Hosting Service Agreement (“HSA”)

Updated 03/31/2026

Description of Hosting Services

TrustLocal Digital offers a unique combination for our custom hosting services. Here’s what you can expect:

• Managed Model: Our hosting service is fully managed, covering content delivery, customer support, DNS management, maintenance, security, and website oversight.
• Custom Web Design: All our custom web design plans come with our managed services, hosted on TrustLocal Digital owned servers.
• Terms & Conditions: Our services are subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, which encompasses this and all other applicable Schedules.
• Service Evolution: TrustLocal Digital continually refines its Website Hosting Services. We reserve the right to improve our offerings, enhance server performance, and ensure high-quality service.
• Service Dependency: All TrustLocal Digital services, including website management, SEO, and support, are contingent on an active hosting plan with TrustLocal Digital. Cancellation of hosting constitutes cancellation of all services.

Prohibited Activities

TrustLocal Digital champions the free and open exchange of ideas. However, certain activities conflict with our mission of enhancing web publishing for everyone. Engaging in the following activities is strictly prohibited:

• Child Exploitation: No offering of goods, services, or uploading of materials that exploit or abuse children. This includes images or depictions of child abuse, sexual abuse, or any content presenting children in a sexual manner.
• Harassment & Threats: Harassing, bullying, defaming, or threatening specific individuals through goods, services, or materials is not allowed.
• Hateful Content: TrustLocal Digital services must not be used to promote hate or violence against specific groups based on race, ethnicity, and other discriminatory factors. Supporting organizations or individuals that endorse such hate is also prohibited.
• Illegal Activities: Offering goods, services, or materials that break the laws of your operational jurisdictions is forbidden.
• Intellectual Property Violations: Do not offer goods, services, or materials that infringe on others’ copyrights or trademarks.
• Malicious & Deceptive Practices: Transmitting malware, hosting phishing pages, or any activities that disrupt TrustLocal Digital services or its third-party providers are prohibited.
• Personal & Confidential Information: Posting or uploading materials containing sensitive personal details without proper consent is not allowed.
• Local Services Restrictions: Offering Local Services that seem to be restricted items is prohibited.
• Self-harm Promotion: Goods, services, or materials that promote self-harm are not allowed.
• Spam: Unsolicited commercial electronic messages through TrustLocal Digital services are forbidden.
• Terrorist Affiliations: Offering goods, services, or materials that suggest support for terrorist organizations is prohibited.
• Limited Remote Access: TrustLocal Digital provides fully managed WordPress hosting services. This means that clients do not have FTP/SSH/MySQL or any other form of remote access to the server. While clients can obtain WordPress control user editing level access, their permissions are specifically restricted to adding, editing, or removing blog posts. All other aspects of the website, including core page modifications and design changes and plugin licensing fees are managed exclusively by TrustLocal Digital to ensure consistency and quality. Customer agrees this is sufficient.

Engaging in the above activities can lead to the removal of materials, account suspension, or termination without notice, even for activities outside of TrustLocal Digital services.

Limited Access to Website Functionality

Our managed website service provides a simplified and streamlined experience for our customers. As a result, we do not offer FTP, SSH or MySQL access to the website. Customers are provided with a restricted WordPress access for blog editing/posting. This approach ensures a worry-free experience for our customers, with the peace of mind that their website is being taken care of by our team of experts. The customer acknowledges and agrees that the restricted access to the blog section of the website is sufficient for their needs and that they do not require additional access to the website.

Backups & Security

• Backups: TrustLocal Digital conducts regular backups of our servers to ensure data integrity and availability. However, please note that we do not provide individual backup copies to our customers as part of the Website Hosting Services.
• Responsibility: When accessing your WordPress account, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your username and password. Any actions, omissions, or charges incurred due to unauthorized access resulting from your negligence in safeguarding your account information will be your responsibility. TrustLocal Digital is not liable for any breaches or unauthorized access arising from the mishandling of your account credentials.
• Content Protection: To protect your content, you agree to take necessary measures, such as maintaining independent backups and ensuring the security, confidentiality, and integrity of your data stored on TrustLocal Digital servers. TrustLocal Digital does not serve as an archive and will not be held liable for any loss, damage, or destruction of your content.
• Website Transfer: If you choose to end your use of the Hosting Services, it will be your responsibility to transfer your website to another provider. You will be subject to the Website Ownership and Buyout section.

Managed WordPress Hosting & Updates

At TrustLocal Digital, we prioritize the security and performance of your website. To ensure this:

• Automatic Updates: All WordPress hosting accounts on TrustLocal Digital servers have automatic updates enabled by default. Regular updates are crucial to address potential security vulnerabilities associated with WordPress themes and plugins.
• TrustLocal Digital Framework: We utilize a proprietary framework of plugins and industry leading themes and plugins, specifically curated and managed by TrustLocal Digital. This ensures optimal performance, security, and compatibility for your website.
• Client Customizations: Given our commitment to security and performance, we do not install plugins or themes upon client requests. Our managed services are designed to provide a hassle-free experience, with TrustLocal Digital handling all technical aspects of your website.
• Licensed: Plugin licenses used in TrustLocal Digital’s proprietary framework are not transferable and are not individually licensed to customers.

Automatic Malware Scan and Removal

TrustLocal Digital is committed to ensuring the security of your website. As part of our hosting services, we provide:

• Regular Scanning: Our systems automatically scan your website for potential malware threats, ensuring timely detection and removal of any malicious content.
• Preventing False Positives: We utilize advanced algorithms and heuristics to differentiate between legitimate website operations and potential threats. This minimizes the chances of false alarms and ensures that genuine website activities are not mistakenly flagged.
• Accuracy in Detection: Our malware detection tools are continuously updated with the latest threat intelligence. This, combined with our rigorous testing processes, ensures high accuracy in identifying and mitigating malware threats.
• Immediate Action: In the rare event that malware is detected, our system takes immediate action to quarantine and remove the threat, ensuring the continued safety and performance of your website.
• Limitation of Liability: TrustLocal Digital is not responsible for any files that are automatically removed from the Customer’s account due to the malware scanners, or for any website malfunctions or downtime caused by the removal of these files.
• WordPress Vulnerabilities: WordPress is particularly vulnerable to malware due to the vast number of plugins and themes available. TrustLocal Digital does everything possible to keep the Customer’s website secured as a managed service.

Hosting Service Availability Guarantee

TrustLocal Digital is dedicated to providing reliable and consistent hosting services. We offer:

• Uptime Commitment: We guarantee a 99.9% uptime for your website. This means that we strive to ensure your website is accessible and functional 99.9% of the time, barring any unforeseen circumstances or scheduled maintenance.
• Credit Claim Process: In the rare event that we do not meet our uptime commitment, customers are eligible to claim a credit. To do so:
  1. Contact our support team within 7 days of the downtime incident.
  2. Provide details of the downtime, including date, time, and duration.
  3. Our team will verify the incident and, if confirmed, apply a credit to your account for the affected period.
• Credit Calculation: The credit will be based on the amount of time your services were not available and will be calculated as $3 per hour, up to a maximum of $49 per month.
• Credit Usage: This credit can only be used towards the renewal of your monthly services, excluding any taxes.

Please note that scheduled maintenance, external network issues, and factors beyond our control are excluded from this guarantee.

Allotted Bandwidth and Storage

TrustLocal Digital provides bandwidth and storage allocations based on the client’s active hosting plan. All allocations are more than sufficient for local service-based businesses under normal operating conditions.

Plan Allocations:

• Basic: 15GB monthly bandwidth / 30GB storage
• Advanced: 20GB monthly bandwidth / 40GB storage
• Pro: 25GB monthly bandwidth / 50GB storage

Exceeding Limits & Automatic Upgrades: If your website exceeds your plan’s allotted bandwidth or storage, you will be automatically upgraded to the next hosting tier to ensure uninterrupted service. The prorated difference in plan cost will be reflected in your next billing cycle. Clients on the Pro plan who exceed their allocation will be contacted immediately for a custom quote.

Performance Impact: Exceeding bandwidth limits may result in website slowdowns or temporary unavailability until the upgrade is processed. TrustLocal Digital is not liable for downtime resulting from a client exceeding their allotted resources.

Monitoring & Alerts: We proactively monitor bandwidth and storage usage. Clients approaching their allocated limits will receive advance notification to avoid unexpected upgrades or service interruptions.