Last updated: 18th May 2020When you visit Vital Certificates or make use of our services you automatically receive one or more cookies. The primary purpose for our use of cookies is to ensure the optimal delivery of our services. In addition, we use third party cookies for statistics and to analyse user behaviour. This policy explains in more detail the types of cookies we use, the purposes for which we use them and how you can block and remove such cookies.
What's a cookie?
A cookie is a piece of information that is stored on your computer's hard drive and which records how you move your way around a website so that, when you revisit that website, it can present tailored options based on the information stored about your last visit. Cookies can also be used to analyse traffic and for advertising and marketing purposes.
Cookies are used by nearly all websites and do not harm your system.
If you want to check or change what types of cookies you accept, this can usually be altered within your browser settings. You can block cookies at any time by activating the setting on your browser that allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access certain parts of our site.
Blocking and removing cookies
Your browser may give you the ability to block or delete cookies should you wish to do so. Please see the ‘Help’ menu in your browser for further information. Please note that blocking all cookies will have a negative impact upon the usability of many websites, including our own. We therefore recommend that you permit the use of cookies when using our websites.
How do we use cookies?
We use cookies to track your use of our website. This enables us to understand how you use the site and track any patterns with regards how you are using our website. 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.
Our site makes use of both session and persistent cookies.
- Session cookies 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 are stored as files on your computer and remain there when you close your web browser. The cookie can be read by our website to recognise you when you make return visits to us. Persistent cookies placed on your computer as a result of your use of our websites will never be stored for longer than 2 years from the date of your last visit. We use persistent cookies for Google Analytics.
The table below sets out the various types of cookies we use in more detail, why we (or relevant third parties) use them, and includes information you can use to control and learn more about the cookies used on our site.
| Cookie Type | Why we use it and additional information |
| Essential | Essential cookies, as their name suggests, are vital to the proper functioning of the website. They enable us to remember your selections between pages, such as items that make up your order so that you do not need to re-enter these things. |
| Performance/User Experience | We use cookies to make sure our website performs as it needs to, and to make sure it remembers your preferences (such as currency type) and previously entered information relating to an order. |
| Optimisation | Optimisation cookies allow us to see and track anonymous use data such as click trends, so we can be certain the site offers you a consistently smooth, functional and pleasant experience. We use third party service providers to assist us with optimisation. One such provider is Optimizely; for more information on what sort of information is stored by these cookies, please follow this link. |
| Advertising | Our website tries to serve advertisements that are relevant to you by displaying Google AdSense interest-based advertisements. We also use third party advertising solutions (including Google AdWords and Facebook) to serve you advertisements relating to Vital Certificates services when you are on Google, Facebook or other websites that are a part of the advertising inventory of these solutions. These advertisements are tailored by Google using cookies which will track your behaviour across the web, again using anonymous statistical rather than personally identifiable information, including information relating to your use of Vital Certificates' services, your location and demographic characteristics. You can view, delete or add interest categories associated with your browser using Google's Ads Preference Manager, found here. You can opt-out of the AdSense partner network cookie here; however, this opt-out mechanism uses a cookie, and if you clear the cookies from your browser it will ‘forget’ the opt-out. You can ensure your opt-out is maintained for a particular browser with a Google plug-in, available here. |
| Analytics | We also use cookies to monitor and understand more about how our websites and services are used and accessed, which in turn lets us optimise the user experience and build a website that suits the needs of our users and drive the direction of our business. We use Google Analytics who store cookies on your device to generate anonymous reports and statistics. Google stores this information in accordance with their privacy policy. |
Further information
If you have any questions regarding this policy or would like more information about the cookies used on our websites, please contact us.
