SEOSimilarweb and the GDPR: agreement, role and data location.
Similarweb is a seo tool. Its role depends on the activity, it publishes its data processing agreement, and the data location depends on your account. Below: what to check and how to declare it.
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In short
- Category
- SEO
- Usual role
- Depends on the activity
- Data location
- Set per account or project
- Agreement
- Published by the vendor
What does Similarweb do with personal data?
Analyse search visibility, keywords, backlinks and website performance. That is how Privacyboard describes a typical use of Similarweb, as a starting point you can edit.
The data usually involved: mostly public website and search data; account details of the team, and contact data if outreach features are used.
Is Similarweb a processor or a controller?
Similarweb supplies business contact data as an independent controller, not on the customer's behalf.
Privacyboard does not prefill a role for this vendor on purpose. You are asked to choose, since the answer changes what your privacy policy says and which agreement matters.
Where does Similarweb store personal data?
Similarweb does not have one fixed location for every customer. The location depends on the plan, the account and the services you enable.
How to find yours: Check your account settings, the address you log in to, or the provider’s data processing terms. Support can tell you if you cannot find it.
Even when the main location is in the EU, ask whether subprocessors or support access involve a transfer outside the EEA, and record it if so.
Which legal basis usually applies to Similarweb?
For the usual use of Similarweb, companies most often rely on legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)). SEO tools mostly process public web data; the personal data is usually limited to the team’s accounts.
The interest you would state: “Improving the visibility of our website in search engines.” The GDPR asks you to say which interest you pursue (Article 13(1)(d)).
Outreach and contact-finding features process personal data of third parties: treat them like sales prospecting. The balancing test is yours to do: the interest must be real, the processing necessary for it, and people’s rights must not outweigh it.
This is a starting point, not legal advice: the basis belongs to your activity, and you confirm it in your register.
Sources: GDPR Article 6, lawfulness of processing, EDPB Guidelines 1/2024 on legitimate interest
Does Similarweb have a data processing agreement?
Checked on 5 November 2026. Vendors change their pages, so check the date.
Yes. Similarweb publishes the text of its data processing agreement on its own website. Article 28 of the GDPR requires a written contract with every processor, so this is the document to read and keep.
What we noted when we opened the page: Contacts Exhibit, last updated 4 Jan 2024, whose Section B is a data processing agreement for the contacts feature; parties are independent controllers. EU SCCs Module 1 and UK addendum; no hosting location or legal entity named.
A page that exists does not mean you are covered. Whether the agreement applies to you depends on your plan and on what you accepted, so record the decision yourself in your vendor list.
Read the Similarweb agreementHow to declare Similarweb
- 1
In your privacy policy
Name Similarweb as a recipient, say what it is used for (analyse search visibility, keywords, backlinks and website performance) and mention any transfer outside the EEA. Articles 13 and 14 ask you to tell people who receives their data.
- 2
In your vendor list
Add Similarweb with its purpose, the data involved, its role, its region and a link to the agreement. Privacyboard prefills all of this, you confirm or correct it.
- 3
In your processing register
Link Similarweb to the activities that use it, so each record shows its recipients. Article 30 asks the register to list the categories of recipients.
What to check before relying on Similarweb
- List which features you use: keyword research handles little personal data, outreach handles a lot.
- If you collect contacts for outreach, apply your prospecting rules and offer an easy opt-out.
- Check who in your team has access.
- Record the region and any transfer outside the EEA.
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Questions, answered.
Is Similarweb GDPR compliant?
Privacyboard does not certify vendors. Compliance depends on how Similarweb is configured and used, on the agreement you have with it and on your own practices. What can be checked is documented here: it publishes a data processing agreement, the usual role and the data location. Read the agreement itself before relying on it.
Does Similarweb have a DPA?
Yes. Similarweb publishes the text of its data processing agreement on its own website. Article 28 of the GDPR requires a written contract with every processor, so this is the document to read and keep. You can read it at https://www.similarweb.com/corp/legal/contacts-exhibit.
Is Similarweb a data processor?
It depends on the activity. Similarweb supplies business contact data as an independent controller, not on the customer's behalf.
Which legal basis applies when I use Similarweb?
For the usual use of Similarweb, companies most often rely on legitimate interests (GDPR Article 6(1)). SEO tools mostly process public web data; the personal data is usually limited to the team’s accounts. The interest you would state: “Improving the visibility of our website in search engines.” The GDPR asks you to say which interest you pursue (Article 13(1)(d)).
Where does Similarweb store data?
Similarweb does not have one fixed location for every customer. The location depends on the plan, the account and the services you enable. How to find yours: Check your account settings, the address you log in to, or the provider’s data processing terms. Support can tell you if you cannot find it.
Do I need to mention Similarweb in my privacy policy?
Yes, if Similarweb handles personal data for you. The GDPR asks you to tell people who receives their data (Articles 13 and 14). Name the vendor or its category, say what it is used for and mention any transfer outside the EEA.
How do I add Similarweb to my vendor list?
In Privacyboard, pick Similarweb from the catalog. The purpose, the data, the suggested role and a link to its agreement are prefilled, and you confirm each one. Creating a workspace is free.
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Privacyboard is not affiliated with Similarweb. Names and logos belong to their owners and are used only to identify the tool. This page summarises public documents as checked on 1 November 2026; it is guidance, not legal advice, and it does not certify any vendor.