What a cookie is
A cookie is a small text file that a website stores in your browser. It lets the site remember something between pages or between visits, such as whether you have already seen the cookie banner. Similar technologies include local storage and pixels. This policy covers all of them, and we call them cookies for short.
The cookies we use
Strictly necessary. Set automatically. The site and its forms do not work without them, so they do not need consent.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
ng_consent |
northgatebilling.com | Remembers the choice you made in the cookie banner | 12 months |
session cookie |
Form backend | Keeps your place in a multi-step intake form and protects the form from forged submissions | Session |
CDN or security cookie |
hosting or CDN provider | Distinguishes real visitors from automated traffic and keeps the site available | duration |
payment cookie |
our payment processor | Fraud prevention during checkout on the intake forms | duration |
Analytics. Set only after you accept them in the banner.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
_ga |
Google Analytics 4 | Tells one visitor's browser from another so page views can be counted per visit | 2 years |
gacontainer ID |
Google Analytics 4 | Keeps the current session together | 2 years |
Google Analytics 4 does not log or store IP addresses. We use it to see which pages are read, where visitors come from and where forms are abandoned, in aggregate. We have not enabled Google Signals or advertising features in Google Analytics, and event data is kept in Google Analytics for 14 months.
Advertising. Set only after you accept them in the banner, and only if paid search is running.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Lasts |
|---|---|---|---|
_gcl_au |
Google Ads | Records that a form was sent after a click on one of our Google ads, so we can measure the ad | 90 days |
Functional, from third parties. Some sections of the site load content from other companies. Those companies may set their own cookies when the content loads.
| Content | Provider | Why it is there |
|---|---|---|
| Review widgets on the Reviews page and home page | the platforms with a live widget | Shows verified reviews with their date and source |
| Electronic signature on the intake forms | our e-signature provider | Signing the Service Agreement and BAA online |
| Checkout on the intake forms | our payment processor | Taking payment |
| Fonts | Google Fonts | Page typography. |
Each provider's own policy explains the cookies it sets. Links: Google privacy policy, Pending: Trustpilot cookie policy link, Pending: other providers link.
We do not use session replay tools, heat maps, chat widgets or social media pixels.
How the banner works
- On your first visit, the banner asks whether you accept analytics and advertising cookies. Nothing in those categories is set until you choose.
- "Accept all" sets them. "Necessary only" does not. The choice is saved for 12 months in the
ng_consentcookie. - You can change your choice at any time from the "Cookie settings" link in the footer. Rejecting cookies you had accepted stops new data being collected, and we also clear the Google cookies on this domain.
- If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control signal, we treat it as "Necessary only" and do not show the banner.
- Links that an agent sends you after a call may include a short code that pre-fills the form with the details you gave on the call. That code is in the link, not in a cookie, and it does not track you across sites.
Managing cookies in your browser
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser. Instructions: Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge. Blocking strictly necessary cookies will stop the intake forms and checkout from working. Google also offers a browser add-on that blocks Google Analytics on every site: Google Analytics opt-out add-on.
Changes to this policy
We update this page whenever a cookie is added, removed or changed. The effective date at the top changes with it. If a new category is added, the banner asks for your choice again.
Questions
info@northgatebilling.com or (972) 430-6872. Our Privacy Policy explains what we do with the information these cookies and our forms collect.