Privacy policy
How Nova Site handles personal information under the GDPR (for visitors from Europe), the UK GDPR, US state privacy laws, and South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA), where the studio is based. Last updated: 8 November 2026.
In short: we use what you send us to reply to you and to do your work. Google Analytics and Google advertising cookies only run if you allow them, and you can change your mind at any time. We never sell personal information.
1. Who we are
Nova Site is a web design studio based in Pretoria, South Africa, working with clients in the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe. We are the responsible party (under POPIA) and the controller (under the GDPR) for personal information collected through novasitestudio.com. Our Information Officer is Ryno Kahl, reachable at info@novasite.co.za or +27 75 947 9549.
This policy covers novasitestudio.com. Our South African site, novasite.co.za, follows the same practices. Websites we build for clients, including the ones shown on our Work page and on novasite.co.za subdomains, belong to those clients and have their own privacy policies.
2. What we collect
When you contact us: your name, company, email address, phone number (optional), the service you are interested in and your message. The form also sends the currency shown to you and your browser’s time zone, so we can quote in the right currency and suggest call times that suit you. You give us this through the contact form, email, WhatsApp, phone or LinkedIn. Giving it is voluntary, but we cannot reply or quote without a way to contact you.
If you become a client: the contact, billing and project details we need to do the work, invoice you and meet our tax and accounting duties.
When you browse the site: our web host automatically receives standard technical information when your browser requests a page, such as your IP address, browser type, the page requested and the time. If you allow cookies, Google also receives information about your visit (see Cookies and analytics).
3. Why we use it, and on what basis
| Purpose | Legal basis |
|---|---|
| Replying to your enquiry and sending you a quote | Steps you asked for before a contract; our legitimate interest in answering enquiries |
| Delivering, hosting and supporting your project if you become a client | Performing our contract with you |
| Keeping invoices and tax records | Legal obligation |
| Keeping the website running and secure (server logs) | Legitimate interest |
| Measuring which pages are useful (Google Analytics) | Your consent |
| Measuring and improving our Google Ads (advertising cookies) | Your consent |
We do not sell, rent or trade personal information, and we do not add you to a mailing list without asking.
4. Cookies and analytics
No cookies are set and nothing is loaded from Google until you make a choice in the cookie banner. You can allow Analytics, Advertising, both, or neither. Reject all is as easy as Accept all, and the site works the same whatever you choose. We use Google's consent mode, so Google is told what you chose.
| Type | What it does | Cookies |
|---|---|---|
| Essential | Remembers your cookie choice for 12 months, and the currency you picked with the $ / £ / € switch, if you picked one. Stored in your browser's local storage, not sent to anyone. To choose which currency to show first, the site reads your browser’s time zone on your device; it is not stored or sent anywhere unless you send the contact form. | ns-consent, ns-currency (local storage) |
| Analytics (if allowed) | Google Analytics 4 records the pages you visit, how you arrived, how long you stay, your device and browser type, and your approximate location (country or city). It uses a random visitor ID, so the data is not anonymous, but we cannot see who you are. Google states that Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. | _ga, _ga_<ID>, up to 2 years |
| Advertising (if allowed) | Lets Google use your visit to measure whether our Google Ads lead to enquiries, and to show our ads to people who have visited the site. Google signals and ad personalisation are only switched on if you allow this. | Google advertising cookies such as _gcl_*, up to 90 days |
Changing your mind: use Cookie settings at the bottom of any page. Switching a category off stops it and deletes its cookies from this site. You can also clear cookies in your browser, or install Google's opt-out browser add-on. We ask again after 12 months.
Google processes this information as our service provider. You can read how Google uses information from sites that use its services. We keep Google Analytics data for no longer than 14 months.
5. Who we share it with
Only the service providers we need to run the business:
- Hostinger, our web host, which runs the website and our internal client system and keeps server logs;
- Zoho, our email provider, which delivers contact form messages and email;
- Google, for Analytics and advertising measurement, only if you allow it;
- our accountant, and authorities such as SARS, where the law requires it.
If you contact us through WhatsApp, LinkedIn or Google Maps, those services also process your information under their own privacy policies.
6. International transfers
Nova Site is based in South Africa, so information you send us is processed there. Some of our providers store information in other countries, for example in the European Union or the United States. If you are in the EEA or the UK, we rely on the safeguards our providers offer for these transfers, such as the European Commission’s standard contractual clauses. We only use providers that are bound by data protection terms giving protection comparable to POPIA. For Google Analytics and advertising cookies, the transfer is also based on your consent (POPIA section 72).
7. How long we keep it
We keep enquiries for as long as needed to respond and follow up, and delete them when they are no longer needed. We keep client records and invoices for as long as tax and accounting law requires (generally five years in South Africa). Google Analytics data is kept for no longer than 14 months. Server logs are kept by our host for a limited period.
8. Your rights
You can ask us whether we hold personal information about you and for a copy of it, ask us to correct or delete it, object to how we use it, and withdraw consent at any time (this does not affect anything done before). If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you can also ask us to restrict processing or to give you your information in a portable format.
If you are in the United States: depending on your state (for example California), you may have the right to know what personal information we hold about you, to correct or delete it, and to opt out of its sale or sharing. We do not sell personal information. Advertising cookies, which some state laws treat as “sharing”, only run if you allow them, and you can switch them off in Cookie settings at any time. We will not treat you differently for using any of these rights.
Email info@novasite.co.za and we will respond within 30 days. Because analytics data is linked to a random ID rather than your name, we usually cannot find it for a particular person. Switching analytics off in Cookie settings deletes the cookie that links your visits.
If you are unhappy with how we handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You can also complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa) at inforegulator.org.za (complaints are lodged through its online portal), enquiries@inforegulator.org.za or 010 023 5200. In the European Economic Area, you can complain to your local data protection authority, and in the United Kingdom to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.
9. Children
This site is aimed at businesses. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18 without the consent of a parent or guardian.
10. Security
The site runs over HTTPS. Enquiries and client records are only accessible to the Nova Site team, through password-protected accounts.
11. Changes to this policy
We will update this page if anything changes, and change the date at the top. If we start using personal information in a new way that needs your consent, we will ask first.
12. Contact
Information Officer: Ryno Kahl
Nova Site, Pretoria, South Africa
info@novasite.co.za · WhatsApp +27 75 947 9549
See also our Terms of use.