Privacy Policy

Who we are

This policy covers taqventures.com, run by Taq Ventures Ltd., an Edmonton-based media, marketing and sales company serving Western Canada. Where it says "we" or "us", it means Taq Ventures Ltd. Questions about anything here go to contact@taqventures.com.

The short version

• We count visits anonymously — which pages are read and how people found them — without recording who you are.
• We use Google Analytics only if you click Accept on the cookie banner. If you decline or ignore it, nothing from Google loads and no cookies are set. We run no advertising tools.
• The only personal information the site itself records is what you type into the form for the website grader's PDF report.
• We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we only email you about news and tips if you tick the box asking for it.

What we collect, and when

When you browse

We do not use advertising tools. Like any website, our hosting provider handles the technical details every browser sends with a request, such as IP address, browser type and the page requested. It uses them to deliver the site and protect it from abuse.

We also keep our own anonymous count of visits, so we can see which pages are read, how people found the site, and how much of our traffic is people rather than search engines, AI systems and other automated programs. For each page request we record the page, the date and time, the type of browser and device (such as "Chrome on a phone"), the country, and the website that linked to it. A small script on each page reports that the page was opened in a browser, which is how people are told apart from automated programs. We do not record your IP address, set a cookie, store anything in your browser, or give you an identifier, so we cannot tell that two visits came from the same person and cannot link a visit to you.

Google Analytics, if you allow it

The first time you visit, a banner asks whether we can use Google Analytics. If you click Accept, the site loads Google's analytics tag, which sets cookies in your browser (named _ga) so Google can recognize return visits. Google then receives the pages you view, how long you stay, the site that sent you, your browser, device and approximate location, and which links and videos you interact with. It is also told when you send one of our forms, run the website grader, ask for its PDF report, or tap a phone number or email link: only that it happened, never what you typed, the website you graded, or the number or address. Google Analytics does not log or store IP addresses, and we have it set to remove email addresses from anything sent. We use the reports, in totals, to see which pages are useful and how people find the site. We do not use it for advertising.

If you click Decline, or close the page without choosing, Google Analytics never loads and no cookies are set. Your choice is remembered in your browser so you are not asked on every page. You can change it at any time: Change my cookie choice

When you use the website grader

The grader asks for a website address. We read that website's public pages, the same pages a search engine sees, and send the address to Google's PageSpeed Insights service to measure load speed. The result is stored for about an hour under a random ID, so a PDF can be made from it, and then it expires. It is not linked to your name.

When you ask for the PDF report

To download the PDF we ask for your name, work email and company, and you can also give your role and phone number. We keep these with the report itself (the website address, score, grade and findings) and a note of whether you ticked the box for occasional emails. This is how we know who we are talking to if you get in touch, and how we pick up the conversation where the report left off.

When you contact us

The contact and video call forms do not send anything to us on their own. Submitting one opens your email app with a message filled in, and you decide whether to send it. We receive what you send us by email or tell us by phone, and use it to reply.

When our team signs in

Our staff can sign in to edit parts of the site. Signing in sets a session cookie in their browser, which is needed for the sign-in to work. Visitors never see this and are never asked to sign in.

Posts embedded from other platforms

The Content & Community page and a section of the homepage show posts from other platforms: LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, Threads, Vimeo, Reddit and X. Each post loads from the platform that hosts it as you scroll close to it. When it loads, that platform may set its own cookies and collect information under its own privacy policy, which we do not control. The profile icons at the bottom of every page are ordinary links, and nothing loads from those platforms until you click one.

How we use it

• To reply to you, and to prepare and deliver the report you asked for.
• To follow up about the report or the work you contacted us about.
• To send occasional emails about local search and getting found, at most once a month, but only if you ticked the box asking for them. Every email lets you unsubscribe, or you can email us.
• To keep the site running, secure and free of abuse.
• To understand, in anonymous totals, which pages are useful and how people find the site. If you accept Google Analytics, its reports help with this too.

Who we share it with

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. We share it only with the service providers who run the site on our behalf, such as the company that hosts the site and its database, and with Google, which receives the website address you enter in the grader and, only if you accept Google Analytics, the visit information described above. Google's use of it is covered by its own privacy policy. We may also disclose information if the law requires it.

Some of these providers store or process data outside Canada, including in the United States, where it may be accessible to authorities under local law.

How long we keep it

Grader results expire after about an hour. Anonymous visit records are deleted after 13 months. Google keeps Google Analytics visit data for no longer than 14 months, and the _ga cookies expire after two years unless you clear them or decline. Details given for a PDF report are kept for as long as they are useful to the working relationship they started, or until you ask us to delete them. Emails are kept as ordinary business correspondence.

Your choices

You can accept or decline Google Analytics, and change that choice at any time with the button above. You can also ask to see the personal information we hold about you, have it corrected, withdraw consent to emails, or have it deleted. Email contact@taqventures.com and we will respond within 30 days. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Security

The site is served only over an encrypted connection, the areas our staff sign in to are protected by passwords, and access to stored details is limited to our team. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect what we hold.

Children

The site is meant for businesses and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.

Changes to this policy

If what the site collects changes, this page changes with it, and the date at the top will show when. Significant changes will be made clear on this page.