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Does anyone have their phone number?
Kyle (Hyperion) cell phone- 1-313-204-9188
Thanks Kevin
I just want to throw this out there….not specifically aimed at Hyperion, but obviously applies.
If you sign up with ANY company that takes over your website and/or phone number make sure you are the one who owns them. If for some reason the relationship sours (which happens) and they own your domain name or phone number you lose BIG. They can either play nice and let you buy it (at what they determine as fair market value….websites can go for thousands if they think that’s what it is worth to you), just tell you they own it and that is that….or even throw it back in the “pool” which takes months to years to get ahold of again. There are also companies that look for recently dropped domain names and snap them up so you can buy them from these companies for hundreds to thousands depending on how valuable they think it is. (I’ve seen this happen many times.)
We have had lots of calls from SEO companies that want to do the same thing as Hyperion and this is genius on their part…..really. Are you going to give up a website that is bringing you any business and risk disappearing off the face of the web for 6-12 months while trying to rebuild everything? It’s a huge mess, especially if your email address is based on your domain name and you no longer have access to it. There are a lot of listings you may not be able to even access to fix (things like Angie’s List, Yelp, Google Places, etc.)
This is just as bad for your phone number…..what happens to the customers you have that know you by the phone number they got from your SEO company and it no longer connects to you or anything for that matter? You look like a fly by night company that went belly up.
Just something to think about if you’re looking in to any of this.
*Domain names can be bought for under $15 a year and you own all the rights to it. It is a great way to protect your investment and business identity if you don’t own it already.
~Lauryn
@andrewc wrote:
This is just as bad for your phone number…..what happens to the customers you have that know you by the phone number they got from your SEO company and it no longer connects to you or anything for that matter? You look like a fly by night company that went belly up.
Just something to think about if you’re looking in to any of this.
This is a great point, because I was wondering about the way Hyperion did this. Is it something a lot of SEO companies do? It did not make any sense for them to alter my phone number, but I guess as long as you leave plenty of ways for customers to contact you before leaving their home you should be alright.
Just an update on my previous post. My fourth site http://www.heavensbeststamford just made the first page on Google today. It took about 6.5 months.
I talked with Kyle this week and he assured me that they are working on better customer service. Most of their clientele is home based internet driven business and they never had to respond and cordinate via phone. He said they are on a learning curve and will strive to be better. Give these guys a chance as the service they are offering is very valuable and inexpensive.
@kevinsmith wrote:
Just an update on my previous post. My fourth site http://www.heavensbeststamford just made the first page on Google today. It took about 6.5 months.
I see that Hyperion, or MIS Marketing, or whoever is doing the Google Places marketing for your website is using a UPS mail box for this location. This is a violation of Google’s Terms of Service. Google Places listings are supposed to have a physical business address. I question the integrity of any marketing company who would use such tactics. If Google catches on to this game, you will lose your Places listing and your Google reviews.
@Tn12 wrote:
This is a great point, because I was wondering about the way Hyperion did this. Is it something a lot of SEO companies do? It did not make any sense for them to alter my phone number, but I guess as long as you leave plenty of ways for customers to contact you before leaving their home you should be alright.
Most of the companies I’ve talked to do it this way…so they can track the leads they are giving you. If you do work with a company that does this, just be very careful to point out to your customers what your direct contact info. is. Between leaving the invoice and business cards (or whatever literature you are giving out) you should be able to counteract that, but a lot of people will lose the paperwork and go back to their computer or phone to call you again. I worry about people programming the wrong number into their phone without realizing they are different.
Jeff, I could not AGREE with you more!! Using a PO Box, MBE or any other fictitious address for a business is a violation of Google’s TOS.
With all of the concserns over po box and other mailing offices what do you do. We have used a postal service from the beggining 12 years ago. It looks like a suite number and reg office on paper. I have not nor will I ever use my home address. Every once in a while it pops up and is a pain to get taken off. With how easy it is to use google maps and having a family I do not share this info. We also have multiple territories in two different counties. With out using a listing we will not show up at all. I Have always had ggood placement in my main location using our buisness address.
@greg miller wrote:
With all of the concserns over po box and other mailing offices what do you do. We have used a postal service from the beggining 12 years ago. It looks like a suite number and reg office on paper. I have not nor will I ever use my home address. Every once in a while it pops up and is a pain to get taken off. With how easy it is to use google maps and having a family I do not share this info. We also have multiple territories in two different counties. With out using a listing we will not show up at all. I Have always had ggood placement in my main location using our buisness address.
You will have good placement unless a competitor decides to report you to Google. If that happens you can say goodbye to your listing and any reviews you may have. Using a postal service is not going to protect you. If someone wants to find your home address, they will find it regardless. I also service multiple areas, and my single Google places (now Google plus) listing shows up in all of them. It’s really just a matter of optimizing your listing. Google provides a way for service businesses that service multiple areas to reach those customers. Google also provides guidelines for you if you wish to use a PO Box or postal service address for your business. Good luck.
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