What Are Cookies, Really?

Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device. Think of them as sticky notes your browser keeps to remember things about your visit.

When you browse efees-ss.com, we use several types of tracking technologies. Some are necessary for the site to function. Others help us understand how people use our services so we can make better decisions about what to improve.

You have control over most of these. The button above lets you opt out of everything except the essential cookies that keep the site working.

Essential Cookies We Can't Turn Off

These cookies make the website actually work. Without them, you wouldn't be able to navigate between pages, submit contact forms, or access secure areas.

What essential cookies do on efees-ss.com:

• Keep you logged into your account while you browse different pages
• Remember items you've added to forms as you fill them out
• Ensure security features work properly when you submit information
• Load pages efficiently without breaking functionality
• Store your cookie preference choice (ironically, we need a cookie to remember you rejected cookies)

These typically expire when you close your browser, though some remain for up to 30 days to maintain session continuity.

Analytics and Performance Tracking

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with our site. This helps us figure out what's working and what's confusing people.

The data we collect includes:

• Which pages you visit and how long you spend on them
• How you found our site (search engine, direct link, referral from another site)
• Your approximate location (city-level, not your exact address)
• What device and browser you're using
• Which links you click and where you exit the site

For example, if we notice everyone leaves our services page after 10 seconds, that tells us something's off. Maybe the information is unclear or the page loads too slowly. Analytics data helps us spot these patterns.

Google Analytics cookies typically last for two years. When you reject non-essential cookies using the button above, we stop sending this data to Google.

The Different Types We Use

How We Use the Information

The tracking data serves specific purposes that benefit both us and you (though we understand if you'd rather not participate).

Site Improvements

When we see that 200 people visited our marketplace positioning guide but only three contacted us afterward, we know something needs adjusting. Maybe the content isn't clear enough, or the next steps aren't obvious. Analytics helps us identify these friction points.

Content Decisions

If our SEO strategy articles get ten times more traffic than other topics, that tells us where to focus our writing efforts. We're not mind readers—visitor data shows us what actually matters to our audience.

Technical Performance

Page load times, error rates, and browser compatibility issues show up in our analytics. This helps us fix problems you might not bother reporting but definitely notice.

Business Planning

Understanding seasonal traffic patterns, geographical distribution of visitors, and which services generate the most interest helps us allocate resources effectively. Should we create more content about local SEO or marketplace optimization? The data guides those choices.

Data Retention and Storage

We keep analytics data for 26 months, which is Google Analytics' standard retention period. After that, it gets automatically deleted from their servers.

Essential cookie data (session information, security tokens) gets cleared much faster—usually within hours or days, depending on the specific cookie's purpose.

Your cookie preference choice (accepting or rejecting) is stored locally in your browser's localStorage. It doesn't expire unless you manually clear your browser data. This is how we remember not to track you if you've declined.

Managing Your Cookie Settings

You have several ways to control cookies beyond the rejection button at the top of this page.

Browser-Level Controls

Every modern browser lets you block or delete cookies. The specific steps vary, but generally you'll find these options in your browser's privacy or settings menu. This gives you more granular control than our site-level option.

Keep in mind that blocking all cookies will break functionality on most websites, including ours. You won't be able to stay logged in or submit forms.

Google Analytics Opt-Out

Google offers a browser add-on specifically for blocking their analytics across all websites. Search for "Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on" if you want to prevent Google tracking everywhere, not just on efees-ss.com.

Do Not Track Signals

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal to websites. We respect this preference and treat it the same as if you clicked our cookie rejection button—we'll stop sending data to analytics services.

Third-Party Services We Work With

Besides Google Analytics, we occasionally use other tracking technologies for specific purposes:

• Form Analytics: We track how people interact with our contact forms to identify where users get stuck or confused
• Error Monitoring: Technical error tracking helps us catch and fix bugs before they affect many visitors
• Performance Monitoring: We measure page load speeds and server response times to ensure the site runs smoothly

Each of these services operates under their own privacy policies. When you reject cookies on our site, we stop feeding data to these third parties as well.

Changes to This Policy

We update this page when we add new tracking tools or change how we handle data. Major changes will be noted at the top of the page with an updated date.

We won't notify you personally about policy updates—it's your responsibility to check back if you're concerned about changes. That said, we don't make changes frequently, and when we do, it's usually to add clarity rather than introduce new tracking methods.