Cookie Policy
Last updated: November 2026
This page explains the cookies and similar storage used on mikemcdonnell.co.uk (“the website”), which ones need your consent, and how to change your mind. It sits alongside my privacy policy.
What a cookie is
A cookie is a small file a website stores in your browser so it can remember something about your visit. Some sites use similar browser storage, such as local storage, for the same job. This policy covers both.
Your consent
When you first visit, a banner asks whether you accept analytics cookies. Nothing that needs consent is loaded until you click Accept. If you click Decline, the site works exactly the same.
What this website uses
- Your cookie choice (essential). Your answer to the banner is saved in your browser’s local storage under the name
cookie-consent, so the banner does not ask you again on every page. It never leaves your device. - Google Analytics 4 (only with consent). If you click Accept, Google Analytics sets its own cookies (named
_gaand_ga_followed by an ID) to count visits and see which pages people read. They are not loaded at all if you decline. - Cookie-free analytics. The website also uses Ahrefs Web Analytics and Vercel Web Analytics to count page views and clicks on outbound links. Neither sets a cookie on your device.
- YouTube videos. Some pages include YouTube videos. Each one shows a still image until you press play, so nothing from YouTube runs before you choose to watch. When you press play, the video loads from YouTube’s privacy-enhanced domain (youtube-nocookie.com), and YouTube may then store data in your browser while you watch. That is governed by Google’s cookie policy.
Referral and affiliate links
Some pages carry my referral or affiliate links, and every one of those pages says so at the top. When you click one, you leave this website. The brand you land on, TopCashback for example, may then set its own cookies on its own website so it can record that you came from my link and pay the referral reward correctly. Those cookies are set by that brand, not by this website, and they are covered by that brand’s own cookie and privacy policies.
This website does not set any cookie when you click a referral or affiliate link.
How to change your choice
To change your answer, clear this website’s data in your browser settings (on most browsers this is under privacy or site settings). The banner will appear again on your next visit and you can choose again. You can also block or delete cookies for any website in the same place.
Contact
If you have any questions about cookies on this website, email me at mike@mikemcdonnell.co.uk.