Cookie Policy
Last updated: 16 September 2026
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work, to improve your experience, and to give website owners information about how their site is used.
This Cookie Policy explains which cookies we use on smartastudio.com, why we use them, and how you can control them.
How We Use Cookies
We use a small number of cookies to keep the website working and, with your consent, to understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. We do not use cookies to serve targeted advertising, and we do not sell your data.
Asking for Your Consent
The first time you visit smartastudio.com, a banner asks whether you're happy for us to use non-essential (analytics) cookies. Nothing non-essential is set until you choose Accept. If you choose Reject — or simply dismiss the banner — no analytics cookies are set and our session-analytics tool does not load at all.
You can change or withdraw your choice at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in the footer of every page.
Types of Cookies We Use
Essential cookies — strictly necessary for the site to function; these cannot be switched off. They include remembering your cookie choice and, if you use our client portal, keeping you signed in.
Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it. These are only ever set after you accept them via the banner.
Cookies We Use
- cookieConsent — set by smartastudio.com (first-party); ~12 months; Essential / functional. Remembers whether you accepted or rejected non-essential cookies, so we don't ask again.
- __Secure-next-auth.session-token — set by smartastudio.com (first-party); Session; Essential. Keeps you signed in if you access our client portal. Not set for general browsing.
- _clck — set by Microsoft Clarity; ~1 year; Analytics (consent-required). Persists a Clarity user ID for the site so behaviour can be measured across visits. Only set after you Accept.
- _clsk — set by Microsoft Clarity; ~1 day; Analytics (consent-required). Connects multiple page views in a single session for Clarity. Only set after you Accept.
We review this table periodically. The exact cookies present may vary depending on the features you use (for example, the portal session cookie only appears for signed-in portal users).
Third-Party and Analytics Services
Microsoft Clarity — a website analytics and session-replay tool from Microsoft that helps us see how people use the site (for example, which sections get attention) so we can improve it. Clarity may record anonymised interactions such as clicks, scrolling and mouse movement, and sets the _clck and _clsk cookies described above. Clarity only loads once you have accepted analytics cookies — on first visit, or if you reject, it does not load and sets no cookies. Microsoft's handling of this data is governed by the Microsoft Privacy Statement (privacy.microsoft.com).
Vercel Analytics and Vercel Speed Insights — we use Vercel's privacy-first analytics and performance monitoring to measure page views and loading speed. These are cookieless: they do not store cookies on your device and do not track you across other websites. Because they set no cookies and collect no personally identifying information, they run without requiring consent. (Vercel also provides the hosting/infrastructure that delivers the site.)
Your Cookie Choices
When you first visit, our banner lets you:
- Accept analytics cookies, or
- Reject them (nothing non-essential is set).
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time using the "Cookie settings" link in our footer. Withdrawing consent stops our analytics tool loading on your next visit.
You can also control cookies through your browser settings — most browsers let you block or delete cookies. Blocking all cookies may affect how some parts of the site work.
How to manage cookies in your browser
- Google Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data.
- Mozilla Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data.
- Safari: Settings → Privacy → Manage Website Data.
- Microsoft Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and site data.
For more about managing cookies, visit aboutcookies.org or ico.org.uk.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, email us at hello@smartastudio.com. For more about how we handle personal data, see our Privacy Policy.