Cookie Policy
Effective Date: September 02, 2026
SearchCans ("we," "our," or "us") uses cookies and similar technologies to provide, secure, and improve our API platform and developer services ("the Services"). This Cookie Policy explains what cookies are, how we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files stored on your device (computer, tablet, or mobile) when you visit a website or use an application. They help websites recognize your device, remember your preferences, and provide essential functionality (such as keeping you logged in).
We also use similar technologies such as pixels, beacons, and local storage. For simplicity, we refer to all of these technologies collectively as "cookies" in this policy.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
We use the following categories of cookies on SearchCans:
Essential Cookies
These cookies are strictly necessary for the Services to function. They handle core features such as:
- Authentication: Keeping you logged in to your dashboard.
- Security: Protecting against Cross-Site Request Forgery (CSRF) and other attacks.
- Load Balancing: Distributing traffic to ensure API stability.
Note: Without these cookies, you cannot log in, access your API keys, or process payments.
Performance & Analytics Cookies
When Analytics is enabled, these technologies allow us to collect information about how the Services are used, such as:
- Which pages (e.g., Docs, Pricing) are visited most often.
- Load times and error messages encountered by users.
- Aggregated usage patterns to help us optimize our API infrastructure.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization, such as:
- Remembering your language or region preference.
- Storing your API Playground settings or theme preferences (Dark/Light mode).
Advertising Cookies
When Advertising is enabled, Google Ads may use storage to attribute conversions and measure campaign performance. Advertising and Analytics can be controlled separately through Cookie settings.
Key Cookies Used
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Type | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Analytics — distinguishes unique users | Analytics | 2 years | |
| _ga_4KT417QS3N | GA4 — persists session state and engagement data | Analytics | 2 years | |
| _gid | Analytics — identifies user session | Analytics | 24 hours | |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads — conversion linker and attribution | Marketing | 3 months | |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Bot management and DDoS mitigation | Essential | 30 minutes |
| __cflb | Cloudflare | Load balancing — routes traffic for API stability | Essential | Session |
| __stripe_mid | Stripe | Payment fraud prevention — machine identifier | Essential | 1 year |
| __stripe_sid | Stripe | Payment fraud prevention — session identifier | Essential | 30 minutes |
| _gcl_aw | Google Ads — stores the Google Click Identifier (gclid) from ad clicks to attribute conversions back to the originating campaign | Marketing | 90 days | |
| test_cookie | Google (doubleclick.net) | Google Ads infrastructure — a temporary probe cookie used to verify that the browser accepts third-party cookies; set and read back immediately, then discarded | Marketing | Session |
| __Secure-ENID | Google (.google.com) | Google Enhanced ID — part of Google's ad-serving and conversion infrastructure; set automatically by Google's scripts when the Google Tag loads. Not set or controlled by SearchCans. | Marketing | ~13 months |
This list is representative and may not be exhaustive. Cookie names and durations may change as we update our technology stack.
Ahrefs Web Analytics: Ahrefs is loaded only after explicit Analytics consent. Its current Web Analytics implementation is cookie-free by default, but it still processes data such as the page URL, referrer, browser information, and approximate location derived from the request IP. It is therefore treated as optional Analytics rather than listed as a cookie.
Regional defaults: Outside the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, Google Analytics storage is granted by the regional default until you save another preference; Google advertising storage and signals remain denied until you explicitly enable Advertising. In the EEA, UK, and Switzerland, both Analytics and Advertising default to denied until you make a choice. When Google storage is denied, Google tags do not read or write the related cookies but may send cookieless measurement pings for basic measurement and modeling.
Local Storage & Similar Technologies
In addition to cookies, we use browser localStorage and sessionStorage for consent, security, sign-in, referral attribution, interface preferences, and payment-return continuity. The values are read by SearchCans in your browser and, where required for the feature, may be included in requests to SearchCans or the relevant service provider.
| Key | Purpose | Type |
|---|---|---|
| sc_cookie_consent | Stores the Analytics and Advertising choices, policy version, update time, and expiry as category-aware JSON. New choices expire after 180 days. Existing all, essential, and declined values remain supported. | Essential |
| token | Authentication JWT — keeps you logged in to the dashboard | Essential |
| recommend | Your personal referral code — powers the Rewards dashboard (referral links, credit earnings) | Essential |
| sc_ref | Inbound referral code — records which referral link originally brought you to SearchCans so credits are correctly attributed | Functional |
| sc_ref_vpath (sessionStorage) | Referral opt-out helper — records the page path where the referral code (?r=) is currently visible in the URL; used to detect when you intentionally remove it so storage is cleared accordingly | Functional |
| sc_relate_vpath (sessionStorage) | Campaign opt-out helper — records the page path where the campaign code (?relate=) is currently visible in the URL; used to detect when you remove it from the address bar | Functional |
| sc_relate_url_off (sessionStorage) | Campaign URL suppression flag — set when you remove ?relate= from the URL bar; prevents the campaign code from being re-injected into the address bar while keeping it in storage for registration attribution | Functional |
| sc_relate (sessionStorage) | Campaign attribution — records the marketing campaign source of your current visit; cleared when the browser tab is closed | Functional |
| rewards-bar-dismissed (sessionStorage) | UI preference — records that you have dismissed the Rewards Program announcement bar; cleared when the browser tab is closed | Functional |
| sc_pending_payment | Stripe return helper that holds the order identifier and selected plan for up to 30 minutes while you complete checkout on Stripe's hosted page. It reconnects the return visit to the exact order so payment status can be verified, and is removed after completion, failure, or expiry. | Functional |
| google_oauth_pending | Google OAuth state — temporarily holds the OAuth state token and post-login redirect URL during Google sign-up on mobile or when the popup is blocked; removed immediately after login completes | Essential |
3. Third-Party Services
Some cookies and similar technologies are provided by third parties for analytics, advertising, payments, or security. SearchCans controls when optional Analytics and Advertising providers are enabled through the preference controls, but each provider operates its own processing systems.
Examples include:
- Payment Processors: Stripe may use cookies to process payments and detect fraud.
- Analytics Providers: Google Analytics (GA4) measures site performance, CTA interactions, registration, and purchase events according to the active Consent Mode state (Google Privacy Policy). Ahrefs Web Analytics measures traffic and engagement only after Analytics is explicitly enabled (Ahrefs Privacy Policy). GA4 event-level and user-level retention settings are 14 months; standard aggregated reports may follow different retention rules.
- Advertising: Google Ads may set cookies (e.g.,
_gcl_au) to measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and attribute conversions. - Security & CDN: Cloudflare uses cookies (e.g.,
__cf_bm,__cflb) for bot management, load balancing, and DDoS protection.
For more details, please review the privacy or cookie policies of those specific providers.
4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have the right to decide whether to accept or reject cookies. Here is how you can manage them:
- Browser Settings: Most web browsers allow you to control cookies through their settings preferences. You can usually find these settings in the "Options" or "Preferences" menu of your browser.
- Opt-Out Tools: You may opt out of certain analytics cookies (e.g., by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on).
- Manage or Withdraw Consent: Use Cookie settings in the site footer to reopen the controls. You can enable or disable Analytics and Advertising separately, reject all optional technologies, or replace an earlier choice. A change stops future optional collection according to the new state; it does not retroactively delete data already collected. You can also clear this site's local storage to reset the saved choice.
Important: Blocking or deleting essential cookies may affect the functionality of the SearchCans dashboard and API Playground. You may not be able to log in or manage your API keys.
5. Updates to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, regulation, or our business operations. Updates will be posted on this page with an updated "Effective Date." If the changes are significant, we will notify you through the dashboard or via email.
6. Contact Us
If you have any questions about our use of cookies, please contact us at:
SearchCans Privacy Team
support@searchcans.com
This Cookie Policy is part of and subject to the Terms of Service. Please also review our Privacy Policy.