Legal

Privacy policy

Effective: October 26, 2026. Avernus Group, Illinois, United States. Contact: team@avernusgroup.com

The short version

This site has no cookies, no analytics scripts, no tracking pixels and no third-party scripts. Our hosting provider, Cloudflare, records requests to the site on its servers as part of delivering it, and we look only at aggregate daily totals (page views, requests and unique IP addresses), not at individual visitors. The only personal information we receive is what you choose to type into the web design inquiry form, the project brief or the Marketing sign-up form, including any photos you choose to attach, and we use it only to reply to you and to prepare your project. If you become a client, or we email you about our services, the sections below explain what else we handle and why.

What we collect

• Inquiry form (web design page): your name, email address, message and the US state your business is in (we use it to follow the email and disclosure rules that apply there), plus anything optional you add: business name, owner's name, current website, budget range and timeline.
• Project brief (web design): your name, email and optional phone number; details about your business and what you want built (pages, features, style and colour preferences, the text for your menu or services, opening hours and contact details you want shown); and any photos you attach, such as your logo, examples of your work, menu items, your space or sites you like. You choose what to include.
• Marketing sign-up form (Avernus Digital): your name, email address, optional phone number and website; your business name, city and state and kind of business; what you sell, who your customers are, what makes you different, how you like to sound, any current offers, any reviews or awards you choose to share, the platforms you use, and the plan you choose. You choose what to include. We do not take on health or medical businesses, so please leave out health details and personal information about your customers.
• Software inquiry form (only once the product is available): your name, email address and message, plus an optional business name and team size. Until then the software page has no form, sign-up or waitlist.
• Nothing else from you.
• On your own device: the site remembers whether you turned sound or effects off, using your browser's local storage. That setting never leaves your device and is not sent to us.

Hosting

The site, and the relay that receives form submissions and photos, run on Cloudflare. Like any web host, Cloudflare processes technical data such as IP addresses to deliver the site and protect it from attacks, and it stores your submission and photos temporarily on our behalf (see "How long we keep it"), under its own privacy policy. We do not use that data to identify or profile visitors.

How we use your inquiry

To answer your question, discuss a project, prepare a quote and, if you hire us, design your site. Photos you attach are used only for your project (for example to choose a design direction or to appear on your own site) and are never shown anywhere else without your written permission. We do not sell or rent your information, do not share it with anyone for their marketing, and do not add you to a mailing list unless you ask us to.

How long we keep it

Form submissions and attached photos sit in our intake relay only until we retrieve them, and are deleted from it within 30 days at the latest (photos that were uploaded but never sent with a brief are deleted within 24 hours). Photos are re-encoded in your browser before upload, which removes location and camera details such as GPS coordinates. Once retrieved, a brief and its photos are kept in our project records for as long as the project needs them, and you can ask us to delete them at any time. Emails about an inquiry or project are kept in our business records for as long as they are needed for that work and for our legal and tax obligations.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us to show you, correct or delete the information you sent us, or to stop contacting you, by emailing team@avernusgroup.com. We will respond within 45 days, and we honour these requests whoever and wherever you are, including under California and other US state privacy laws and, where they apply, the GDPR and UK GDPR.

Security

The site is served only over HTTPS and sends modern security headers. The intake relay accepts submissions only from this site, encrypts submissions and photos before it stores them, and deletes them once we have retrieved them. Access to inquiries is limited to the people who answer them. No system is perfectly secure, so please keep ID numbers, health details and payment information out of every form.

Business contacts and outreach

We sometimes email businesses in the United States about our services, using contact details the business publishes itself, for example on its own website. We keep only what we need to contact that business (business name, contact name if published, email, phone, website and city). Every such email says who we are, includes our postal address and a way to opt out, and we keep a do-not-email list so an opt-out is honoured permanently. An address that bounces or opts out is added to our do-not-email list and is not contacted again. We do not email consumers at home and we do not buy email lists.

When you work with us

For clients and people discussing a project we also keep: your contact details and our emails with you; the project brief, files and photos you send; notes from calls; the details of any call you book through our scheduling page; your plan, invoices and payment status; and, for sites we look after, uptime checks and the aggregated search figures described below. We use these only to deliver and support your project, bill for it, keep the records the law requires, and improve our own work.

Payments. Payments are processed by Stripe. You enter card or bank details on Stripe's pages, never on ours, and we never receive or store full card or bank numbers. Stripe shares with us your name, email, billing address, what was paid and when, and the payment status. Bank transfers (ACH) take a few business days and appear to us as processing until they clear.

Site and search data for clients with a plan. For client sites on a care or SEO plan we check that the site is online and, through Google Search Console, read aggregated search figures (how often the site appears and is clicked in Google). If a client chooses to share visitor totals from its own hosting account, we read aggregated totals only. None of this identifies individual visitors.

Service providers we use

We rely on a small number of providers, each under its own privacy terms: Cloudflare (website hosting and the intake relay), Microsoft 365 (business email), Stripe (payments, invoices and the billing portal), Wave (bookkeeping), Calendly (call scheduling), Google (Search Console data for client sites), HubSpot (contact records for our software business) and Anthropic (AI models). We give each provider only what it needs for its job.

AI-assisted work

We use AI tools, run by us, to help draft emails, summarise messages, prepare quotes and build websites. The content of emails and project materials may be processed by our AI provider for that purpose under its commercial terms. For Marketing plans, the business details you send are given to our AI provider to write your monthly marketing files; we do not ask for logins to your accounts and we do not post for you. A person at Avernus Group is responsible for every message and every site we deliver, and we do not use AI to make legal or similarly significant decisions about you.

When a plan or project ends

When a client's last plan ends we remove our access to the client's accounts, delete any access keys or tokens we held, and say in writing what we removed. Billing and tax records are kept for as long as the law requires (generally up to seven years). Our do-not-email list is kept so an opt-out keeps working. We may send a former client an occasional short note about restarting a plan; replying "stop" or using the opt-out link ends these.

Selling and sharing

We do not sell personal information and do not share it for cross-context behavioural advertising.

Children

This site is for businesses and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

Projects and the services you choose

Sites we build for clients are separate from this one. Each is owned and hosted by the client, and its own privacy page describes it. Where a client connects a service such as a form service, booking or ordering page, payment link, chat tool or member login, that service is run by its own provider, which decides what cookies, scripts and data collection it uses and publishes its own privacy policy. We do not host, operate or receive the data of those services. When a client site connects one, its privacy page is written to say so, using the wording below for that service.

• Static website: This website is made of static files. By itself it sets no cookies and runs no analytics or third-party scripts.
• Third-party services in general: Services connected to this site belong to the business that owns it and to the companies that provide them. Each provider's own privacy policy and cookie notice applies to what it collects.
• Contact forms: Messages sent through the contact form go to the business's own form service or email, not to the web designer. Do not include ID numbers, health details or payment information in a message.
• Online booking: Booking happens on the business's scheduling provider's page, which has its own privacy policy and may use cookies.
• Online ordering: Ordering happens on the business's ordering provider's page, which has its own privacy policy and may use cookies.
• Online payments: Payments are taken by the business's payment provider on the provider's own page. This website never sees card details.
• Chat or messaging link: Chat is provided by a third party chosen by the business. Conversations are recorded and used under that provider's privacy policy, and the provider may set cookies.
• Member login link: Signing in happens on the business's membership provider's page. Passwords and member details are handled by that provider, not by this website.
• Analytics and tracking tools: This website runs no analytics of its own. Connected services may measure visits under their own policies.
• Google site verification and search data: This site may carry a Google site-verification tag so its web team can submit the site to Google and, if the owner has a care plan, read aggregated Google search figures (how often the site appears and is clicked in search). The tag sets no cookies and collects nothing from visitors.
• Marketing plans (Starter, Growth, Full): Marketing clients send business details (business name, contact email, services, offers and similar facts) that are used to prepare their material with the help of AI tools. Studio does not ask for or keep a client's logins to their own accounts. Payment is handled by the payment provider.

Changes

If this policy changes, we will update it here and change the effective date above.

Legal

Accessibility statement

Effective: October 15, 2026. Contact: team@avernusgroup.com

Our goal

We want everyone to be able to use this site, including people who use screen readers, keyboards, magnification or reduced-motion settings. We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA.

What we have done

• All navigation, doors, cards and forms work with a keyboard, with a visible focus outline.
• Text is checked for contrast against its background.
• If your device asks for reduced motion, the heavy animation and sound are switched off automatically.
• Anyone can use the "Reduce effects" switch and the sound switch at the top of every page, and the site remembers the choice.
• Sound never starts until you choose to enter with sound.
• If your browser cannot run 3D graphics, the site falls back to a simple version with the same content.
• The 3D scenes are decorative; everything they convey is also written as text.

Known limitations

• The four example design studies are showcase prototypes. They may not meet every criterion in this statement.
• Some motion-heavy sections can be demanding on older devices; the site lowers its own quality when that happens, and "Reduce effects" lowers it further.

Tell us about a problem

If anything on this site is hard to use, email team@avernusgroup.com with the page and what happened. We aim to reply within 5 business days and to provide the information you need in another way in the meantime.

Legal

Terms of use and sale

Effective: October 26, 2026. Avernus Group, Illinois, United States.

Using this site

You may browse this site and contact us through it. Please do not try to disrupt it, break its security, or copy its code, graphics or text for your own use without our written permission.

Ownership

The design, code, graphics, sound and text of this site belong to Avernus Group unless stated otherwise.

Photos and materials you send us

If you attach photos or other materials to a project brief, you confirm that they are yours or that you have permission to use them, and that they contain nothing unlawful or infringing and no one's private information. You keep ownership. You give us permission to use them only to prepare and deliver your project, and we will not publish them anywhere other than your own site without your written permission. We accept images only (JPEG, PNG or WebP), up to 12 per brief, and may refuse or delete anything that does not meet these terms.

Examples

The design studies shown on the web design page are fictional brands made to demonstrate what each tier can look like. They are not client work and do not show real businesses.

No offer or contract

Nothing on this site is an offer or a contract. Prices, scope and timelines for a project are set in a written agreement or quote that you accept. Accepting by email (for example replying "I agree") is an electronic signature and binds both sides as if signed on paper. Descriptions of software that is still in development are goals, not promises of specific features or dates.

No warranty

The site is provided as it is. We work to keep it accurate and available, but we cannot guarantee it will always be error-free or online.

Limitation of liability

To the extent the law allows, Avernus Group is not liable for indirect or consequential losses arising from use of this site.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Illinois.

Paying us

We bill through Stripe: project payments by invoice, and monthly plans and software by subscription. You can pay by card or bank transfer (ACH) on Stripe's secure pages; we never see your full card or bank details. Invoices are due within 14 days unless the invoice or your agreement says otherwise, and project deposits and milestones follow your agreement (Starter and Tier A projects are paid in full on signing unless a payment plan is agreed in writing). Prices are in US dollars and do not include sales or similar taxes, which are added where the law requires. If an amount is overdue we may pause work until it is paid, and late payments are handled as your agreement sets out. By paying on a Stripe page you also confirm you accept these terms.

Monthly plans

Care plans and SEO plans are monthly subscriptions, billed in advance, that renew each month until cancelled. You can cancel at any time by replying to any of our emails. A care plan has a three-month minimum term and 30 days' notice; it ends on the first billing date after both have passed, and we confirm that date in writing. An SEO plan ends at the close of the month you have already paid for. Marketing plans (Starter, Growth and Full) work the same way: they are paid in advance, each month's marketing files are prepared only after that month's payment arrives, and a marketing plan ends at the close of the month you have already paid for. Launch campaign and setup packs are one-time purchases paid in full before work starts. Fees for a month in progress are not refunded and unused time does not roll over. If you change plans, a higher plan starts right away with the difference added to your next invoice, and a lower plan starts from your next bill. If a payment fails, Stripe retries it for a short period; plan work is held while it is retried and continues once it is paid, and you can update your card from Stripe's billing email or customer portal. If the payment still does not go through, the plan ends.

Changes after launch

With a care plan, routine changes are done within your monthly allowance. Larger work, or changes without a plan, is quoted first and invoiced before it starts; nothing is charged until you have seen and accepted the quote. If a job turns out larger than quoted, we quote the difference before doing it. Some requests (for example accounts, online stores or databases) are outside what a static website can do; we will tell you before any invoice and suggest an alternative.

Refunds

Project refunds follow your agreement: a cancellation within 3 business days of signing and before design work starts is refunded less a 10% administrative fee (or any third-party costs already spent, if more); after design work starts the first payment is non-refundable; and there are no refunds after launch except under the defect warranty in your agreement. Plan fees for the current month are not refunded. Where the law gives you a right to a refund, that right applies.

When a plan ends

Your website, domain, hosting and code stay yours. We remove our access to your accounts and any keys or tokens we held, and confirm in writing what was removed. You can restart a plan at any time by replying to us.

Showing your site

After launch we may list your finished site in our portfolio with screenshots or a link, unless your agreement says no portfolio use. We only post short clips of your site on our social media, or use your name, logo or testimonial, after you agree in writing; an email reply is enough, and you can ask us to stop using it for new posts at any time.

Software

When our software is available, it is sold by subscription. The licence covers use by your business on the number of devices in your plan, works while the subscription is active (including while a failed payment is being retried), and stops if the subscription ends; restarting the subscription restores access. Any additional software licence terms are shown before you pay.

How we communicate

We contact clients and prospective clients by email, and by phone when you give us a number. Some of our emails and work are prepared with AI-assisted tools that we run; a person at Avernus Group is responsible for everything we send and deliver. Marketing emails always include a way to opt out.

Services and service-specific terms

A project is governed by its written agreement. Each agreement carries service-specific terms for exactly the services in that project, built from the list below. If you later order another service, the terms listed here for that service, in the version in force on the order date, apply to it together with your order or quote. Services provided by other companies (hosting, registrars, forms, booking, ordering, payments, chat, member login, analytics) are governed by those companies' own terms, cookies, scripts, data practices and security, and you are responsible for accepting them and for any notice your own visitors need.

Static website

Studio delivers the site as plain static files. Client owns the domain, hosting account and code repository, and Studio does not host the site on Studio's infrastructure. The site stores no visitor accounts or databases of Studio's.

Third-party services in general

Anything Client connects to the site (hosting, registrar, forms, booking, ordering, payments, chat, member login, analytics) is a Third-Party Service under Section 6.4A: Client's own account, Client's own terms with the provider, and the provider's own cookies, scripts, data collection, security and consent notices.

Contact forms

Contact-form messages are sent to the form service Client chooses (or by email if none). Studio does not receive, store or process those messages. Client is responsible for the form service's terms, spam handling, retention and any notice to visitors about how their messages are used.

Online booking

Booking buttons open the scheduling page Client owns at a third-party provider. Availability, reminders, customer details and cancellations are handled there. Studio only places the link.

Online ordering

Order buttons open the ordering or shop page Client owns at a third-party provider. Menus, orders, fulfillment, refunds and customer details are handled there. Studio only places the link.

Online payments

Payment buttons open payment links Client creates at its own payment provider. Studio never receives, holds or processes card data or customer funds, and is not responsible for the provider's fees, holds, disputes or refunds.

Chat or messaging link

The Message us button opens a chat or messaging service Client owns (for example a messaging app or a hosted chat page). That service may set cookies, run scripts, record conversations and use automated replies; its notices, consent and any disclosure that a reply is automated are Client's responsibility. Studio does not operate the chat.

Member login link

The Log in button opens a membership or portal service Client owns. Accounts, passwords, member data and security are handled there and never on the site. Studio does not see or store member data.

Analytics and tracking tools

Studio installs no analytics or tracking script unless Exhibit A lists one. If Client adds analytics or a cookie banner later, Client is responsible for the provider's terms, consent and disclosure, and will tell Studio so the privacy page can be updated.

SEO package

The SEO package covers a keyword map, page titles and descriptions, structured data, local search profile guidance and a written report. No ranking, traffic or lead result is promised; search engines set their own rules and change them.

Monthly SEO plan

The monthly SEO plan is a subscription billed in advance through the payment provider. Its monthly work opens on a fixed day each calendar month and only while the plan is paid; the first month starts right after payment. Included time does not roll over. No ranking, traffic or lead result is promised. Client may cancel at the end of the paid period.

Care plan

A care plan is a monthly subscription with a monthly edit allowance, billed in advance and non-refundable for the month in progress, with the minimum term and notice in the Agreement. Recurring monthly checks run on a fixed day each month while the plan is paid. Work beyond the allowance is quoted separately.

Copywriting and large content projects

Copywriting and other large content projects are quoted by estimated hours and invoiced before work starts. Work above the quoted hours is quoted again at the stated hourly rate before it is done. Client supplies facts and is responsible for the accuracy of claims in the final text.

Google site verification and search data

For sites Studio builds, Studio adds Google's site-verification tag to the site and registers the site in Google Search Console under Studio's own service account, read-only. At launch Studio uses this only to submit the site's sitemap to Google so the new site is found sooner. If Client has no care or SEO plan, Studio removes the site from its Search Console account about 45 days after launch; the tag can stay on the page and does nothing on its own. While a care or SEO plan is active, Studio reads aggregated Google search figures (how often the site appears and is clicked in search) only to include them in Client's monthly reports. Search Console holds no visitor personal data; Google aggregates and filters its figures. Studio does not use these figures for any other purpose. Client may ask Studio to remove the tag and its access at any time, and Studio removes its access when the plan ends. Client can also verify the site in its own Google account at any time.

Marketing plans (Starter, Growth, Full)

A marketing plan is a monthly subscription billed in advance through the payment provider. Work is prepared only after payment: each month's files are prepared once that month's payment is received, and stop if a payment is not received. The files are text, schedules and checklists that Client copies into Client's own accounts; Studio does not log in to, post to or manage Client's accounts, and no ranking, traffic, lead or sales result is promised. Client supplies the business facts and is responsible for checking that every claim, offer, price, testimonial and credential in the material is true before using it. Included volumes do not roll over. Client may cancel at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the month already paid, and paid months are not refunded.

Marketing launch campaigns and setup packs

A launch campaign or setup pack is a one-time purchase paid in full before work starts and covers the pack described when it is sold. The files are prepared for Client to copy into Client's own accounts, and the same promises, limits and responsibilities as for marketing plans apply. Fixes to the delivered pack within 60 days of payment are included; new packs are a new purchase.

Changes

We keep these terms current with the services we offer and update them whenever a service, price structure or process changes; the effective date above changes when we do. The version in force when you place an order applies to that order.