Legal

Cookies Policy

Last updated

1. Introduction

Welcome to EasyGuides (“we”, “us”, or “our”). This comprehensive Cookies Policy is designed to explain how and why we use cookies, web beacons, pixels, clear GIFs, and other similar tracking technologies when you visit our website, EasyGuides (the “Site”), and any other media form, mobile website, or related application connected thereto. This policy serves to uphold our commitment to transparency, safeguarding your privacy, and ensuring compliance with global data protection regulations, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and the ePrivacy Directive.

By continuing to browse, access, or use EasyGuides, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the practices described in this extensive Cookies Policy. If you do not agree with our use of cookies as described herein, please disable them following the instructions provided in this document, use our cookie consent management tool, or refrain from using our website.

2. What Are Cookies? (A Technical and Functional Overview)

To fully understand this policy, it is important to know exactly what cookies are and how they function on the modern web.

Cookies are small text files—often consisting of a string of letters and numbers—that are downloaded onto your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, or smart TV) when you access certain websites. These files are stored by your web browser and serve as a sort of “memory” for the website. The fundamental nature of the internet (HTTP) is “stateless,” meaning each time you load a page, the server treats you as a completely new visitor. Cookies bridge this gap by allowing the website to recognize your device upon subsequent visits, remember your preferences, keep you logged in, and provide a seamless, continuous browsing experience.

A standard cookie typically contains the following elements:

  • Name: The unique identifier of the cookie.
  • Value: The data or string of characters stored within the cookie.
  • Domain: The website or server that set the cookie and is authorized to read it.
  • Path: The specific directory or route on the website where the cookie is valid.
  • Expiration Date: The exact time and date when the cookie will automatically delete itself from your device.
  • Security Flags: Attributes such as “Secure” (only transmitted over HTTPS) and “HttpOnly” (inaccessible to client-side scripts like JavaScript to prevent cross-site scripting attacks).

3. The Categories of Cookies We Use

At EasyGuides, we utilize various types of cookies to ensure our tutorials, step-by-step guides, and cleaning tips are delivered effectively. Cookies can be categorized by their lifespan, their origin, and their specific purpose on our Site.

3.1 Categorization by Lifespan

  • Session Cookies: These are temporary cookies that only exist while your web browser is open. They are strictly used to remember your actions during a single browsing session—for example, remembering what page of a multi-step cleaning guide you are currently reading. As soon as you close your browser window, session cookies are permanently deleted from your device.
  • Persistent Cookies: Unlike session cookies, persistent cookies remain on your device even after you close your browser or restart your computer. They have a pre-defined expiration date programmed into their code (which can range from a few days to several years). We use persistent cookies to remember your consent preferences, language choices, and to understand how you return to EasyGuides over time.

3.2 Categorization by Origin

  • First-Party Cookies: These are cookies set directly by the EasyGuides domain (e.g., easyguides.com). They are generally essential for the core functionality of the website and are used to store your preferences, site layout choices, and analytical data directly managed by us.
  • Third-Party Cookies: These are cookies set by a domain other than EasyGuides. Because we integrate external services—such as Google Analytics for traffic measurement, social media sharing buttons, and advertising networks—these third parties may place cookies on your device through our website. We do not have direct control over the behavior of third-party cookies.

4. Detailed Breakdown of Cookie Purposes

To provide maximum transparency, we have divided the cookies we use into four primary categories based on the guidelines set forth by the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and standard GDPR compliance frameworks.

A. Strictly Necessary Cookies (Essential)

These cookies are fundamentally required for EasyGuides to operate securely and correctly. Without these cookies, services you have asked for cannot be provided. Because they are essential to the functioning of the site, you cannot opt out of them through our cookie banner. They do not gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering where you have been on the internet.

  • Routing traffic to specific servers to balance loads and ensure the site doesn’t crash during traffic spikes.
  • Identifying trusted web traffic and protecting the site from malicious bots or Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) attacks.
  • Remembering your privacy consent choices (so you aren’t asked to accept cookies every single time you load a new page).

B. Performance and Analytics Cookies

Performance cookies collect anonymous, aggregated data about how visitors use EasyGuides. We are passionate about creating the best how-to guides possible, and these cookies tell us which guides are the most popular, how long users spend reading a specific step, and whether users encounter any error messages.

  • Tracking the number of unique visitors to our home cleaning and gardening categories.
  • Measuring the time spent on specific tutorial pages to see if our guides are too long or too short.
  • Identifying the sequence of pages visited (e.g., navigating from “Cleaning & Stain Removal” to “Upholstery Cleaning”).
  • Detecting broken links or pages that load too slowly.

C. Functionality Cookies

Functionality cookies allow EasyGuides to remember choices you make and provide enhanced, more personal features. These cookies ensure that your experience is tailored to your preferences.

  • Remembering changes you have made to text size, fonts, or other parts of web pages that you can customize.
  • Storing regional or language preferences (if applicable).
  • Providing services you have asked for, such as watching an embedded video tutorial on how to fold a fitted sheet or leaving a comment on a blog post.

D. Targeting and Advertising Cookies

To keep EasyGuides free for all users, we may display advertisements. Targeting cookies are used to deliver advertisements that are more relevant to you and your interests. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advertisement as well as help measure the effectiveness of the advertising campaign.

  • Tracking your browsing habits across different websites to build a profile of your interests.
  • Showing you ads related to cleaning products, gardening tools, or home decor items based on the guides you have read on our site.
  • Preventing the exact same advertisement from continuously reappearing on your screen.

5. EasyGuides Cookie Schedule

Below is a detailed, non-exhaustive list of the specific cookies that may be set on your device when you use EasyGuides. Please note that the exact names and expiration times may change as we update our website technologies.

Cookie Name Provider / Origin Category Purpose Description Expiration
cookie_notice_accepted EasyGuides (First-Party) Strictly Necessary Stores your agreement to our cookie policy so the banner does not reappear. 1 Year
_ga Google Analytics Performance Used to distinguish unique users by assigning a randomly generated number as a client identifier. 2 Years
_gid Google Analytics Performance Used to store and update a unique value for each page visited to track user journeys. 24 Hours
wp-settings-[UID] EasyGuides / WordPress Functionality Used to customize the view of the admin interface and the main site interface for logged-in users. 1 Year
IDE Google DoubleClick Targeting/Ads Used to register and report actions after viewing ads to measure efficacy. 1 Year

6. Other Tracking Technologies: Web Beacons, Pixels, and Local Storage

Cookies are not the only technology we use to track site usage and improve our guides. EasyGuides may also utilize alternative technologies that function similarly to cookies.

6.1 Web Beacons and Tracking Pixels

A web beacon (also known as a clear GIF, pixel tag, or web bug) is a tiny, invisible image graphic—usually no larger than 1×1 pixel—placed on a web page or in an email. When you load a page on EasyGuides containing a web beacon, it communicates with the server to record that the page was viewed. We use web beacons primarily in our email newsletters to determine if an email was opened, if a link was clicked, and to gauge the overall success of our content.

6.2 HTML5 Local Storage

HTML5 Local Storage allows websites to store data locally within your web browser. Unlike standard cookies, local storage can hold significantly more data and is not automatically transmitted to the server with every HTTP request. We may use local storage to temporarily save the state of a checklist in one of our DIY guides, ensuring that if you accidentally refresh the page, you do not lose your progress.

7. Third-Party Integration and Analytics

7.1 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics uses performance cookies to help us analyze how users engage with EasyGuides. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website will be transmitted to and stored by Google on their servers. You can opt out of Google Analytics entirely by installing the official Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

7.2 Advertising Networks

We may partner with advertising networks such as Google AdSense, Mediavine, or Raptive. These networks use targeting cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to EasyGuides and other websites across the internet. These cookies allow advertising partners to recognize your computer each time they send you an online advertisement.

8. How to Manage, Control, and Delete Cookies

You have the ultimate authority to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. While you cannot opt out of Strictly Necessary cookies, you can manage your preferences for Performance, Functionality, and Targeting cookies.

8.1 Managing Cookies via Browser Settings

Most modern web browsers allow you to manage cookies globally across all websites. Here are detailed, step-by-step instructions for managing cookies on the most popular web browsers:

Google Chrome (Desktop)

  1. Open Google Chrome.
  2. Click the three vertical dots (Menu) in the top-right corner of the window.
  3. Select Settings from the drop-down menu.
  4. Click on Privacy and security in the left-hand sidebar.
  5. Click on Third-party cookies.
  6. From here, you can choose to block third-party cookies or delete specific site data.

Mozilla Firefox (Desktop)

  1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
  2. Click the three horizontal lines (Menu) in the top-right corner.
  3. Select Settings.
  4. Click on Privacy & Security in the left-hand panel.
  5. Under the Enhanced Tracking Protection section, select your preferred tracking strictness.

9. Legal Compliance and Your Privacy Rights

9.1 European Economic Area (GDPR and ePrivacy Directive)

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA) or the United Kingdom, we must obtain your explicit, informed, and active consent before placing any non-essential cookies on your device. We rely on your consent as the lawful basis for processing this data. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time without detriment.

9.2 State of California (CCPA and CPRA)

If you are a resident of California, the CCPA and CPRA grant you specific rights regarding your personal information. You have the right to opt-out of the sale or sharing of your personal information, which can occur via third-party tracking cookies. You can exercise this right by utilizing the “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link in our footer.

10. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookies Policy or our data collection practices, please contact us.

Questions about our use of cookies? Get in touch.