What if a Website is Illegal, Unethical or Posts Bad Things About Me?

In the 11 years we’ve been in business, this question has come up only a handful of times. I hope it never happens to you or someone you know, but if it does, here are some guidelines. I recommend calling and speaking to someone directly to get the fastest response.

1. Contact Google – they are pretty quick to address your concerns:

Google Inc.
1600 Amphitheatre Parkway
Mountain View, CA 94043
Phone: +1 650-253-0000
Fax: +1 650-253-000

2. Contact the Hosting Company – they will often take the site down. Go to NetCraft to find out who is hosting the website: Type the domain name in the search box on the left to see the hosting/contact details.

3. Contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which handles complaints about deceptive or unfair business practices. To file a complaint, visit the FTC, call 1-877-FTC-HELP, or write to the following address:

Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
Washington, D.C. 20580

4. You may also consider filing a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). 

5. If your complaint is against a company in a country other than the United States, you can file it at EConsumer

We work well with a variety of professionals throughout any given day. Whether they are Domain Registrars, Hosting, SEO, Pay Per Click, Adwords, Marketing, Public Relations, Printers, Web Companies, Programmers, Virtual or Administrative Assistants and more. I was appalled when I phoned a web company to fix a scripting error on their client’s site for us. (We’re doing some updates on that client’s site). I was told they couldn’t take my request over the phone, I would need to email it to support@ – what the heck? I received an automated email response assigning a case # and saying if it took longer than 72 hours a rep would call me. Well, that didn’t happen, so I emailed again, a new case # was assigned and again no response. I then emailed the person I spoke with initially on the phone. To make a long story short – my request was totally ignored and to this date, the problem still exists on their site. How do they sleep at night?

Another company, which also will remain nameless never answers their phone. Their policy is for you to leave a message and someone will call you back. Well, my client or myself have yet to receive a return call or even an email acknowledgement. I really wonder how these companies stay in business!

Then there is the Virtual Assistant who doesn’t have a clue about web design or coding – yet claims such knowledge on her own website. The coding on the site she worked on is now a real bird’s nest and our client is paying the price. How can someone claim to be an expert in something when they are not? That is not being conscientious.

One of the big characteristics I look for in people who work with me is “conscientiousness”.  Do they respond promptly to my phone calls or emails? Do they follow through? Are they responsible and reliable or do they disappear for days/weeks at a time? Skills can be learned or taught. I’m more interested in hands-on experience than a degree from a tech school or web design certificate. I think that being conscientious is something built in to your character – it’s not something you can download. I am proud to say that everyone at The Web Muse & Co. has this quality along with many more!  Come to think of it, I really enjoy working with clients who are conscientious too. It’s a win-win.

Among the many things that make our company different – being conscientious is one of the big ones. We follow-through, we do what we say we’ll do and we’ll tell you if we don’t know how to do something. Being honest and straightforward are also two qualities that are mentioned when clients refer us to others. We are paid for our advice/opinions/research and clients know that we will be direct. We will not just say, “Oh that’s a great idea when we think there’s a better approach.” We want only the very best for you and your business.

If you prefer email, here are a few tips:

• Include your email address more than once on your Home Page and several times throughout your site.
• Consider having your email address in a larger font to make it stand out.
• Ask your web person to use an anti-harvesting script on the email address so you won’t get spammed.
• Forget the cute graphic envelopes or postal boxes that say, “Email me”. When the page is printed, the recipient won’t know what your email address is.
• Check your inbox several times a day and respond promptly to all inquiries. If a potential client sends you an email they will expect an immediate response – no later than 24 hours. The quicker you respond, the more likely you are to get the sale.

If you prefer to communicate with potential clients via phone consider these suggestions:

• Place your phone number in the upper right corner of your site in a large san serif font that is easy to read. Include the words: Call me today at 000-000-0000. Place your phone number in the Blue Browser Title Bar. When the search engine robots visit your site – your phone number will be included in the verbiage printed for that search engine’s listing of your site.
• Do you have a professional voice messaging system that you change and check regularly? Try calling yourself today and see what type of impression your message leaves. When recording a new voice message – SMILE – this simple act of smiling while speaking will actually come across in your voice.
• Return all phone calls within 24 hours. All kinds of negative assumptions are made about a business or person that does not return calls. Years ago I received a voice message from someone wanting me to volunteer my time for a political campaign. Since I do return all phone calls, I called this woman back. After politely explaining that I would not be able to volunteer my time because of my business obligations – she casually mentioned that her mother was a pattern drafter. WOW! I knew someone who was looking to hire a person with those skills. A connection was made all because of me returning a phone call. What amazing thing will happen to you today when you return phone calls?
• Speaking of phone numbers, try typing yours into the Google search bar. If you’ve had the same phone number (landline) awhile, your name and address will come up.

Include both your email and phone on your Contact page. Keep your business and website positive, prosperous and professional by returning all calls and responding to all email inquiries. Word will spread quickly that you are courteous, responsive and professional. Those are very good qualities for any business or website to have.