Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide

When you contact us, request a demo, complete an inquiry form, or sign up for a subscription, we collect information you provide directly, including:

• Name and business name
• Email address and phone number
• Business address and service area
• Payment and billing information (processed by Stripe; see Section 4)
• Content, images, and materials you submit for your website
• Communications with our team via email, phone, or SMS

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit localcred.co, we and our service providers may automatically collect:

• IP address and general geographic location
• Browser type, operating system, and device type
• Pages visited, time on page, and referring URLs
• Form interactions and conversion events

This data is collected through cookies, server logs, and analytics tools. See Section 5 (Cookies) for details.

1.3 Information from Business Directories (Outreach)

For our outbound outreach program, we source business contact information (name, business name, and phone number) from publicly available directories, including the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Google Maps, and similar business registries. This is B2B outreach directed at business phone lines via SMS and automated AI-powered voice calls. See Section 7 (SMS & Outreach) and Section 8A (AI Calling Program) for your opt-out rights.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information to:

• Respond to inquiries and deliver our web design, hosting, and growth services
• Build, maintain, and update your website and LocalCred Network listing
• Process payments and manage your subscription account
• Send transactional emails (invoices, billing notices, project updates)
• Contact you about your subscription, renewals, and service changes
• Conduct outbound business development outreach via SMS and AI-powered voice calls (see Section 7 and Section 8A)
• Monitor AI search engine citations for client businesses as part of AI Visibility / GEO services (see Section 8B)
• Analyze usage to improve our website and services
• Comply with legal obligations and enforce our Terms of Service

We do not sell, rent, or share your personal information with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

3. How We Share Your Information

We share information only as described below:

3.1 Service Providers

We share information with vetted third-party service providers who process data on our behalf to deliver the services. These providers are contractually bound to use your information only as directed by us and in accordance with their own privacy programs. Our primary providers include:

3.2 Legal and Safety Disclosures

We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we believe disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

3.3 Business Transfers

If Elevated Guild, LLC is acquired, merges with another entity, or transfers substantially all of its assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email or a prominent notice on our website before your information becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4. Payment Data & Stripe

All subscription payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. LocalCred does not store your full credit card number, CVV, or other sensitive cardholder data on our servers. Payment information is submitted directly to Stripe's PCI-compliant infrastructure.

Stripe may collect and retain information in connection with payment processing, fraud prevention, and its own compliance obligations, governed by Stripe's Privacy Policy (stripe.com/privacy).

For Apex tier clients who use Stripe payment integrations on their own websites, see Section 5 and Section 11 of our Terms of Service for the allocation of merchant-of-record and compliance responsibilities.

5. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies (pixel tags, local storage) to:

• Remember your preferences and session state
• Analyze traffic patterns and site performance
• Measure the effectiveness of our content and forms

Cloudflare Turnstile is used on our contact and intake forms to prevent automated spam submissions. Turnstile may set cookies and collect limited browser signals to distinguish human visitors from bots. No personal information is required to complete a Turnstile challenge.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies does not prevent use of the site but may limit certain analytics features. We do not currently respond to browser-level “Do Not Track” signals.

6. Data Retention

We retain your information for as long as your account is active, as long as is necessary to provide our services, and for a reasonable period afterward to fulfill the purposes described in this policy, including:

• Subscription records and billing history: retained for a minimum of 7 years for financial and tax compliance
• Client content (website assets, communications): retained for 30 calendar days after subscription ends, per our Terms of Service (Section 4)
• Inquiry and contact form data: retained for up to 2 years unless you request earlier deletion
• Analytics data: retained in accordance with the applicable provider's retention policies
• AI outbound call recordings: recordings of calls made through our AI Calling Program (via ElevenLabs/Twilio) are retained for up to 90 days and then deleted, unless retention is required by law or to resolve a dispute
• Prospect outreach data (business names, phone numbers, and contact information sourced from public directories for outbound SMS and voice outreach): retained for up to 24 months from collection, or until an opt-out request is honored, whichever comes first
• GEO monitoring query data: AI search engine query results and citation reports generated for client AI Visibility monitoring are retained for up to 12 months to support trend reporting

After applicable retention periods, we will delete or anonymize your information. Certain information may be retained longer if required by law or to resolve disputes.

7. SMS & Business Outreach Communications

7.1 Outbound SMS Program

LocalCred operates an outbound SMS program to introduce our managed growth platform to service businesses located in Colorado. Contact information used for this purpose is sourced from publicly available business directories (BBB, Google Maps, and similar registries). This program is directed at business phone lines in a B2B context and is separate from any consumer marketing activity.

7.2 Message Frequency & Opt-Out

Message frequency varies. You may receive up to 3 messages per outreach sequence per business contact. Message and data rates may apply.

To stop receiving SMS messages from LocalCred at any time, reply STOP to any message. You will receive one final confirmation and no further messages from that campaign. For help, reply HELP to any message or contact us at hello@localcred.co.

Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. We do not share, sell, or transfer phone numbers obtained through this program to any third party for marketing purposes.

7.3 Client Transactional Communications

Active clients may receive SMS or email communications related to their account, subscription, or service delivery. These communications are part of the service and are not marketing messages, though you may request communication preferences by contacting hello@localcred.co.

8A. AI-Powered Outbound Calling Program

8A.1 Automated AI Voice Calls

LocalCred uses an AI-powered conversational voice agent to make outbound telephone calls to prospective business clients. These calls are made using ElevenLabs AI voice synthesis technology, delivered via Twilio's telephony infrastructure. When you receive an outbound call from LocalCred, you may be interacting with an AI agent rather than a human representative.

Our AI Calling Program is directed exclusively at business telephone lines of businesses located in Colorado. We source business phone numbers from publicly available business directories (BBB, Google Maps, and similar registries) and conduct outreach in a B2B context.

8A.2 Call Recording Notice

Calls made through our AI Calling Program may be recorded for quality assurance, training, compliance, and service improvement purposes. All of LocalCred's operations are based in Colorado. Call recording is governed exclusively by Colorado law (C.R.S. § 18-9-303), which permits recording with the consent of one party to the conversation. As a matter of best practice, LocalCred's AI agent will identify itself as an automated system at the outset of each call. By continuing a call after this identification, you consent to recording of that conversation under Colorado law.

Call recordings are retained for up to 90 days and then securely deleted, unless retention is required for legal, compliance, or dispute resolution purposes. Recordings are stored with Twilio and accessed only by authorized LocalCred personnel.

8A.3 Opt-Out Rights

You may opt out of future calls from LocalCred's AI Calling Program at any time:

• During a call: Say “stop,” “remove me,” “do not call,” or a similar phrase. The AI agent will honor your request and add your number to our suppression list.
• By email: Contact us at hello@localcred.co with your business name and phone number.

Opt-out requests will be processed within 5 business days.

8A.4 Data Used in AI Calling

The AI voice agent may reference your publicly available business name, location, or category during the call. No sensitive personal data (payment information, Social Security numbers, etc.) is transmitted to or processed by the AI calling system. Call conversation data processed by ElevenLabs is subject to ElevenLabs' Privacy Policy (elevenlabs.io/privacy).

8B. AI Visibility Monitoring (GEO) Service

8B.1 What This Service Does

Certain LocalCred subscription tiers include AI Visibility Monitoring (GEO), which tracks how Client's business is referenced across AI-powered search platforms, including ChatGPT (OpenAI), Gemini (Google), Google AI Mode, Perplexity, and similar platforms (“AI Search Engines”).

To deliver this service, LocalCred periodically submits queries to AI Search Engine APIs or interfaces that include Client's business name, location, business category, and other descriptive information. The responses (citations, summaries, or references) are compiled and reported back to Client.

8B.2 Third-Party AI Services

GEO monitoring queries are sent to third-party AI platforms including OpenAI (ChatGPT), Google (Gemini), Perplexity, and others. These providers process the queries under their own terms of service and privacy policies. LocalCred does not control how those platforms handle, store, or use query data. Client business information submitted as part of GEO monitoring queries is limited to publicly available business descriptors (name, location, service category) and does not include Client's private data, payment information, or subscriber personal information.

8B.3 Data Retention for GEO Reports

AI citation query results and monitoring reports are retained for up to 12 months to support trend analysis and historical reporting. After this period, reports are deleted or anonymized.

8. Your Rights & Choices

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Delete your personal information (subject to legal retention obligations)
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Opt out of SMS or email marketing communications
• Request a copy of your data in a portable format

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@localcred.co. We will respond within 30 calendar days. We may need to verify your identity before processing requests.

Colorado residents: The Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) grants Colorado consumers certain rights with respect to personal data. These rights include access, correction, deletion, portability, and the right to opt out of targeted advertising or the sale of personal data. We do not sell personal data or engage in targeted advertising as defined under the CPA. To submit a CPA request, contact us at hello@localcred.co.

9. Security

We implement reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse, including HTTPS/TLS encryption for data in transit (via Cloudflare), access controls on our systems, and use of PCI-compliant infrastructure for payment data (via Stripe).

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Children's Privacy

Our services are directed at business owners and are not intended for individuals under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a minor, please contact us at hello@localcred.co and we will promptly delete it.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page and notify active clients by email at least 30 calendar days before changes take effect. Continued use of our services after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Governing Law — Colorado Only

LocalCred exclusively serves businesses located in the State of Colorado. This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Colorado, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising from this policy or LocalCred's data practices shall be resolved in Denver County, Colorado.

No representation is made that LocalCred's privacy practices comply with the laws of any state or jurisdiction other than Colorado. LocalCred does not sell personal data or engage in targeted advertising as defined under the Colorado Privacy Act (CPA). The following references to other state privacy frameworks (CCPA, NY SHIELD) are noted solely as informational context; they are outside the scope of LocalCred's current Colorado-only operations.

13. Contact Us

For privacy questions, data access requests, or to opt out of communications:

• Email: hello@localcred.co
• Mailing: Elevated Guild, LLC d/b/a LocalCred, Colorado