A glance at most Australian property management websites shows us that things are a bit lacking when it comes to having a property management privacy policy. When you ask a website visitor for their personal information, do you explain what you’re going to do with it?
More than ever, individuals are looking for a privacy policy before they share any information at all. So, if you don’t have a privacy policy on your property management website, you may be losing leads.
No one wants to lose leads.
How Having a Property Management Privacy Policy Can Help Get Leads:
What is a Privacy Policy?
A privacy policy is pretty simple. It documents and explains the type of information you’re collecting from any website visitor. Maybe it’s only their name and email address, but it’s still personal information. In some countries and territories, there are strict laws in place about privacy. And, these laws are always changing. Things will only get more complicated, so if you don’t already have a privacy policy in place, it’s time to start thinking about one. The laws won’t protect you; but, they will protect the Personal Identifiable Information (or PII) of the people who visit your site.
Privacy Policies Help With SEO
Here’s a not-so-secret secret about how privacy policies can help your property management company: They actually help you rank better on Google.
How? It has to do with credibility. When Google reviews your website, they spend time looking for evidence that you’re a site that can be trusted. They want to be sure you’re a credible source of information, so when they see things like a Terms of Use or Terms and Conditions or a Privacy Policy, they know how to index you as a credible site, and your results can go up in search.
Obviously, this one thing won’t take you from Page 10 to Page 1; you need to have all of your SEO best practices in place. But, it can be a bit of a boost to how you rank.
Website Transparency = Trust in Your Business
A privacy policy lends quite a bit of transparency and trust to your website. People get nervous when a website asks for their PII with no explanation of why they want it or what they’ll do with it. You want to be as transparent as possible. Let people know why you want to collect their details. Tell them if you’re selling the information and what you’ll do if there’s a data breach.
Ready to Add a Privacy Policy? Talk to a Privacy Attorney
If you’re ready to include a privacy policy on your website, make sure you work with an attorney who practices privacy law and contract law. You need a specialist who understands the law and how to write a policy that’s thorough and compliant.
Something you should know is that at Fourandhalf, we have a partnership with Termageddon. One of the co-owners over there is an attorney, and her practice is in privacy and contract law. It’s her job to keep up with state laws and all the changes around privacy policy. She shares what she knows with us at Fourandhalf, and we can help you make sure your privacy policy is up to date and compliant.
If you’d like to know more, check out our podcast — we recently interviewed Donata Kalnenaite of Termageddon on our episode that debunked some privacy policy myths.
Remember that a privacy policy is only part of your big picture when you’re expanding your property management business. You need a marketing plan too, so if you’re ready to grow, contact us at Fourandhalf.
