Protecting Our Clients from 3rd Party Websites!

One of our many business initiatives at SMC Software is to protect our clients.  Please read below, and if you are unclear about its severity to your business, please pick up the phone and call us to learn more.

After finding three of our client’s Google Places listing hijacked in the last 48 hours by an aggregator website, it is imperative that you become very vigilant with policing your brand listings on the web.  RIGHT NOW, TODAY!  If not, there will be serious consequences in the long term. 

PARKWHIZ is the latest aggregator entering the airport parking space.  PARKWHIZ is a third party website that started in the urban/event/cruise market place.  In a conversation this morning with PARKWHIZ (see email below my signature line), the company representative was put on the spot hard in regards to our client’s listings being hijacked. In short, they choked up a cat hair and agreed to fix the problem within two hours.  We shall see as the day progresses. 

WARNING – WARNING – WARNING… 

If you play with fire, you’ll get burnt; eventually.  

If you dance with the devil, the devil doesn't change; the devil changes you.  

If you sleep with the enemy, this is considered undesirable and dangerous; detrimental to ones livelihood.

Read these articles to support:

Google Places Listing Hijacked - Why You Need To Regularly Check Your Listing!

http://www.mylocalbusinessonline.co.uk/google-places-listing-hijacked/#axzz1vqm04b3Q

Google Places Tips - What Are Citations?

http://www.mylocalbusinessonline.co.uk/google-places-tips-citations/#axzz1vqmwYVfw

Google's concerted efforts to do their best to correct any copyright infringement.  They offer a FAQ's page that explains the purpose of a report that they make publicly available (to let the world know that they are doing their part).  Also, notice the statement "material that allegedly infringes copyright" in the first paragraph (under the heading "What is a copyright removal request?").

Google Transparency Report

http://www.google.com/transparencyreport/removals/copyright/faq

Removing Content From Google

http://support.google.com/bin/static.py?hl=en&ts=1114905&page=ts.cs

(NOTE:  On the link above, click "AdWords " and then "Web Search " to see how they are trying to assist copyright/brand owners)

If your local business listing is claimed (or hijacked) by an aggregator or competitor, you will lose complete control the branding/messaging of the content, surrender your rankings in the search results, diminish unique visitors to your website and concede defeat, not mention miss out on demographics, customer information and reporting.

Please take this seriously, and take immediate action on policing your brand online.