct anything that is wrong
  • Delete it, where we have no need or legal duty to keep it
  • Stop using it, or limit how we use it
  • Send it to you or another provider in a portable format
  • Stop contacting you, at any time

Email firstsite.martin@gmail.com and we will respond within one month. There is no charge for this.

Keeping it safe

This website runs over an encrypted connection. Accounts holding your information are protected with strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication where it is available. No system is perfectly secure, but we take it seriously and we keep what we hold to a minimum.

Children

This website is aimed at businesses and is not intended for children. We do not knowingly collect information about anyone under 18.

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please tell us first and we will try to put it right.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK regulator, at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.

Changes to this notice

If we change how we handle your information we will update this page and change the date at the top.