Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

Account Information

When you create an account, we collect:

• Email address (required for authentication and communications)
• Full name (optional, for display purposes)
• Password (stored as a one-way bcrypt hash — we never store plaintext passwords)
• Account creation date and last login date

Website & SEO Data You Provide

When you use RankCause, you provide:

• Domain names and URLs you wish to monitor
• Configuration settings for crawls and alerts
• Keywords and competitor domains you track

Data We Collect Automatically

We collect limited technical data when you use the service:

• IP address (for security, fraud prevention, and rate limiting)
• Browser type and operating system (for compatibility)
• Pages visited and features used within the application
• Error logs and performance data for service improvement

Payment Information

We do not store credit card numbers or sensitive financial data. All payment processing is handled by Stripe. See the Payment Processing section for details.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Provide the service: Crawl websites, track rankings, generate reports, and deliver all RankCause features you subscribe to
• Authenticate you: Verify your identity and maintain session security
• Process payments: Manage subscriptions, upgrades, downgrades, and billing cycles
• Send transactional emails: Account confirmations, billing receipts, alert notifications, and critical service announcements
• Improve the service: Analyze usage patterns (in aggregate, not individually) to improve features and performance
• Enforce our Terms: Detect and prevent abuse, fraud, and violations of our Terms of Service
• Provide support: Respond to your requests, questions, and bug reports

We will never use your data to train AI/ML models for commercial purposes, or share individual-level data with third parties for advertising.

3. Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share data only in these limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We use trusted third-party services that process data on our behalf:

• Stripe — payment processing and subscription management
• Hosting/Infrastructure providers — servers and database hosting
• Email delivery service — transactional email sending

All service providers are contractually bound to protect your data and use it only for the services they provide to us.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, court order, or government authority, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of RankCause, our users, or the public.

Business Transfers

If RankCause is acquired, merged, or undergoes a change of ownership, your data may be transferred to the acquiring entity. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our website before any transfer occurs.

4. Google API Data

RankCause integrates with Google Search Console and Google Analytics 4 to provide ranking and traffic data. Our use and transfer of information received from Google APIs adheres to the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

What Google Data We Access

• Google Search Console: search query impressions, clicks, positions, and coverage data for your verified properties
• Google Analytics 4: session, user, and conversion data from properties you grant access to

How We Use Google Data

• To display your SEO performance data within your RankCause dashboard
• To generate reports and track trends over time
• To trigger alerts when significant changes occur

Limitations on Google Data Use

We do not use Google API data to:

• Serve advertisements
• Share with third parties except as necessary to provide our service
• Determine creditworthiness or for lending purposes
• Sell or transfer to data brokers

You can revoke RankCause's access to your Google data at any time via your Google Account permissions page.

5. Payment Processing

All payment processing is handled by Stripe, Inc. When you subscribe to a paid plan:

• Your credit card information is entered directly into Stripe's secure, PCI-compliant forms
• We never see or store your full card number, CVC, or expiry date
• We store only a Stripe Customer ID and Stripe Subscription ID to manage your subscription
• Stripe's privacy policy governs their handling of your payment data: stripe.com/privacy

Billing receipts are sent directly by Stripe to your account email address.

6. Cookies & Tracking

Essential Cookies

We use one essential cookie to keep you signed in:

• access_token — An HTTP-only, secure JWT cookie that authenticates your session. It expires after 30 days or when you sign out. This cookie cannot be read by JavaScript.

What We Do Not Use

• No third-party advertising or tracking cookies
• No social media tracking pixels
• No Google Analytics on our marketing pages (we practice what we preach — we use our own SEO tools)
• No fingerprinting or cross-site tracking

Because we use only essential cookies, we do not display a cookie consent banner. You can block all cookies in your browser settings, but this will prevent you from staying signed in.

7. Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as your account is active or as needed to provide services. Specifically:

• Account data: Retained until you delete your account
• SEO crawl data and reports: Retained for the duration of your subscription plan's history window (e.g., 12 months for Pro, 24 months for Agency)
• Billing records: Retained for 7 years as required by financial regulations
• Server logs: Retained for 90 days for security and debugging purposes

When you delete your account, all personal data and SEO data is permanently deleted within 30 days, except billing records which must be retained per legal requirements.

8. Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your data:

• Encryption in transit: All data transmitted between your browser and our servers is encrypted via TLS/HTTPS
• Password hashing: Passwords are hashed with bcrypt (cost factor 12) — we cannot recover your password
• HTTP-only cookies: Authentication tokens are stored in HTTP-only cookies, inaccessible to JavaScript
• Database access controls: Production database access is restricted to application servers only
• Regular security updates: We keep all dependencies patched and updated

No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. If you discover a security vulnerability, please email us immediately at security@seointelligence.app rather than posting it publicly.

9. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

For All Users

• Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
• Correction: Update inaccurate data via Settings → Profile
• Deletion: Delete your account and all associated data via Settings → Account, or by contacting us
• Portability: Export your SEO data in CSV/JSON format from Reports

For EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

Under GDPR, you additionally have the right to:

• Object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Restrict processing in certain circumstances
• Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority

Our legal basis for processing is: performance of a contract (service delivery), legitimate interests (security and fraud prevention), and consent (optional communications).

For California Residents (CCPA)

California residents have the right to know what personal information is collected, to opt out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell data), and to non-discrimination for exercising these rights.

To exercise any of your rights, contact us at privacy@seointelligence.app. We will respond within 30 days.

10. Children's Privacy

RankCause is not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us immediately and we will delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page
• Send an email notification to all registered users
• Show an in-app notification for 30 days after the change

Your continued use of the service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated policy. If you disagree with the changes, you may delete your account before they take effect.

12. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy or your personal data, please contact us: