How we handle your information.

Who we are

Echo South Strategies ("Echo South", "we", "us") helps independent restaurants with search, Google and Meta account setup. We are based in Nashville, Tennessee and Mid-Coast Maine. Questions about this policy go to grow@echosouth.co.

What we collect from website visitors

The free audit form

When you request an audit we collect your name, your email address, your restaurant's website and anything you write about your goals. We also record the page you sent the form from, the referring page, any campaign tags in the link you followed (UTM parameters), the time, and a one-way hash of your IP address that we use to spot spam. We do not store your IP address itself.

We use this to review your restaurant, reply to you and send you a confirmation email. We keep audit requests for up to 24 months, then delete them unless you have become a client.

Analytics

We use Google Analytics 4 to understand how people find and use the site. Google Analytics sets cookies and collects information such as pages viewed, approximate location, device and browser type, and which buttons were clicked (for example, whether the audit form was sent). Google processes this data under its own privacy policy. You can opt out with the Google Analytics opt-out add-on or by blocking cookies in your browser.

Client sign-in

If you are a client with a login, we store your name, email address and a hashed password, and set a session cookie that keeps you signed in. We record who marks a project task as done and when.

Data from client accounts

When a restaurant hires us, the owner grants us access to accounts that stay in the restaurant's name. Depending on the engagement this can include Google Analytics, Google Search Console, Google Business Profile, and Facebook and Instagram business pages through Meta Business Suite.

We read data from these accounts, such as website traffic, search queries and rankings, listing views, calls, direction requests, reviews, page details and post performance, to produce reports and recommendations for that restaurant. Where the client asks us to, we update listing details such as hours, categories, photos and links.

• We use client account data only to provide services to that client.
• We do not sell it, share it with other clients, or use it for advertising.
• We do not post content to a client's social accounts.
• Access tokens are stored encrypted on servers we control. Report data is kept for the length of the engagement plus 12 months, then deleted.
• A client can remove our access at any time from their Google or Meta account settings, and can ask us to delete the data we hold. We do so within 30 days.

Our use of information received from Google APIs follows the Google API Services User Data Policy, including the Limited Use requirements.

Who we share information with

We use a small number of service providers to run the business: Hostinger (website hosting), Google Workspace (email), Google (analytics and the APIs above), Meta (the APIs above) and the server provider that hosts our reporting tool. To check how a restaurant appears in AI search, we send public questions about the restaurant, such as its name, town and cuisine, to AI search providers. We do not send them personal information about you.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it or to protect our rights. We do not sell personal information.

Your choices and rights

You can ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it by emailing grow@echosouth.co. We answer within 30 days. Depending on where you live, you may have further rights under state privacy laws, and we will honor them.

Our services are for businesses. We do not knowingly collect information from children under 13.

Security

The site runs over HTTPS. Form submissions and login data are stored outside the public web folder, passwords are hashed, and access tokens are encrypted. No system is perfectly secure, and we will tell affected people promptly if a breach involves their information.

Changes

If we change this policy we will update the date at the top of this page. Significant changes affecting clients will also be sent to them by email.