Web CEO

What Web CEO is

Web CEO is a cloud based search engine optimisation platform used by agencies and site owners to run site audits, track keyword rankings, monitor backlinks and review traffic. It is delivered as software as a service, with infrastructure in the United States and the European Union. Most of the processing concerns the operator own account and the websites they choose to analyse. The platform also provides analytics and tracking widgets that can be embedded on a client website, which is where visitor privacy enters the picture.

What data and cookies it collects

Inside the dashboard, Web CEO sets session and preference cookies to keep the user logged in and to remember settings. It processes account details, billing information, project URLs and the IP addresses used to access the service. When an analytics or rank tracking widget is placed on a public website, it can set its own cookies and collect visitor IP addresses, page views and similar behavioural signals. These visitor facing signals are the part that triggers consent obligations.

GDPR and ePrivacy implications

For dashboard use, the operator is the controller and Web CEO acts largely as a processor under a data processing agreement. The contractual relationship and a legitimate interest in SEO analysis provide the legal basis for that internal use. When a Web CEO widget is embedded on a public site, Art. 5(3) of the ePrivacy Directive requires prior consent before non essential cookies or scripts are loaded on the visitor device. The operator then needs a consent based legal basis for those visitors.

Consent requirements

No visitor consent is needed simply to operate the Web CEO dashboard internally. Consent is required where an analytics or tracking widget is embedded on a public website, because it reads and writes information on the visitor terminal. The widget should be blocked until the visitor gives a clear opt in, and the choice must be logged and easy to withdraw. A data processing agreement with Web CEO should also be in place for the account itself.

International data transfers

Because Web CEO operates from the United States as well as the European Union, personal data can be processed on United States infrastructure. This is a transfer to a third country and needs a valid mechanism, either the EU US Data Privacy Framework if Web CEO is certified, or Standard Contractual Clauses supported by a transfer impact assessment. The operator should confirm in writing where data is stored and which safeguard applies. Choosing European processing where offered reduces the transfer exposure.

Practical compliance steps

Sign a data processing agreement with Web CEO and record the transfer safeguard that applies to your account. If you embed analytics or tracking widgets, gate them behind a consent banner and log every decision. Update the privacy policy to name Web CEO as a recipient and to describe the United States transfer. Limit the data sent through embedded widgets to what is necessary and review the configuration periodically.