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Managing Your Basic and Accounts

Hello from Safe and Trusted Canada.

This video shows how you can manage your account regardless of the Plan Type the business owner selects. The same process for managing the business account applies to other premium accounts. Still, we will introduce a separate video to show the additional features and benefits of those premium plans.

The Information Only Profile is managed only by our Admin Staff.

Each business owner can manage several businesses with a single account. In this case, a single account manages several demonstration businesses set up for this video.

We will use the business Test Us Our as the demo business.

All account holders have 13 areas where content can be placed or changed. We will go through the 13 areas to explain things further. Each plan has different options, and not every plan needs to access all 13 areas.

The Basic Info area provides detailed information, and all plans start there.  To make each part of the Business info easy to understand, we include tooltips throughout the form. When clicked, tooltips open and display additional explanations.  This is how the section appears in live format.

Allow Reviews is automatic unless the account holder doesn’t want any reviews to come from Safe and Trusted Canada. There is a yes-or-no toggle in the business account

The business owner can fill in the remaining fields by copying and pasting content from their website.

Page views – Every time your listing is viewed by any visitor to the site who opens the business profile, the number of page views for that business increases. It is a running total since the business first joined the site.

The second area is Categories. Each Plan Type has different abilities in displaying primary categories and subcategories. The Basic Plan allows 1 primary category and 5 subcategories. The Plus plan increases the number of subcategories to 20.

Regions – Each province or territory has several cities and towns. The largest city in the province will always be shown first, followed by the capital city. All other cities and towns are shown in alphabetical order. The Basic and Plans allow the business owner to display one city or town, typically the business’s primary location.

Credentials are the Trusted Factors that the business displays to the public. They must be accurate.   Again, we have tooltips to ensure there is no misunderstanding of what credentials mean. Placing credentials in a listing is crucial for a business owner to attract consumers. The Credentials area also has tooltips to guide the user.

We have 54 Review Sites listed that you can display if applicable for your business. You can delete any review site, except Google and Safe and Trusted.

The Basic and Plans have access to social media platforms, and if applicable, you may place links to those sites that you are part of as a business owner.

The Basis and Plus plans do not support images, PDFs, YouTube videos, or eQuotes.

You can view your subscription level under Subscription.  When you enable consumer reviews, the Reviews Tab displays all reviews.  Business management and affiliated parties may not submit reviews.

Thank you for listening to this video.

The implementation of the Credentials Score is now in place for all businesses.

Credentials are part of the overall business presentation through account access. They are another way to give consumers accurate information.  A company that does not state its standard or contractor credentials loses to competitors who do.  If the business lacks the basics, account privileges may be cancelled.

Businesses may apply for account status.  See all Subscription Types

Not all businesses qualify for an account. Features and Benefits.

We look for Trusted Factors.  Trusted Factors

What is your Trusted Factors score  with consumers? See the video.

 

We want to remind all businesses and contractors of the importance of accurately listing their credentials on our site. When consumers search for a business or contractor, they rely on the credentials listed to make their decision. It is crucial that businesses and contractors guarantee the accuracy of their credentials.

Consumers can easily search for a business based on their credentials, such as registration, licensing, and years in business. Similarly, contractor credentials, like worker’s compensation, liability, and written contracts, provide consumers with the necessary information to make an informed decision.

It is essential that businesses and contractors understand that their credentials can be viewed and searched by consumers. The site will not score or validate credentials; consumers make their own decisions. Therefore, it is crucial that businesses and contractors take responsibility for ensuring the accuracy of their credentials.

By accurately listing your credentials, you can establish trust with potential customers and stand out from your competitors. Thank you for your cooperation in ensuring the accuracy of the listed credentials.

In all cases, consumers will evaluate and make their own decisions

The Site automatically reduces the subscription to an Information Only profile should the subscription be cancelled.  The company may also be archived.
See When We Archive a Business.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE PLACE THE FOLLOWING CONTENT INTO EVERY PROFILE

• • Information Only Profiles are as advertised to the public on the internet.
  • As a matter of policy, the Site does not recommend, accredit, suggest, promote, or validate any business. Consumers do that through reviews.
  • The Site provides public links to review sites that permit us to publish those links.
  • The Site provides private links to all other trademarked review sites about the business directly only through their account access.
  • Subscription types give business owners different advertising options, but the Site does not suggest that credibility determines the subscription level.
  • Users can use the Credentials Search’s advanced features to determine the degree of reliability for each business.
  • It is the responsibility of the user to check the credentials advertised by the business.
  • Notify Site Admin immediately where the business is advertising credentials they do not have, or information is not current.
  • The company and the consumer entirely determine transactions with each other.
  • Safe and Trusted Canada does not mediate complaints, issues, or concerns.
  • Seek legal advice for complex transactions.
  • Protect your interests as the removal of the business may occur at any time.
  • See all subscription types for businesses. 
  • See our YouTube Channel playlists.

See the video. 

We manage WordPress core, theme, and plugin updates to maintain a secure and stable hosting environment. WordPress software requires regular updates to address known vulnerabilities, maintain compatibility, and prevent service disruptions. Unmanaged updates expose websites to security risks and operational failures that increase over time.

We manage updates to prevent one unsecured website from affecting other websites on the same server. Even when websites have separate access credentials, they share server infrastructure, including processing resources, IP addresses, and email services. A compromised website can degrade performance, spread malware, or trigger hosting provider restrictions that affect all hosted websites.

We apply updates with professional oversight rather than relying solely on automated processes. We perform backups before updates, verify compatibility between WordPress core, themes, and plugins, and monitor websites after changes. This process reduces the risk of conflicts that can break website functionality or cause downtime.

We also manage plugins to control risk, not to sell additional services. Plugins introduce third-party code into the website, and poorly maintained or abandoned plugins increase security exposure. We audit plugins regularly, remove unnecessary software, and replace insecure plugins when needed to maintain a safe and reliable environment.

Because update management directly determines security and server risk, we require control over WordPress updates on all websites we host or support. This policy ensures clear accountability, protects the hosting environment, and allows us to operate responsibly. Website maintenance is a requirement of hosting and support, not an optional upgrade or upsell.

We charge $49.00 per month for this service.

We use Canadian Web Hosting as our hosting platform and have done so for several years. See their website.

Hosting in Canada keeps Canadian businesses compliant with Canadian Legal Standards. Keeping your website hosting in Canada keeps customer data out of reach of foreign surveillance laws. Your data never leaves Canada. Your data is stored on Canadian Servers and protected under Canadian Privacy Laws. If your website is hosted outside Canada, foreign governments may legally access the server data. You lose control over how data is requested or disclosed. You may not even be notified if data is accessed. Our websites are at the Toronto Data Centre.

Each website on our server has its own C-Panel platform. We have only VPS Hosting. VPS is short for Virtual Private Server. It uses virtualization to create a “virtual machine,” splitting a physical server into multiple virtual servers. While you share the same physical hardware with others, a VPS hosting plan provides dedicated resources (such as CPU, RAM, and storage) for your use only. With VPS Hosting, you get many of the benefits of a dedicated server at a more affordable price.

What is the difference between Shared and VPS Hosting? A shared hosting plan means you share key resources (such as CPU, RAM, and storage) with other users on the same shared server. You do not have root access or control over what can be installed on your server. VPS hosting means you do not need to share these key resources with others.

Each website is protected using Securi. What is Securi? We charge our customers $100 for this option. If your website is hacked, restoring it could be costly. Securi helps with that issue.

Each website has an SSL certificate. An SSL certificate encrypts information sent between a user’s browser and your server. Without SSL, data can be intercepted or altered while in transit. Modern browsers such as Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox clearly warn when a site lacks an SSL certificate. Without SSL, the consumer will see a “Not Secure” in the address bar and may see a red warning before loading the site. This immediately damages credibility and may cause many visitors to leave. Each website is protected with an SSL certificate for $100.

Our server has enhanced threat detection. We use Imunify360, which offers six layers of integrated Defence. See more.

Regarding Backups. See more

We use the paid version of Thrive Themes to build your website. The paid version of Thrive Themes costs us $420.00 per year for five websites. We charge $100 per website.

We do not host email services on our server. Email is one of the most significant sources of malware. In addition, we have encountered issues when businesses need to add staff email addresses to the server. They have had trouble setting up their email on their phone and expect us to be the solution. In addition, when the server does go down, which it will from time to time, the business operation ceases to exist. We recommend a professional email program, such as Microsoft Outlook or Google Workspace.

All our websites are configured this way to prevent an individual webpage from infecting other websites on the server.

 

 

 

 

Safe and Trusted Canada has used GoDaddy as our domain registrar since 2005. We recommend that businesses purchase the .com and .ca extensions to prevent another company from impersonating them. We handle everything for the business owner, but our invoices clearly state that the business owns the domains. Transfer of ownership for your domains can occur at any time. The easiest way is for the company to get a GoDaddy account; the transfer is automatic.

It should be noted that, over the years, we have had instances in which a business failed to renew its domains and another company purchased them. This loss could be significant for the company. We have also seen a website company buy a domain for a business, only for the customer to choose another company for website development. The former company sought to charge $ 5,000 for the domain transfer.

We charge $35.00 per domain extension and point the domain to your web host, so this is one less thing you have to worry about.

 

Safe and Trusted Canada develops websites, social media pages and reputation management options for businesses. We work with our team and may refer businesses to other digital agencies closer to the client.   The following outlines what our clients and potential clients need to know about our services. A website is essential to your online presence.

The Importance of Your Domain

The importance of Your Hosting Plan. 

Why We Manage WordPress Updates and Plugins?

 

Safe and Trusted Canada has a review system. 

The Information  Only profile does not offer business account privileges. As such, the company cannot respond to or post responses to reviews.

It is noted that a Basic subscription is free for the business. The business owner can decide whether to respond to consumers and post reviews through their content management system. The Basic Subscription allows the business owner to opt out of reviews entirely. The system also offers a QR code that the business can print on a card to give to customers for feedback. This will produce more reviews for the company.

Consumers can leave a review only if they are customers of that business. The consumer needs to include all the data in the review so that the company clearly understands who left it.

The review process requires the consumer to provide an email address, and the consumer receives a verification email confirming that the review is legitimate. Once verified, the consumer can leave reviews on any other businesses on the Site that they have been customers of. However, they can only leave one review per business.

Businesses with accounts can handle reviews, post them, and, of course, respond to them. Safe and Trusted Canada does not handle complaints.

If the consumer has a complaint against a business, has left a review, and is not satisfied with the business owner’s response, other options are available. We suggest that you file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau or seek legal advice. Our Site links to BBB reports, if available, from where you can quickly leave both a review and a complaint.

Although we understand the importance of reviews, we are not interested in business owners leaving positive reviews about their business through their employees or people connected to the company.  This would be a violation of our policy.  

Safe and Trusted Canada sees problems with some people leaving reviews about businesses in one part of the country and two hours later leaving a review about a company 2000 miles away.  Sometimes, you will see multiple reviews for different companies, all from the same person on the same day.  The business owner can reject a review from anyone who is not an actual customer. 

Our system indicates that business and customer transactions are theirs alone. We do not mediate issues, including reviews.

So our system puts review posting directly in the hands of the business owner, with numerous options to address issues and verify reviews from actual customers who have dealt with the business.

Users can leave a review by placing their email address and, preferably, a phone number in the review area. This allows a business to contact the customer directly to thank them for the review or to give a heads-up about a problem. The email address will be verified only once during our process. This way, users can leave reviews for other businesses on our system.

All Accounts can keep the review for reference, respond directly to the customer, or delete it with a note explaining why the business owner deleted it. The review may also be posted or not posted by the business. Any deleted review is sent to Safe and Trusted Canada administration staff for further review. The Site is looking for companies that can manage and respond to customers.

Posting the review. The business is not allowed to post reviews from those directly connected to the company as an employee or as any staff linked to the business. Doing so would cause concerns because this would be a fraudulent review.

Posting the review with a response.  The area of reply can be for both negative or positive reviews.  The business then posts the review.

Rejection of a review for other reasons.  Other reasons for rejecting a review might be as follows:

• The business is in a court action with the consumer or is in collections.
• The business is not aware that this is a customer.
• The review is a personal attack, not an objective one.
• Employee complaints and issues.
• Business-to-business relationships.

The bottom line is that a small percentage of reviews will be negative, and the business must deal with its legitimate customers.  The business owner will not be blindsided and can address issues they were unaware of before they became major problems on social media and multiple review sites.

The business owner must post reviews using their account.

The review format allows the consumer to decide whether to leave a positive, neutral, or negative review. It will also enable consumers to share their opinion on whether they are likely or less likely to recommend this business to others. The business owner verifies the review before it can be posted. If the company does not have an account, the rating is always posted, but the review content is not.

The consumer will only see posted reviews. A rejected review will not appear in the overall rating. Suppose the consumer is unhappy with the business and feels the owner is not treating them appropriately. In that case, they can leave reviews on other sites or take legal action.

Clearly, the site indicates in every profile that transactions between the consumer and the business are between the two entities.

Safe and Trusted Canada provides links to review sites associated with the business. If the company has a subscription, it can opt not to show reviews on other review sites besides Google and the Better Business Bureau.

The business owner will have access to links to other review sites through their account.  These review links may be proprietary to a particular site and may not be published automatically.  The business owner can see information on other sites to correct their business information and may publish their review sites if they have a paid account.

 

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE PLACE THE FOLLOWING CONTENT INTO EVERY PROFILE

• • Information Only Profiles are as advertised to the public on the internet.
  • As a matter of policy, the Site does not recommend, accredit, suggest, promote, or validate any business. Consumers do that through reviews.
  • The Site provides public links to review sites that permit us to publish those links.
  • The Site provides private links to all other trademarked review sites about the business directly only through their account access.
  • Subscription types give business owners different advertising options, but the Site does not suggest that credibility determines the subscription level.
  • Users can use the Credentials Search’s advanced features to determine the degree of reliability for each business.
  • It is the responsibility of the user to check the credentials advertised by the business.
  • Notify Site Admin immediately where the business is advertising credentials they do not have, or information is not current.
  • The company and the consumer entirely determine transactions with each other.
  • Safe and Trusted Canada does not mediate complaints, issues, or concerns.
  • Seek legal advice for complex transactions.
  • Protect your interests as the removal of the business may occur at any time.
  • See all subscription types for businesses. 
  • See our YouTube Channel playlists.

Every business can now manage its profile on Safe and Trusted Canada through its Username and Password.

Safe and Trusted Canada is introducing Tooltips throughout the Business Account Dashboard to help account holders manage their listings with confidence and ease.  Tooltips are small pop-up messages that appear when you hover over or tap an information Icon. (question mark) They give quick explanations and links to learn more, all without leaving your business account area.

We know that managing your business listing should be simple -not stressful.  Tooltips will help you.
Understand what every field means—no more guessing or searching for instructions.
Smarter Navigation – Understand features instantly.
More complete Listings – Fill out your profile correctly and stand out in searches.

Tooltips are part of our ongoing effort to make Safe and Trusted Canada the most transparent and user-friendly business directory in Canada. They’re designed to help you control your information, enhance your credibility, and connect with consumers -confidently.   When you see a ? icon, hover over it for instant help.

 

 

At Safe and Trusted Canada, we believe credibility should be easy to showcase.

That is why every paid subscription and every Basic Subscription that is a Trusted Business includes a done-for-you listing setup.

Our team builds and optimizes your business profile, including your description, credentials, and categories.

Once your profile is live, all you need to do is keep your information current, respond to consumer reviews and reply to quote requests.

This process ensures that every business profile on Safe and Trusted Canada is complete, professional, and credible from the start, while saving busy business owners time.

Your profile becomes a credible reflection of your business from day one, blending the best of your existing website with the trusted visibility of the Safe and Trusted Canada platform.

We communicate with the business owner or their designated staff to ensure we highlight what sets them apart and why consumers should choose their business.

We will grant the business account access once we receive the completed application.  Credibility Matters